THE BIDDING PROCESS

Purchases over $50,000 must be competitively bid or support a sole source justification. Awards for purchases over $50,000 must be based upon either lowest cost or the lowest Cost Per Quality points.

PROCEDURE FOR BID ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

Written bids (Requests for Quotation) are first tabulated and reviewed by the buyer for conformity to the bid document. Copies of the bids are then forwarded to the department with instructions on how the department is to evaluate the bids. After departmental review, the buyer will make an award recommendation to the department and complete the process.

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The department must review and compare the bids using the following criteria:

Does the award fall within the limits of the "Basis for Award" section of the bid document?

• Do the bid responses match the original specifications?
• Did the bidder respond as requested and answer all questions?
• Are equivalent items being compared on all bids?
• Are demonstrations or oral presentations needed before proceeding with the evaluation process?
• Are all bidders given an equal opportunity to present their offer?

The award must be made to the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications, or else all bids must be rejected. (BUS-43, Part 3, III. F.)

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Lowest Responsible Bidder

The lowest responsible bidder will be determined on the basis of one of the following two methods:

1. By "COST ALONE"
   Award(s) will be made to the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications or else all quotations will be rejected. Using this method, all items other than price are specifications that must be met in order for the quotation to be considered
   
   OR

2. On a "COST PER QUALITY POINT" Basis
   When using the cost per quality point method, quality points are assigned to various categories such as delivery, warranty, history of service, specifications, etc. The points are totaled for each vendor and divided into the vendor's cost of goods or services. The result is the cost per quality point. The award is made to the vendor with the lowest cost per quality point.
   

   In order to use this basis for bid evaluation, a department must submit a Basis for Award Matrix (Sample A) with their requisition. The matrix lists the weighted points assigned to each category, keeping in mind that weighting is dependent upon the relative importance of each category to the department's needs. Sample A is strictly a guide and other criteria may be added or deleted as deemed necessary. All specifications must be objective and quantifiable.

   The total points should add up to between 1000 and 1500 points, and in no event less than 1000 points. It is important to remember that "price" and/or "cost" cannot be used in the Basis for Award Matrix. The buyer handling this RFQ/RFP will assist you with the exact Basis for Award wording and quality point assignment. Quality points are confidential and are not to be revealed to the bidders.

Evaluation
The best bidder for each evaluation criteria will be awarded the maximum number of points. All other bidders will be awarded proportionally less points depending on how close they come to meeting the evaluation criteria items.

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SAMPLE A
DEPARTMENTAL BASIS FOR AWARD MATRIX

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