Request for Proposals: A Vendor s Guide Strategic Procurement Division, Service New Brunswick October 25, 2017
Presentation Objectives To assist you in developing a better understanding of: What is a Request for Proposals (RFP)? Structure of an RFP Responding to an RFP Evaluation of bids Post-Evaluation activities
What is an RFP? A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document that: Solicits proposals through a competitive bidding process by an entity (e.g.: Government) when they are interested in procuring goods and/or services in accordance with applicable legislation and trade agreements Is more commonly used for goods or services where the evaluation is based on more factors than price alone Allows for the evaluation of qualitative criteria which align with the complexity of goods or services being procured
The Procurement Act In New Brunswick, all procurements (via competitive bidding process or exemption) must adhere to the Procurement Act and Regulation The issuance of RFP s and the subsequent evaluation of bid submissions is regulated and managed by the Strategic Procurement Division in accordance with the Act.
Who issues RFP s? RFP s are issued by various Part I, II, III, and IV Government of New Brunswick entities Strategic Procurement Division, Service New Brunswick (SP), is charged with issuing all tenders and RFP s on behalf of Parts I, II and III (Regional Health Authorities) Government entities All RFP s issued by SP for Parts I, II and III Government entities are advertised on the New Brunswick Opportunities Network (NBON) Part IV entities and municipalities also advertise on NBON Part I: Department of Health, Justice and Public Safety, Dept. of Transportation and Infrastructure, etc. Part II: School system (Anglophone and Francophone Districts) Part III: Regional Health Authorities Part IV: Crown Corporations (i.e.: NB Power)
RFP Scoring Criterias In addition to price, RFP s allow for the scoring and evaluation of multiple qualitative criteria, such as, but not limited to: Proposed service delivery and methodology Company background and experience Project resources (Project Team) Project Team references Company references Demonstrations/Presentations Technical requirements
RFP Structure RFP s follow the same general layout, with some variation: Title page (Includes RFP number, title, closing date) General Terms and Conditions of the procurement process Instructions for responding to RFP Instructions for submitting questions Information on the procuring entity Scope of the procurement Technical requirements and deliverables Evaluation criteria and associated weightings
Responding to an RFP Read the RFP carefully in its entirety including any applicable attachments Adhere to all proposal submission requirements Failure to meet a mandatory requirement (will, must, or shall) will result in the disqualification of the proposal Make note of any preference statements within requirements to obtain best possible results Put enough detail into your answers as though you are explaining your response to someone who is not familiar with the procurement
cont d Ensure receipt of bid submission prior to closing at the location indicated Monitor email and NBON for any amendment notifications Don t assume, ask questions (prior to question period deadline) Follow formatting instructions and proofread submissions Proposal will be evaluated exclusively on its content Sign the submission!
Evaluation Methods There are 2 main evaluation methods which are utilized by SP: Single- Stage or Multi-Stage. The standard methods utilized by SP is the Multi- Stage RFP. Multi-Stage RFP This method can be made up of any variation of the following, whereby each category represents its own distinct stage: Technical Demonstration/presentation Proof of concept References Price
Single-Stage RFP In this format, price is included in the weighted/scored criteria. The vendor s proposed price is converted into a score based on a formula. The vendor with the lowest proposed price gets the maximum amount of available points, as identified in the evaluation criteria of the RFP, for the pricing section The vendor with the highest total cumulative points is considered to be the successful proponent
Evaluation of Bids Sample Technical Evaluation Grid The higher the weighting, the more points the section is worth There may be category minimums If a proposal does not meet the category min, they are disqualified Criteria is taken directly from what was presented in the RFP (Proposal Contents) Each vendor is scored against the same criteria Overall total score required to move onto Stage 2 (pricing)
Evaluation Committee Who evaluates the bids? Evaluation Committees are made up of Departmental Representatives, subject matter experts, and stakeholders RFP evaluations are moderated by a Procurement Specialist (Strategic Procurement Division). The Specialist ensure adherence to the Act, provides policy guidance, and may lead the evaluation.
Post Evaluation and Contract Award Following the completion of the evaluation process and internal approvals, the service agreement is negotiated, and signed, and the contract is awarded Once a Purchase Order has been issued, it can be viewed in NBON The time between RFP closure and contract award varies due to many factors, including but not limited to: Approval timeframes Resource availability Contract negotiations Vendor Debriefs Once a Purchase Order has been issued, unsuccessful Proponents may request a debrief. This process is intended to provide constructive feedback in order to learn for possible future procurement submissions. Many find the debrief process helpful in preparing future bid submissions and often increase their score as a result.
Questions?