complete and accurate solicitation document. RFIs are used to identify industry standards, best practices, potential performance measures, and cost or price structures or to generally ascertain the level of interest of prospective respondents. A preliminary solicitation document which provides an initial description of the program objectives and specifications usually accompanies an RFI for review by potential respondents. Agencies may use the information derived from the responses to finalize their solicitation document. Agencies are not required to incorporate any or all of the comments or suggestions made by the contractor, but the hope is that the contractor will provide useful information in the RFP development process.

Request for Proposal (RFP) – Used when competitive sealed bidding is not practicable or advantageous. Generally this is when factors other than price are to be considered or when objective criteria cannot be defined. One of the key differences between an ITB and an RFP is that negotiations are allowed in an RFP. Discussions are allowed with the respondents and best and final offers are solicited.

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) – Generally used for Professional Services wherein the respondents are evaluated based solely on their qualifications. Price is not considered until after selection is made by the agency based on qualifications. Professional Services are covered under Texas Government Code, Section 225.

A pre-bid meeting is generally held for bids and proposals that are requesting a service or that may be controversial. The meeting allows staff to review the specifications with potential vendors at one time and provides vendors the opportunity to ask questions or attend a site preview.

The meeting may be mandatory or non-mandatory and must be specified in the bid documents. The meeting may be part of the best value criteria.

A specification is an accurate description of the material or equipment to be purchased. All specifications shall be clear, definite, and shall permit competitive bidding except for those items that may be noncompetitive due to patent or distribution rights. The using department, with the advice of the Purchasing Agent, has the primary responsibility for drafting or revising specifications.

Simple – details are specific enough that a loophole will not allow a bidder to evade any of the provisions and take advantage of the City.

Identifiable – a comparison with a brand or specification already on the market, in order to avoid confusion. Care should be used, however, to ensure that the specification does not arbitrarily exclude other viable products.

Verifiable -.a description of the verification is included to ensure the specification has been met.

Capable – allows responses from multiple bidders.

Clear and consistent- Inconsistent and unclear specifications lead to misunderstandings, which can be costly in price and time.

Flexible - allows the City to take advantage of new or green products when feasible.

Defensible - Arbitrary specifications (need versus want) that do not have a valid business purpose should be avoided.

SECTION 11: Types of Procurement NUMBER: 06-02

APPROVED BY: POLICY DATE: REVISED DATE: