• Preparing a competitive solicitation;
• Gathering and logging proposals;
• Establishing an evaluation committee;
• Reviewing and evaluating proposals;
• Documenting our selection; and
• Issuing a purchase order or contract.
Preparing a Competitive Solicitation
Once our organization has gone through the necessary pre-procurement steps to determine that an item or service is covered in our approved budget and passes the allowability test, we are ready to solicit proposals or quotations from vendors or consultants. Depending on the estimated cost and the local context, our solicitation can be sent to a targeted group, advertised in the newspaper or posted on our website or elsewhere online. However when we distribute a solicitation, we ensure that all of the information it contains is the same for all potential respondents. The best solicitations:
• Provide detailed information on exactly what we seek to buy;
• Contain clear instructions for vendors on what to include in their proposals or quotations, how to submit them