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Subject:Re: [2] Request for Proposal forms From:Rowena Hart <rhart -at- XCERT -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 5 Mar 1999 10:40:50 -0800
A few more thoughts about what should be in
an RFP:
>- Second, always clearly define what IS and IS NOT
>expected in terms of:
(i) CONTACT PERSON at the company who
will be responsible for answering questions of
proposal applicants. this is typically the project
manager, i.e. the person who will oversee the
contract. include contact info such as address,
phone/fax number, e-mail address.
(j) LOCATION OF WORK. will the contractor
be expected to work in your office, or can they
work at home or even in another city? if you do
not specify, you will have to answer this question
later.
(k) SUBSTITUTIONS. will you accept substitution
of personnel? under what circumstances? do
these people have to meet the minimum
qualifications listed in the RFP, or can they have
less experience?
(l) DESCRIPTION OF WORK. (D'uh!) yes, some-
times the people who write RFPs forget to include
a complete description of the work required. this
can REALLY cause problems, because the
contractor can legally argue that the task(s) that
needed to be performed were not clearly defined
and therefore the deliverables and timelines were
inappropriate. in these cases, the law is behind
the contractor, not the company.
(m) PAYMENT TERMS. if a number of companies
are bidding for a large contract, a "deposit" of
n-dollars may be required against the work to be
completed (paid by the contractor bidding for the
contract). this money is held until the work is
deemed to be completed, at which time it is
refunded and interest is paid to the contractor.
similarly, you may specify in the RFP that payment
will be made only upon completion of the contract.
(n) DECISION DATE AND NOTIFICATION DETAILS.
specify the day on which the award decision will
be available, and how the proposal applicants
will be notified of a win/loss.
If I can think of any more sections/items, I'll pass them
on at a later date.
