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December 21, 2009 (Regular Meeting) <br />Page 172 6 <br />f. A recommendation for award is submitted to the Board of <br />Commissioners at a regularly scheduled meeting. The governing <br />body may accept or reject any or all bids. <br />g. The execution process for contracts (order of obtaining <br />signatures) should be: <br />1) Vendor/Contractor <br />2) County Attorney, if applicable <br />3) Finance Director or Assistant Finance Director <br />4) County Manager or Board of Commissioners Chairperson <br />B. Request for Proposal (RFP) <br />An "RFP" is a written request issued with a scope of work, <br />general terms and conditions, and selection criteria. Requests <br />for Proposal are typically used for service or technology <br />contracts; or, where specifications cannot be easily described in <br />concrete terms and/or factors other than price need to be <br />considered. <br />1. Legal Requirements/Policies <br />a. RFPs can legally be used for contracts that are subject to <br />state competitive bidding statutes as long as the statutory <br />procedures are incorporated into the RFP process. If an RFP is <br />used for a contract subject to the competitive bidding <br />requirements, it must be: <br />1) Advertised; <br />2) Proposals must be sealed; and, <br />3) No negotiations may be conducted after the proposals are <br />opened. <br />b. RFPs can also be used for contracts that are not subject to <br />the competitive bidding requirements, particularly service <br />contracts. For these contracts, the RFP procedure can be <br />structured to include negotiations following receipt of the <br />proposals, or a separate sealed bid procedure based on new <br />specifications developed after reviewing initial proposals. <br />c. RFPs shall be solicited from an adequate number of qualified <br />sources. <br />d. The award shall be made to the responsible firm whose proposal <br />is most advantageous to the County with price and other factors <br />considered. <br />2. Purchasing Procedures <br />Service Contract solicitation, negotiation, award and execution <br />are accomplished by the following procedures: <br />a. The requesting department provides initial specifications and <br />the statement of work. <br />b. The Purchasing Agent works with the department to refine the <br />specifications and evaluation criteria, and prepares or reviews <br />the final RFP. <br />c. An advertisement for Proposals is placed at least one (1) week <br />before the time specified as the deadline for proposals <br />(generally, 3-6 weeks time is given for preparation of <br />proposals). <br />d. If needed, a pre-proposal conference will be scheduled to <br />review pertinent terms and conditions and answer vendor questions <br />pertaining to the RFP process. <br />e. Addenda are prepared, if necessary, due to a change in the RFP <br />specifications, or for additional clarification and sent via US <br />Mail, email or fax to all vendors on bid list. <br />f. A selected individual or committee evaluates the proposals and <br />discussions may be conducted with responsible Proposers for the <br />purpose of clarification to assure full understanding and <br />conformance to the solicitation requirements. <br />g. The individual or committee recommends award of a contract.. <br />h. Award shall be made to the responsible Proposer whose proposal <br />is determined to be the most advantageous to the County, taking <br />into consideration price and the evaluation factors set forth in <br />the RFP. <br />i. The Execution process for contracts (order of obtaining <br />signatures) should be as follows: <br />1) Vendor/Contractor <br />2) County Attorney, if applicable <br />3) Finance Director or Assistant Finance Director <br />4) County Manager or Board of Commissioners Chairperson <br />