We use a number of different ways to find the right suppliers of goods and services for projects. These are some of the most common procurement methods.
Request for expression of interest (RFEI)
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This is used to get more information about the market for a particular good or service.
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We get a better understanding of business capacity to respond to a possible future procurement.
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Gives you the chance to say you're interested in competing for this work if it comes up in the future.
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This is not a legally binding agreement or a promise of a contract.
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This is a form of market research.
Request for information (RFI)
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This is used to get more information about a good or service to better define requirements before moving to the competitive stage of procurement.
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Your response to an RFI helps educate and shape the solutions a department may need in the future.
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This gives you the opportunity to review and comment on the requirements for this work if it comes up in the future.
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This is not a legally binding agreement or a promise of a contract.
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This is a form of market research.
Request for proposals (RFP)
We use this when we:
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need a supplier to propose a solution to a problem, need or objective; and
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where the decision is not based on price only.
An RFP describes:
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the project;
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the requirements;
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what information you need to give to the government; and
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how your proposal should be formatted.
An RFP includes criteria which will be used to evaluate your proposal, such as:
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experience;
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skills; and
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expertise.
We often ask for a proposed methodology and price.
Some RFP criteria are more important than others. These are weighted or scored accordingly, for example:
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your proposed method may be worth 25 per cent; and
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experience may be worth 10 per cent.
In your proposal you will need to show how you can:
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meet the requirements; and
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fulfil the criteria.
The contract for the project will be given to the supplier whose proposal best:
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meets the requirements;
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fulfils the criteria; and
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offers the highest overall value.
Request for qualifications (RFQ)
This is used to create lists of pre-qualified suppliers to bid on future opportunities. Your submission is evaluated against the evaluation criteria. You'll describe:
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your skills;
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your experience; and
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your qualifications.
Submitting a successful RFQ means you're eligible to be invited to bid:
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in the next procurement stage; or
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when a relevant project comes up.
An RFQ can be the 1st step in the procurement process. It's not a legally binding agreement, or a promise of a contract.
Request for bids (RFB)
This is a price-driven tender. Once minimum standards are met, the price generally determines who is awarded the contract.
An RFB:
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is more commonly used for construction-related services; but
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can be used for other types of goods or services.
An RFB follows a standard format that:
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describes the work to be done; and
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asks for pricing for specific parts of the work.
The supplier is awarded a contract for the project if:
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they give the lowest price; and
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their bid is technically acceptable.
Invitational Request for Bids (IRFB)
An invitational request for bids is used for simple, low-risk procurement where price is the only evaluation criteria:
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goods procurement up to $30,300; or
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services procurement up to a $121,200
This request will not be advertised publicly. We directly invite at least 2 suppliers. Any interested supplier may ask for a copy of the tender documents, and to be included in the tendering process. Requirements are described in a fill-in-the-blank form.
The contract is awarded to the supplier whose quote is:
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the lowest total price;
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compliant with bid submission requirements; and
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technically acceptable.
Invitational Request for Proposal (IRFP)
The invitational RFP is intended for simple, low-risk procurement:
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for services or construction up to $121,200; and
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where the decision is not solely based on price.
This request will not be advertised publicly. We directly invite at least 2 suppliers. Any interested supplier may ask for a copy of the tender documents, and to be included in the tendering process.
The contract is awarded to the supplier whose proposal best:
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meets the requirements;
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fulfils the criteria; and
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offers the highest overall value.
Supplier Directory
We maintain a directory of individuals and businesses that want to do business with us. It includes:
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contractors;
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suppliers of goods or services; and
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consultants.