Evaluation Procedures for the Award of Competitive Bids

1. The appropriate award of a bid is initially determined by comparing bid responses to the specified requirements which include not only technical requirements and total price, but also prompt delivery, payment terms and discounts, and general specifications required by the University or end user. The determination of an acceptable bid award is a joint effort between the end user and the Purchasing Department.

2. If the low bid is equivalent to the items specified and the general requirements enumerated in the "Request for Quotation", acceptance by the end user must be made known to the appropriate buyer in the Purchasing Department by memorandum, e-mail or by submitting a purchase requisition issued to the successful vendor.

3. If it is doubtful that a low bid is acceptable, it may be necessary to call for a demonstration by the low vendor(s) to afford an opportunity to prove equivalency to the items specified. When a demonstration is not appropriate, non-equivalency and ultimate award to a higher bidder must be justified in writing by the ordering department. Additional specifications or information may be obtained from the vendor to compare with the original specifications. Final evaluation and ultimate award of the bid is based on the total findings of the investigation. Appropriate documentation must be made part of the bid package upon award of the bid.

4. A letter of justification from the end user is required in the event a low bid is not acceptable. The justification must reflect a comparison of those items, areas, features, etc. which are not equivalent to the requirements as specified in the bid. A statement referencing a particular application of the specified items and the importance of this application should be stressed, and a statement as to why the low bid is not suitable for this application should also be included.

NOTE: The following statements cannot be accepted unless substantiated by more specific information and explanation: a) The low bid is not suitable for our purposes. (Why?) b) The low bid is not what I specified. (How is it unequal?) c) The low bid is not equivalent to the specifications. (How?)