Expedited RFQInstructions for Projects Between $50,000and $250,000

The commodity codes for various ITQcontracts are contained in the JAGGAER software toolat:

The procedures for acquiring these services follow Section 517(f) of the Commonwealth Procurement Code (62 Pa. C. S. § 517(f)).

Best Value Selection

I.Best Value

  1. Definition

Best Value refers to the process of selecting the quotewhich provides the greatest value to the agency based on evaluating and comparing all pertinent criteria, including cost, so that the contractor whose overall proposal best suits the agency’s needs is selected for each individual project.

  1. Best Value criteria shallinclude:
  1. TECHNICAL:
  1. Contractor Prior Experience ;
  1. Contractor Personnel & Qualifications; and
  1. Project Work Plan.
  1. COST:

This includes not only consideration of the contractors’ hourly rates, but also the number of hours proposed for the project and overall proposed project cost.

  1. SMALL DIVERSE AND SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION:
  1. Small Diverse and Small Business Participation; and
  1. Domestic Workforce Utilization.

II.Best Value Process

The following process will be followed:

  1. Establish Evaluation Officer or Evaluation Team
  1. The agency shall establish the officer or team to conduct the Request for Quotes(RFQ).
  1. The duties of the Evaluation Officer or Evaluation Team are to evaluate the quotes received, and select a contractor for award.
  1. The Best Value process must be documented in writing and be retained in the contract file for theproject.
  1. Identify Best Value Criteria

Agencies must utilize the standard best value criteria established on the Best Value Determination Formunless prior written approval is obtained from DGS. Cost may not be used as the sole evaluation factor for a particular RFQ unless prior written approval is obtained from DGS. If cost will be the only evaluating factor for an RFQ, then only cost should be listed as the sole selection criteria on the best value determination (BVD) Form.

  1. Prepare a Request for Quotes (RFQ)

To assist in the preparation of the RFQ, an RFQtemplate is available to you and located on the DGS Intranet site. See: RFQ Template.

The RFQ Templatesets forth the criteria for which contractors must supply information for proper evaluation of the quotes and must correspond to the Best Value Determination Formfor each project. Contractors must supply information for all evaluation criteria items.

  1. Evaluate Quotes Received
  1. The Evaluation Officer is responsible for recording and maintaining the following information for each project and named appropriately for Comptroller/DGS review.
  1. All contractors to whom an RFQ was sent;
  1. All contractorswhosubmitted quotes;
  1. All quotes that were rejected;
  1. The selected contractor; and
  1. Completed Best Value Determination form.
  1. There is a two-step process for evaluating the quotes:
  1. Initial Screen for Responsiveness

The initial screen for responsiveness is to insure that the contractor provided all the necessary information required to evaluate the contractor’s quote under the best value selection process. Incomplete quotes may be clarified or rejected depending on the particular circumstances; consult with your agency purchasing office or legal counsel. Quotes that arrive after the deadline must be rejected.

  1. Evaluate Best Value Criteria

The criteria and relative weights established on the Best Value Determination Formmust be used to evaluate the proposals. The Evaluation Officer, or the Evaluation Team collectively, will rate how well each contractor has met the Technical criteriausing the Evaluator Scoring Guide. For cost, the Officer/Team will assign the lowest cost proposal the maximum points available for that criterion and allocate points to the remaining cost proposals in direct proportion to the lowest cost as described on the Best Value Determination Form. Small Diverse Business and Small Business Participationwill be scored by the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO).For Domestic Workforce Utilization, the Evaluation Officer or Team will calculate the score based on the percentage provided by each contractor.

The Contractor Responsibility Program file for each contractor being evaluated should be checked for relevant information on past performance and outstanding Commonwealth obligations.

  1. Select the Contractor

After completing the Best Value Determination Form, the Evaluation Officer, or the Evaluation Teamcollectively, shall select the contractor whose quotereceived the highest overall score for that project. The Best Value Determination Formmust be retained in the contract file for theproject.

  1. PreparePurchase Order

After acontractor is selected, a Purchase Order (PO) against the selected contractor’s contract will be created. The following must be attached to the Purchase Order:

  1. The RFQ solicitation;
  1. The selected contractor’s response;
  1. Documentation of all items listed in E.1 will be attached to the PO and marked as “internal”;
  1. Completed Best Value Determination Form shall be named as “BV Determination, RFQ # _____, [selected Contractor name].”Marked as “internal”; and
  1. If applicable, Office of the Budget’s approval.

If a Funds Commitment will be used, a waiver from DGS must be approved in advance of the solicitation and attached to the Funds Commitment Document in SRM along with all relative documents listed above.See:

  1. Issue Purchase Order

The agency will issue a Purchase Order to the selected contractor only after full approval/electronic releaseof the PO. The agencywill separately notify the successful and unsuccessful contractorsby e-mail.

Do not post the Best Value Determination form to eMarketplace or Treasury websites.

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