PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES

pre-bid conference will be held, the agency should still provide for a question and answer period. Answers provided must be vendor neutral and provided in writing to all potential offerers. Date for Pre-Bid Conference – The schedule should provide the date for the pre-bid conference if the agency decides to conduct one. Pertinent details such as time, specific location, security sign-in procedures, and parking arrangements should be included. Attendance must be defined as optional or mandatory; if attendance is mandatory, proposals may only be considered from offerers who participated. Date for Notice of Intent to Bid (optional or mandatory) – The RFP may require a vendor to provide, by a specified date, notice of its intent to submit a bid. This notice may be optional or mandatory, at the agency’s discretion, although agencies are encouraged to provide maximum flexibility for receipt of bids from all interested offerers. If the notice of intent to bid is made mandatory, the agency should only consider proposals from those vendors who have submitted the notice of intent to bid on or before the date specified. Furthermore, the agency should distribute any amendments to the RFP and other communications only to such vendors. An exception would be if the amendment constitutes a material change that could have affected the ability of potential vendors to bid. In that event, the agency should provide the amendment to all potential vendors including those who did not submit a notice of intent to bid by the required deadline. Date for No Bid Reply Form – Agencies may choose to include in the RFP a form that vendors will submit indicating their intention not to bid. The form should include space for vendors to explain why a bid is not being submitted. The form should indicate that a no bid response will not impact participation in future solicitations. A date for its return should be specified. Return of this form is usually requested no later than the proposal due date and time. The no bid reply form helps the agency demonstrate that proposals were shared with others besides those responding, and to understand why a company did not bid. Date for Submission of Proposals – The earliest possible due date for submission of proposals is 15 business days after the advertisement appears in the New York State Contract Reporter. However, when selecting the submission date, consideration should be given to time frames necessary for intervening activities, such as the pre-bid conference and the question and answer period. Other factors, such as the complexity of the RFP, the time needed for vendors to prepare an effective response and obtain necessary internal approvals, and holidays that may impact availability of the agency and offerers, should also be taken into account. Anticipated Start Date and Term of Contract The term of the contract and any renewal/extension provisions must be specified in the RFP and the resultant contract. Method of Award This section should identify the method of award as best value. State Finance Law mandates that a contract for services (including technology) be awarded on the basis of best

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