Request For Proposals | Procurement Services | SIU

Competitive sealed proposals may be used on a case-by-case basis when it is determined by Procurement Services and approved by the Director that competitive sealed bidding is either not practicable or advantageous.

Examples would be:

1. If the contract needs to be other than fixed price.

2. Whether oral or written discussions need to be conducted with offers on technical or pricing issues.

3. If offers will be offered an opportunity to revise the proposals, including price.

4. If award may be based on a comparative evaluation of other factors in addition to price.

In some instances, the price is only a portion of the important criteria in choosing an awardee. A Request for Proposal allows for an evaluation process where the price is given a certain weight in the evaluation, along with other factors such as experience, references, service, warranty, delivery schedule, etc.

Because the Request for Proposal process is more complex in its basis for award than the Request for Quotation, the process takes much longer and requires more input from the requestor or supporting staff. An evaluation team is required to submit factors to be used in the evaluation and weighing of those factors. Procurement Services will assist and guide the requestor and the evaluation team through the process, but in the end the team must compile the scoring used to arrive at a recommendation for award, and document it for review by the Director of Procurement Services. Please keep in mind that the Request for Proposal process can take anywhere from four to six months. For instructions, please refer to the Procurement Code.

Insurance Requirements

Prior to sending the Purchase Requisition and Request for Proposal to Procurement Services, please refer to the Risk Management web page to determine if insurance is required and what the limits should be. Any written information obtained from Risk Management must be forwarded to Procurement Services with the Purchase Requisition and Request for Proposal.

The State Procurement Officer (SPO) is dedicated to insuring that the process was fair and in compliance with the Illinois Procurement Code, and that the process points to the "best value" for the University, if not always "best price."

Please review the following tools to help you prepare a Request for Proposal document. A Purchase Requisition is required along with a printed copy of the RFP document. The RFP document should also be forwarded to Procurement Services via either email to the appropriate Purchasing Officer or saved on a disk and attached to the Purchase Requisition.

NOTE: Purchases subject to the RFP process are reviewed by the Procurement Policy Board. For additional information, please see the Procurement Policy Board Review.

The Purchasing Officer will assist in the creation of the evaluation matrix. The evaluation matrix must be submitted from the department by the deadline for receiving the RFP (opening date).

Other documentation or signatures may also be required. Review Purchasing Instructions for further information.