Table Of Contents & Preface

We believe that providing readers with real-life examples is the best way of illustrating exemplary procedures. This book is based on the best RFP practices from more than sixty different jurisdictions.

Since the first edition in 1995, The Request For Proposal Handbook has become a valuable reference text in more than 4,000 jurisdictions. The Fourth Edition was published in June 2010.

PREFACE

CHAPTER ONE
Fundamental Issues

Introduction
What Is An RFP?
When Is An RFP Used?
How Much Effort is Warranted?
Advantages and Disadvantages
Other Procurement Options
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER TWO
Implementing An Effective RFP Policy Issues

Different Approaches To Policy Development
Implementing Policy
Example #1: State Of Alaska
Example #2: St. John River Management District (FL)
Example #3: Yukon Govenrment
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER THREE
The RFP Process

Introduction
Planning The Process
Designing Your RFP Process
Examples Of The RFP Process
Typical Timing
Changing The RFP Process
The Experience Of Others
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER FOUR
The RFP Document

PART ONE ~ The Basics

Introduction
How Much Information?
What Goes In An RFP Document?
The Anatomy Of Two Excellent RFP Documents

PART TWO ~ Getting It Right

Problem-Solving Features Of RFP Documents
Best Practices: Document Guidelines & Templates
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER FIVE
Best Practices: RFP Manuals

Introduction
New Mexico
New York
Federal Transit Administration
Massachusetts
Montana
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER SIX
Dealing With Suppliers

Introduction
How to Identify Suppliers
The RFP Process
Some Important Numbers
When Can A Contract be Awarded Without An RFP?
A Test For Transparency and Fairness
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER 7
The Evaluation Process

PART ONE ~ The Basics

Introduction
The Need For An Evaluation Process
An Explanation Of Best Value
The Methodology Used
The Evaluation Committee
The Steps In An Evaluation
Best Practices: Examples of Actual Evaluation Procedures

PART 2 ~ Getting It Right

When Bad Things Happen To Good Evaluations
Best Practices: A Trail of Great Documents Intimidates Their Lawyers
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER EIGHT
The Building Block of the Evaluation Process

The Nine Building Blocks
Establishing Compliance
Scoring the Proposals
Imposing Upset Levels
Evaluating the Cost
Developing a Short List
Face-To-Face With Suppliers
Negotiating The Contract
Requesting Best and Final Offers
Checking References
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER NINE
Ending the Process

Introduction
Confirming The Winner
Finalizing The Contract
Releasing The Results
Dealing With The Losers
Completing the RFP File
An Ending Comment
End Notes

CHAPTER TEN
Supplier Complaints and Protests

Introduction
Discourage Supplier Protests
Provide An Effective Dispute Resolution Mechanism
An Ending Comment
End Notes

REFERENCES / INDEX / CATALOG

PREFACE

On his first day in office, President Obama confirmed that fair,open and transparent would be the guiding principles in his administration. He also announced that Freedom of Information legislation would be used to release information, not withhold it.

President Obama's statements reflect the public's increasingly skeptical view that 'fair,open and transparent' are only words often ignored and forgotten by government officials.

This book leads the reader through the entire Request for Proposal process and provides best practices from more than sixty jurisdictions. Based on my experience as an independent consultant specializing in public procurement and the RFP process, these best practices have emerged as practical methods for building 'fair,open and transparent' into public procurement. While most of the citations are from the U.S., best practices are also found in other jurisdictions with similar public policies. Consequently, there are examples form Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

This book was first published in 1995. Since then, it has been expanded and revised every five years (in 200, 2005 and now, in 2010). To date, more than 4000 organizations, primarily in the U.S. and Canada, have purchased this book. The most distant sale was to a hospital in Qatar.

This books is intended to provide readers with:
- A detailed view of the entire RFP process and its variation
- Specific real world examples of how each step in this process has been implemented
- Introduction to best practices found in more than sixty different jurisdictions
- In revising this, the Fourth Edition, I have:
- Updated all of the material
- Updated all the citations and, for most, provided web addresses for each citation, about 75 in number.
- Greatly expanded the index to make it easier to search text dealing with a specific topic

In revising this text, I identified a number of issues that were important but often neglected in similar texts. By the time I finished this revision, I had accumulated a list of more than twenty topics which I decided could be best dealt with in a separate book which will be published later this year. These topics included:
- Using a draft RFP
- Handling unsolicited proposals
- Using a fairness officer
- Yes, RFPs for software are different!

This new book entitled Often Neglected (But Important) RFP Issues is scheduled to be published in September, 2010.

Thank you for your support and encouragement in producing this, the Fourth Edition, of this handbook. As always, comment, suggestions and your views on any topic are greatly appreciated. Simply call me at (604) 530-7881 or email me at michael@rfpmentor.com.

Best regards,

          Michael Asner,
          May 2010

Table Of Contents & Preface