Proposals/Bids
Tired of the Same Ol' Chicken?
A recipe for supporting diversity when the rules require 'lowest responsible bidder'....
Renting vs. Purchasing
An eye-opening comparison for uniform procurement....
Procurement Ponderable response
Reader response to a question posed in the June/July issue of Go Pro regarding a $1 billion wastewater program contract extension....
The Need for Negotiation
It's a critical skill — and sometimes an overlooked opportunity — in the public sector....
The Greening of Professional Services
Environmental preference purchasing not just for commodities anymore....
Steps to get the right solution
Following are the sequential steps that have proven highly effective in technology solution procurement for local government agencies....
Procurement Ponderable
GoPro magazine asks readers what they would do in a sticky situation when a wastewater contract comes up for bid....
Proposal revisions during post-award contract execution: Are they fair?
Richard Pennington examines legal cases in Florida and New Jersey that have determined whether governments can alter RFP requirements after selecting a contractor....
New tool for government procurement: construction bid management software
BidSync recently announced the release of BidSync Builder, a software as a service (SaaS) that is designed to help state and local governments quickly create construction project-specific bids, organize contractors’ electronic offers, and award contracts. ...
Expert advice for government purchasers as they prepare an RFP
Michael Asner helps government officials (usually auditors or procurement executives) and lawyers deal with procurement and request for proposal (RFP) issues. The following is a brief checklist of RFP lessons that Asner offers....
Responsive or not?
Richard Pennington examines two recent cases to highlight special problems in applying concepts of responsiveness in requests for proposals (RFPs)....
Procurement Ponderable
Readers respond to a question posed in the August-September edition of GoPro....
The ethics of preference programs
Despite good intentions, they can disrupt fair market forces and even impair participating companies....
Some information on RFIs
When used properly, a Request for Information (RFI) can be of immense value to the solicitation process....
Only one bid... now what?
What do you do when you receive only one bid?...
10 years of design-build: Federal agencies tally the benefits
Federal officials discuss the benefits of design-build contracts....
Include integrity and past performance in evaluation process
The new paradigm of evaluation should include an evaluation of integrity and past performance of the bidder....
Espresso machines perk up interest in district procurement practices
Changes are brewing in the Chicago Public Schools’ purchasing policies now that the district’s inspector general has reviewed the acquisition of 30 cappuccino/espresso machines for use in a high school program. Total value of the coffeemakers: $67,928....
BuySpeed delivers bang for the buck in the bayou
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the rebuilding of New Orleans made it more important than ever for the city to modernize its cumbersome and inefficient paper-based purchasing process. Thanks to the Web-based BuySpeed e-procurement system, the city was able to accomplish that — saving more than $1.25 million along the way...
Pennsylvania helps its municipalities deal with a slippery situation
With chilly forecasts just around the corner, Pennsylvania’s state government is taking steps to make road salt available to municipalities that have been affected by a nationwide salt shortage. ...
Theres more to procurement than price
Based on marketing materials it had previously received, the Police Department enlisted the services of Tempe, Ariz.-based Net Transcripts, a firm that...
E-Commerce Reaches Beyond the 'Net
The word often is used with different intent and meaning. In much of popular media, e-commerce is synonymous with the Internet. While e-commerce is dependent...
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