Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
will be handled, management style and procedures, and a preliminary design, possibly
including process flow diagrams, hydraulic profiles, site layouts, or equipment layouts.
In a two-step selection process, DB teams are prequalified through an RFQ process
and then a few short-listed firms are invited (via an RFP; see chapter 15) to submit tech-
nical and price proposals. The RFQ generally focuses on gathering information about
the capabilities, experience, and expertise of the proposing firms and their project team
members (e.g., any subconsultants such as electrical, architectural, or other). Project man-
agement personnel and design-build delivery systems and approaches (e.g., project under-
standing, approach to design, environmental, procurement, communication, safety, and
partnering issues, QA/QC, cost and schedule control, etc.) are often the main focus in an
RFQ for a two-step selection process. Sometimes, proposers are invited to offer concep-
tual approaches for the project (e.g., water or wastewater treatment process selection, site
and/or equipment layouts), but the intent of the RRQ is to short-list qualified firms.
In some cases, owners may elect not to allow DB teams to compete if they had pre-
viously worked on portions of the project. For example, if one (or part of a) team was
involved in preparing any predesign studies or was involved in the preparation of the RFQ
document for the project, the owner may exclude such team(s) from competing for the DB
project. The reason for the exclusion is to make sure that no competing team member has
an unfair advantage in the competition. This information should be included in the RFQ
(and RFP) for the project.
RFQ STRUCTURE
An RFQ for the one- and two-step approaches share common goals and collect similar
types of information. The following submittal requirements are typical for both selection
approaches.
Definition of the Project
RFQs should always include a summary of the project. The location of the project is iden-
tified, and the background on the project is described. Information about the owner is
typically provided. Owner contact information is also included in the summary so that
proposers know who to contact with questions and/or clarifications.
Procurement Process, Schedule, and Terms and Conditions
This section of the RFQ explains the selection process and timetable for selection mile-
stones. The time, date, and place for SOQ submission are presented. The RFQ should
also state the owner's communication protocol during SOQ preparation. Owners should
state whether there is a prohibition of contact (i.e.,
cone of silence
) or other limitations on
communicating with the owner during the SOQ preparation phase.
The RFQ should detail how SOQ submittals will be evaluated and reviewed. Scoring
criteria should be disclosed, and if any criteria are considered more important than others
such that they are “weighted” in the score tabulation, the weighting designations should
be described in the RFQ so that proposers know which areas to highlight in their SOQ.
Chapters 16 and 17 provide additional information on these topics.
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