Registering All Bidders Ensures Clarity
When a campus’ bid has been issued, it is important bidders are asked to register. We’ve found we have had to turn this from an optional to a mandatory process. We tell them that if they don’t register, their bid will not be considered. This is critical because you want to be certain all bidders get the same information. If they don’t register, we’re not sure the answers are getting to the right people. If a bidder does not register, ask for your package back; you don’t want details of your security project circulating any more than necessary.

Once registered, bidders may submit questions in writing. Answers to these questions are sent to all registered bidders throughout the bidding process, as are any changes, clarifications or other pertinent documents. As consultants, we answer questions as quickly as we can.

We understand that the integrator is putting a lot of time and effort into preparing the bid package, and we want to make the process as painless as possible. By delaying a response, we’re concerned the integrator will be up against a deadline and will either throw a high dollar number at the item in question, or decide not to bid because of the uncertainties.

As a side note, some folks lose sight of the goal in the competitive bid process. We feel that if there’s one clear winner, we haven’t done our job as a consultant. A campus’ goal should be to obtain a good number of competitive bids, where all bidders understand the project, provide pricing that is in the same ballpark, and fill you with confidence that they can get the job done. This allows you to look at other factors – experience with similar projects, service and support capabilities, reputation, and understanding of the products, rather than just price.

Many projects benefit from a prebid meeting where all prospective bidders gather for a project review. This is an opportunity to go over any areas of the specification that might cause confusion, answer any questions, and walk through the jobsite to get a feeling as to the physical conditions and work environment. Attendance at the prebid meeting is often mandatory, but this depends on the complexity of the project and the proximity of the bidders. Make sure a published record of items discussed is sent to all attendees.

Pay particular attention to the questions you get at the meeting and through the RFI process. You’ll quickly learn who has read the spec, who understands the requirement, and who is just going through the motions. These are good indicators of the competence of the prospective integrators, but keep from making snap judgments. Remember, the person preparing the bid is rarely the one who installs the system.

At the end of the Q&A, send out a composite list of all questions and answers. This ensures any late registrants are brought up to speed and provides a reminder of the issues that may be tricky or vague in the specification. Ask that all recipients acknowledge they have read, understood and responded to these questions as part of their bid package. The simple act of doing this can dramatically reduce the number (and cost) of change orders if you pick a low bidder that is low becaus
e someone in the firm doesn’t remember getting your clarifications.

Properly Evaluate All Prospective Integrators
On opening day, we tell our clients to rip open the packages, ignore all of the carefully prepared material, and go right to the bottom line price. Why? Because everyone does it anyway. Once that is out of the way, we can focus on a proper bid evaluation. There are a few ways to do this, and the method you use might depend on your internal policies or purchasing requirements.

Hopefully this process will lead you to a clear choice or at least a rich field from which to choose. If not, take a close look at the specification, including any onerous terms you may have proposed, and consider rebidding the package with some of these restrictions modified. If time is an element, a negotiated price is another good option. Whatever you choose, keep in mind that ethics play a greater part in today’s society than ever before. If you’re the one tasked with selecting the winning bidder, hold off on buying that new sports car until well after the selection process – better safe than sorry!

---

          Robert Grossman has more than 15 years’ experience in the security industry and is president of R. Grossman and Associates (www.tech-answers.com), an independent consulting group specializing in electronic security products and projects. He can be reached at (609) 383-3456 or rdgrossman@tech-answers.com.

To subscribe to the unabridged print version of Campus Safety magazine, click here.

If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

Related Content