Run the competition properly, and keep the record while you do it.
From an informal quote to a full sealed-bid tender with a scoring committee. The route follows the rules that apply here, and the fairness evidence is a by-product of running it, not a file assembled afterwards.
Ten routes, and the system knows which one this requirement needs.
Choosing the wrong route is the most expensive mistake in procurement, and it is almost always made early and in good faith. The route is decided against value, category and the workspace's regime.
- RouteCall-off, RFI, RFPQ, RFQ, non-binding quote, ITQ, ITB/ITT, RFP, negotiated RFP and standing arrangement — each with what it commits you to
- SealedResponses stay hidden until formally opened by a named person, and the opening is recorded
- FairCriteria, weightings and any minimum scores are published before the box closes, not decided once the prices are known
- CoveredWhere a trade agreement applies, the minimum posting period and the standstill are enforced rather than left to a checklist
Pick the route on the requirement, not on the deadline.
The playbook explains each route: when to use it, what it binds you to, and the mistakes it invites. A nine-question path ends in one recommendation, with its reasoning.
- SimpleAnswer the nine questions and take the recommended route, or override it and record why
- ThenPublish criteria and weightings, then appoint at least two evaluators — the system will not let one person score alone
- ThenAnswer supplier questions once, as an addendum every bidder sees, so no one gets a private answer
- ComplexWhere competition is not being run, raise the written justification here — and it cannot be approved by the person who wrote it
Score quality against a rubric, blind to price.
Evaluators rate 0–5 against a published descriptor for each question and the points are derived, so a committee argues about evidence rather than arithmetic.
- GateDeclare conflict of interest and acknowledge the rules of engagement — without both, the scoring screen will not open
- ScoreRate each answer against its rubric and record strengths and weaknesses; the price score is computed and never seen while scoring quality
- MeetThe chair records the agreed rating at a consensus meeting — individual scores are never overwritten
- PublicA public buyer cannot propose an award until that meeting is recorded; a private buyer may skip it
They do the work, in their own portal, at no licence cost.
Suppliers register themselves, answer in structured form and submit their own prices, so nobody on the buying side re-keys a bid into a spreadsheet.
- SimpleRegister, keep the company profile and documents current, and be told when something is about to lapse
- ThenAsk a clarification question and see every addendum issued to the field
- ThenSubmit the quote and the answers; decline with a reason, which is worth as much to a category manager as a bid
- AfterReceive purchase orders, submit invoices, and raise a complaint if they believe the process went wrong
The file that survives a challenge is already assembled.
The point of running it properly is being able to show that you did. The binder is generated from what actually happened, in order, rather than reconstructed.
- SeesEvery clarification, addendum, declaration and score against each event
- DoesGenerates a losing bidder's debrief from their real scores against the published criteria
- DoesGenerates the evidence binder for any awarded competition — chronological, and complete
- ProofA challenge is answered from the record rather than from memory, which is the difference between a bad week and a bad year
