Bid Process 

INFORMATION ABOUT BIDS OR PROPOSALS SUBMITTED

Interested parties may receive information regarding bids and proposals received by the Procurement Unit after the bid due date.  This information can be obtained in person, by e-mail at dlumpkin@a2gov.org or by phone at 734-794-6576.  The information provided is dependent on the type of solicitation.  In the case of ITBs where pricing information is contained within the submittal, the vendor's name and total price will be provided.  In the case of RFPs or other complex bids entailing a multi-step evaluation, only the names of the bidders are provided.  This information does not determine awards.

All submitted proposals (RFPs) and evalutation materials become public information and made available at the conclusion of the evaluation and negotiation process.

PROCUREMENT METHODS TO OBTAIN QUOTATIONS AND BIDS

If you have not registered on the service the City of Ann Arbor uses to notify prospective bidders or proposers of new opportunities, please do so at:

www.mitn.info 

You can also periodically check this website for new opportunities under Open Bids and Proposals.

The City of Ann Arbor uses the following methods to acquire product and services from its vendors:

A) $3,000.00-$15,000.00: Requires bids from three or more different vendor sources.  Bids may be obtained via written, fax, e-mail or verbal method.  Bids and Proposals of a complex nature must use the bidding method described in B.

PROCUREMENT CARDS

The City of Ann Arbor makes use of a Procurement Card Program to streamline the purchasing process for small dollar transactions. Payments for small purchases may possibly be made through the use of the Procurement Card. Vendors who do business with the City of Ann Arbor are requested to accept these cards.

Responding to the Bid Solicitation

Sealed Written Bids: Once a "Proposal to Bid' has been received from the originating service area or unit, the Procurement Unit reviews the document and once approved, advertises in various methods:

• The City of Ann Arbor uses MITN (Michigan Inter-Government Trade Network) as a tool to communicate to vendors what the City is searching for in regard to a specific bid or proposal.  Drawings and specifications can be downloaded online.  These documents are also posted on the City of Ann Arbor’s website at www.a2gov.org.
• Mailing a bid or proposal document is done by request only and at the expense of the requesting party.  The documents may also be available for pickup at the Procurement Unit, 100 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor  48104.

The paperwork for the requested bid is usually in electronic, packet or booklet form and contains the name(s) of the principal individual in charge of the project; scope of services; questionnaire; "sample" agreement between the City and (whichever) vendor; General terms and Conditions; Living Wage and Contract Compliance approval forms and a Bid Form Proposal.

Each bid or proposal has a deadline due date and time by which responses must be received. Responses are submitted (As a Sealed Bid) to the Procurement Office, City of Ann Arbor, 100 N. Fifth Ave., 5th Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, ATTN: Dee Lumpkin, Procurement Assistant.  Any bid or proposal returned after that due date and time is considered "Void" and will not be considered for award. The City will then have the option of returning the unopened sealed bid to the originating vendor, or will retain the unopened bid in their records, stating date and time it was officially received. There are no exceptions to this policy.

In the event of extension errors on the Bid Proposal Form, the unit price will prevail and the bidder’s total offer will be corrected accordingly. Any bids having erasures or corrections must be initialed in ink by the Bidder.

Insurance Requirements

The City of Ann Arbor requires an original Bid Bond or Performance Bond and will accept a faxed Certificate of Insurance until the original document can be provided.

Bid Awards

Acceptable Bids: Sealed bids are opened and read publicly aloud by the Procurement Assistant or her/his representative at the location and time specified within the bid document.  Also present is a service area or unit representative to whom the bid applies. In order for the bid to be acceptable, it must have the information originally requested contained in the response of the bid. Omission of crucial information may be cause for bid disqualification. A bidder must have the capability to perform the requested contract requirements.  There is no special attention given to any vendor who exceeds that which was specified in the bid.

Best Value/Lowest Price:  Award will be made to the responsive and responsible bidder who offers the best value to the City of Ann Arbor.  Best Value is determined by the bidder that best meets the award factors described in the bid document.

The City further reserves the right to reject any or all bids in whole or in part, and to waive any informality or technical defects, if it is determined that the best interest of the City will be served by doing so.  In determining an award, qualifications of the bidder, conformity with the specifications of services to be supplied, cost, delivery terms and a vendor’s past performance on City contracts will be considered.

The City reserves the right to consider total cost of ownership factors in the final award recommendation (i.e. transition costs, training costs, etc.).

The City reserves the right to award by item, part or portion of an item, group of items or total proposal, to reject any and all proposals in whole or in part, if, in the City’s judgment, the best interest of the City will be so served.

The City reserves the right to award multiple, optional use contracts.  In addition to the other factors listed, offers will be evaluated on the basis of advantages and disadvantages to the City that may result from making more than one award.

REQUEST FOR BEST AND FINAL OFFER (BAFO) GUIDELINES

Note: Bidders are cautioned to propose their best possible offers at the outset of the ORIGINAL proposal process, as there is no guarantee that any proposal will be allowed an opportunity to submit a Best and Final Offer.

After the initial evaluation of Request for Proposals, we may have discussions with offerors determined to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award.  Best and Final Offers (BAFO) may be requested when proposals submitted are unclear, have deficiencies, when additional information is needed in order to make a decision, or when all cost proposals are too high.

If one vendor needs to provide additional information about the proposed solution, all offerors must be given an opportunity to provide information about the proposed solution.

All offerors determined to be reasonably susceptible for award must be given a fair opportunity to submit revised proposals.  Offerors chosen to submit Best and Final Offers must be provided with the same information and submission requirements.  The Procurement Unit must establish a deadline for submission of Best and Final Offers, indicate the areas of the RFP to be addressed, and indicate how the revised proposals will be evaluated.

If an offeror does not submit a Best and Final Offer, its immediate previous offer will be considered as its Best and Final Offer (unless a bid withdrawal has been accepted).

Best and Final Offers must be requested by the Purchasing Unit.  Unsolicited Best and Final Offers from vendors cannot be considered.

After receiving Best and Final Offers, the Procurement Unit may conduct additional discussions or change the City’s requirements and request submission of another Best and Final Offer.

Best and Final offers can be evaluated as an adjustment to scores already received, or new evaluation criteria can be established, based entirely on the Best and Final Offer submission. 

The BAFO request must disclose the evaluation process.

Bidders will NOT be provided any information about other proposals or prices, or where the bidder stands in relation to others at any time during the evaluation process.  Any request for such information will be viewed as a compromise to the stated evaluation process and the requesting bidder may be eliminated from further consideration.  Successful requests for proposal information by a bidder or an affiliated party before contract award may also result in disqualification.