Understanding how bids are evaluated

Bid evaluation involves opening and evaluation of the bids by the tender committee to determine who among the bidders meets the requirements set by the procuring entity.
Ms Sylvia Kirabo, the communications officer at the PPDA, says after the bids are fully evaluated the award of contract to the successful bidder follows.

Debriefing winning firm
“The successful firm or individual is debriefed about what is expected of them and the contract is explained further. The PPDA law provides for arbitration in case of any grievances about the tender process from some bidders,” she says.
She says when there are no complaints, the contractor starts to implement the supply of goods or services.
Although an initial review of the offers received is done at the bid opening event, a preliminary examination of the offers is done at the beginning of the evaluation process to determine, the responsiveness of the offers to the solicitation documents.
According to the PPDA Act 2014, a bidder who is involved in any form of misconduct is immediately blacklisted and suspended from participating in public procurement.
Ms Kirabo adds that public agents and bidders “are prohibited from engaging in deceptive financial practices, such as bribery, double billing or other improper financial practices; and misrepresenting facts in order to influence a procurement process or the execution of a contract to the detriment of the procuring entity.”
Ms Phionah Namatovu, another procurement practitioner in Kampala, says once the tenders are submitted, they must be evaluated in order to arrive at the selection of the preferred bidder.

Assessment criterion
Bids are assessed first on a number of pass or fail criteria before the single preferred bidder is decided on.
Even if the evaluation score is not based on a technical evaluation, a determination must be made that the technical solution proposed by a bidder is feasible and deliverable, and that it meets all minimum technical requirements set and that the costs and financial structure are consistent with the technical solution.

“It is important to look at the proposed project management. The bidding consortium must be seen as a cohesive entity rather than just a collection of companies put together for bidding purposes,” Ms Namatovu says.
The result of the bid evaluation process is dependent on the procurement method and the procedures for determining the selected service provider that will be recommended for negotiations and/or contract award.