Richard Mordaunt Director of IT & Office Procurement, OSD Commonwealth of MA December 12, 2007 Pursuit of Painless Procurement

An Irreverent View of Procurement The RFP process is highly flawed. Buyers issue documents that often provide a distorted, incomplete, or inaccurate description of the problem. This is not their intention but simply the result of many different people trying to describe a complex requirement or a difficult problem. Suppliers then take this information and interpret it in the light of their own knowledge and product offerings and develop their proposals.

Risk in the Procurement Process “Risk is directly related to the successful achievement of targeted goals and objectives …Risk management is an interactive process… complicated by the dynamics of the internal and external operating environments.” - from Risk in Public Contracting, Elisabeth Wright, Ph.D. published by NIGP Planning, monitoring, anticipating change, and proactive oversight immediately impact the success of contract’s stated outcomes.

Actions to Minimize Risk Take actions to deflect potential issues long before they arise. Make every effort to ensure the reality and perception of a fair, open and competitive procurement. Openly communicate with all potential bidders through Comm- PASS. Communicate early and often. Use every opportunity to make sure all bidders understand the RFR objectives, requirements and desirable components. In the RFR include background and current status information so no company has an “inside track” in a solicitation. In the RFR include a list of components that will be evaluated.

More… Document your research (See handout) Decide on content areas for the procurement document (See handout) Avoid specifications that are atypical for the industry of the procurement Use the Comm-PASS Forum to host Questions & Answers and announce a Bidders Conference Use the Comm-PASS Solicitation for a RFI, early announcement, procurement documents and procurement schedule After the Bids are in - Use Best and Final Offer (BAFO) See: The Procurement Information Center - RFP Advisor - Other publications