Date published:
Last revised:
Issued by:
March 5, 2012
March 5, 2012
Purchasing
Part 7. Purchasing - Table of Contents
7.5.7. REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) - USED TO QUALIFY VENDORS
A. Guidelines
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is used to identify a group of vendors who meet a set of minimum qualifications in order to submit proposals for a planned solicitation. Only qualified vendors are permitted to submit proposals to the solicitation.
RFQ adds time to the overall solicitation process, but can be valuable in situations where:
- many vendors provide the goods or service, but the overall quality, reputation, and capabilities are widely variable.
- aspects of the solicitation are confidential and there is a need to restrict access to information that would otherwise be publically posted.
- it is unclear whether one vendor has a unique or proprietary offering that could be justified as a sole source procurement.
B. Procedure
- The decision to use the RFQ process is generally made through discussions between the requesting department and the Purchasing Office. Note: Since the RFQ process does not conclude with a contract award, the department does not have to submit a requisition document, and vendors are not asked to provide pricing or delivery information.
- The Purchasing Office and the department develop a general scope of work (SOW) along with a set of questions that will be asked of the vendors to determine their qualifications for the project.
- The department identifies a team of end users/subject matter experts to review vendor submissions and score the responses. The team develops a scoring methodology that will be used in the scoring process. Team members each sign a Non-Disclosure/Conflict of Interest statement. The designated purchasing buyer will provide the form.
- The RFQ is posted for a minimum of two weeks.
- The evaluation team scores the responses and identifies those vendors who meet the minimum qualification requirements. Only qualified vendors are asked to participate in any subsequent solicitation.
- When the RFQ is concluded, the university may or may not issue a solicitation.
