Procurement Services 304: Invitation for Bid

Purpose

To provide a standard method of competitive procurement for services and supplies when price is the primary criteria for the award.

Reference

University of Alaska Procurement Manual (not available online)
Board of Regents Policy 05.06
State of Alaska Statutes 36.00

Definitions

Invitation for Bid: A written document, issued by Procurement services, requesting a sealed bid on a specified item or service. IFB is the preferred method for the procurement of supplies or services when price is the primary purchasing criteria and there is not a substantial need for comparative evaluation, discussions or negotiation. Competitive Bidding: The process of procuring goods and services by fair and open competition, under varying market conditions, with the intent of assuring that contracts or purchase orders are awarded equitably and economically using various factors in determining equity and economy.

Policy

Requirements Invitation for Bid is used to meet competitive requirements typically for commodity purchases, sometimes for services, with a total dollar value in excess of $50,000. Full and open competition is required by statute and regulations. Because this procurement is based on specific rules for public notice, pre-bid conferences, receipt, opening, recording, etc., and exact specifications and conditions, a solicitation must be done by a delegated UAA procurement officer.
The IFB process, due to statutory and regulatory requirements, may take up to 45 days or longer to complete. The timeline requirement for an Invitation for Bid is as follows:

• 21 day mandatory solicitation period
• 3 to 10 day evaluation period according to complexity (allow longer for extreme complexity)
• 10 day mandatory protest period before a contract can be awarded

Advanced procurement planning by the department is encouraged to accommodate the invitation for bid process.
An invitation to bid is initiated by the entering a requisition in the Banner system. Departments may need to submit additional documentation to fully describe the specifications. Such documentation should be submitted concurrently with the requisition entry to facilitate the prompt placement of the order.

Effective: 10/25/2005