Project teams may wish to use a two-envelope system in the evaluation of an RFP. The first envelope would contain all required submission contents except for the financial plan. The second envelope would contain the financial plan. Project teams have used this system in the past to avoid being swayed mainly by the financial aspects of the project. While these aspects are extremely important, proposals must also be evaluated on technical merit including innovation, value engineering and cost savings components.
The two-envelope system can also be used as an added screen in the evaluating the proposal. If the proposal meets the technical criteria established by the project team, then the second envelope detailing the financial plan can be opened and evaluated. If the proposal does not meet the technical criteria, the project team can be spared the time-consuming task of analyzing the financial plan.