In certain situations, a RFQ may follow the issuance of a RFEI or the RFQ may be issued and subsequently followed by a RFB/P (see below). The issuance of a RFQ will provide an opportunity to pre-qualify a potential participant, ensuring that potential bidders have the technical and financial capacity to undertake the task and a track record in performing similar tasks.
The pre-qualification process can also reduce the costs of the bidding process and impose discipline on the proponents by requiring them to define early on the type of project they want. Having a large number of bidders in the bidding process can increase the complexity and cost but not necessarily increase the quality of the winning bid. Limiting bidding to a few pre-qualified participants would also increase a potential bidder's motivation to participate in bidding, because it increases each bidder's chance of winning. The proponent may choose to bypass the RFEI and RFQ process and proceed directly with the RFB/P. Such a decision should be reviewed carefully.