Proposal schedules

As noted above, the RFP will set out the information each short-listed bidder must provide in its proposal to enable government to assess responses against each evaluation criterion. The Procuring Agency should develop the response schedules so they directly relate to the information required to differentiate bidders using the evaluation criteria. This is important to manage bid costs. In developing the proposal schedules, the Procuring Agency should consider what information is necessary for evaluation purposes and what information could be deferred to the preferred bidder phase and be submitted prior to executing a contract.

The specific proposal schedules will vary depending on the requirements of each project however the following provides a range of information likely to be required for most projects:

• Design:

master plan and architectural plans outlining the proposed design;

perspectives and images of the proposed design;

diagrams/plans demonstrating the functionality of the design;

details of the engineering solution;

• Operational/services:

details of the management structure for the operating phase;

details of the proposed operational practices and method statements for the delivery of the operational services;

• Project management:

An overall project management plan encompassing the proposed approach to the refinement of design, management and implementation of the construction, commissioning process, mitigation of business continuity issues and environmental management;

• Commercial:

details of the consortium structure including intra-consortium risk allocation;

a description of the ownership/equity structure of the entity that will enter into the partnerships with the public sector;

details of any aspects that involve a proposed departure from, or variation to, the provisions of the contractual documents;

third-party revenue opportunities;

• Financial:

details of the proposed funding structure and level of commitment;

• Interface management:

details of the proposed approach to interface with other consortium members, government and key stakeholders;

outline the manner in which the interface with government will demonstrate a partnership approach; and

• Risk adjusted cost:

the audited financial model that clearly outlines all key project cash flows, treatment of tax and progressive profit and loss data.

The Procuring Agency should consider the level of detail required when developing the proposal response schedules. There is a balance between achieving a more streamlined process and having sufficient certainty to evaluate bids. Some examples of streamlining requirements that have been implemented to reduce bid costs include:

• requesting marked up project documents or departure schedules, but not both, as this can lead to reconciliation issues;

• including outline plans in submissions and deferring fully developed plans until the preferred bidder stage; and

• deferring some plans, such as communications and stakeholder management, to the preferred bidder.