An EoI document would ideally need to contain the following information:

1. Invitation to EoI: It should include a copy of the advertisement in which interested parties are invited to submit their EoI

2. Brief about objectives and scope of work: This may include a brief description about the objective of the assignment, the broad scope of work and the expected deliverables. It may also include the place of execution of the assignment.

3. Instructions: These may include information on the nature of the job; submission requirement; requirement of bid processing fees; if any; last date of submission; place of submission; and any related instruction.

4. Pre-qualification criteria: These specify the pre-qualification criteria which will be applied by the public entity for short listing the applicants.

5. Formats for submission: This section states the format in which the interested parties are expected to submit their EoI.

Expression of Interest vs. Request for Qualification

In situations where the public entity is not sure about the market's likely interest in taking up the project, it may decide to go in for an 'expression of interest (EoI)' stage preceding the Request for Qualification (RFQ) stage. However, EoI must not be used to either shortlist or disqualify any entity from participating in the RFQ stage. The main objective of the EoI is to guide the public entity to make an informed decision based on likely market interest. The EoI need not include the same details as provided in the RFQ. The emphasis has to be on providing information to the private parties on the proposed project and not on soliciting full bids or proprietary information from private parties.