2. Significance of Bid Documents
A fair, transparent and competitive procurement process involves making the prospective bidders aware about project details, eligibility criteria for selection, evaluation methodology, instructions for bidding, manner of submission of their proposals/bids, timelines for procurement, and terms and conditions of the ultimate arrangement between the public entity and the private partner, in the event of selection in the bidding process. Bid documents which are drafted during the bid documentation phase of the project development process ensure that bidders have all the information they need to help them make an informed decision while submitting their bids.
| Significance of Bid Documentation: • Ensures fair and transparent process • Helps submission of informed proposals • Puts into words the contours of the project that will be binding on the public entity and the private partner upon completion of the procurement process. |
| Bidding Documents (also referred to as bid documents or tender documents) generally are those documents that are issued by public entities with an objective to invite proposals from interested parties for implementation of project (which may include project development, operations and maintenance, delivery of service or a combination of the above). The proposals received are evaluated as per the terms and conditions set out in the bid documents for selection of the private partner for the PPP arrangement. |
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Bid documents provide all the information that is required for interested parties to participate in a procurement process for a project. More on the procurement process is discussed in Module 12.
Generally, bidding documents comprise the following;
• Notice Inviting Tender (NIT),
• Request for Qualification (RFQ) document,
• Request for Proposal (RFP) document including an Invitation to Proposal & Draft PPP Agreement; setting out terms and conditions of procurement. It may also include a Project Information Memorandum or Feasibility Report about the project.
Sometimes, in addition to the above, an Expression of Interest (EoI) document is also issued seeking interested parties to express their interest in the project. More on the EoI process is discussed in Module 13 of the PPP Guide for Practitioners which sets out the Procurement Process.
The procurement procedure specified in the bid documents should conform to the prevailing public procurement rules/laws of the State/country and should be governed by the principles of non-discrimination, mutual recognition, transparency and equal treatment.