Once the bid clarification meetings have been conducted, if any, and evaluations have been completed, the evaluation panel shall prepare a report outlining their evaluation activities, the tally of the evaluations, the ranks of the bids, and their recommendation for the preferred bidder.
In some cases, there may not be a clear and compelling rationale for the selection of the preferred bidder. The Best and Final Offer is an optional step, which may be employed when proposals have been evaluated and there is more than one proposal which might be considered for contract award, and there is potential to achieve greater value for the Kingdom by giving these bidders an opportunity to clarify their proposals and review their pricing. BAFOs shall normally be conducted when the evaluated difference between the highest ranked bid and second highest ranked is less than five percent. If the Work Team determines that obtaining Best and Final Offers may be beneficial, it shall prepare a Best and Final Offer justification request, documenting the timeline, cost, and rationale for conducting a BAFO. This request shall be submitted to the Supervisory Committee for review and approval. The Work Team shall answer any questions related to the BAFO request, and provide supplementary information upon request.
Upon completion of its review, the Supervisory Committee may:
a) Approve the request for BAFO, and direct the Work Team to update its Project Plan accordingly, or:
b) Decline the request and direct the Work Team to complete its evaluation.
If the use of a BAFO is approved, a request for Best and Final Offer shall be sent to each shortlisted bidder, specifying:
a) That discussions with bidders are concluded.
b) This is the opportunity to submit a Best and Final Offer, incorporating its post-clarification positions.
c) A definite, common cutoff date and time that allows a reasonable opportunity for the preparation and submission of the best and final offer.
d) Notice that the final offer must be received at the place designated by the time and date set in the request and is subject to any provisions dealing with late submissions, modifications and withdrawals of proposals set forth in the solicitation.
Any BAFO round(s) of bidding shall be evaluated using the same process as used for the original bids.
After completion of the evaluation process (either with or without BAFOs), the Work Team shall select a preferred bidder and a reserve bidder or bidders to proceed with final negotiation (s).
Unless otherwise agreed with the Supervisory Committee, once all issues of commercial substance have been agreed with bidders, only one bidder should be identified as a preferred bidder and up to two bidders identified as reserve bidders, if there are additional bidders whose bids are fully acceptable and each shall be notified of their status by the Work Team.