Question

A project manager is preparing to solicit bids for a specialized subsystem that involves both technical complexity and long-term maintenance obligations. Several vendors are expected to respond, and the sponsor is concerned that the team will simply choose the lowest bidder without considering total value. What should the project manager do BEFORE issuing the solicitation to address this concern?

Accepted Answer

Define and document weighted source selection criteria that evaluate technical capability, past performance, and lifecycle cost, not just price

Answer

Instruct the evaluation team to award the contract to the lowest responsive bidder to protect the project budget

Answer

Wait until proposals arrive, then create evaluation criteria based on the strongest submissions received

Answer

Ask the sponsor to personally interview each vendor and make the final selection decision