After completing the design consultants’ prequalification, the project owner will invite them to submit their proposals for the project design scope of services. The project owner needs to be sure that the Request for Proposal (RFP) document is complete and ready to be shared with the short-listed consultants. This process needs to be formally reviewed and approved by the concerned stakeholders before a formal invitation to tender can be issued to the short-listed consultants.
The Design Consultancy Services RFP will usually include sections for the project background, statement of work, list of deliverables for each project design stage, timeline and milestones, a profile of the proposed consultant team, proposal form, details of professional indemnity, and other requested insurance documents, financial proposal, capacity and attributes of completed works and work in hand, quality management plan, proposed subconsultants, proposed design methodology and conflict of interest if any exist.
Using a Project Management Information System (PMIS) like PMWeb, the project owner can manage all the processes of the complete project life cycle phases, including the process for managing the issuance of the RFP for design consultancy scope of services.
PMWeb, a custom form builder, will create the Authorization to Issue RFP for Design Services form, including a table that will list the sections included in the RFP. The approved version number was approved, and by whom it was approved. In addition, the form will consist of a table that will list the consultants who have been short-listed to receive the RFP.
The final version of the RFP issued to the design consultants must be uploaded and stored into the PMWeb document management repository before it is attached to the Authorization to Issue RFP for Design Services form. PMWeb document management repository allows maintaining all previous versions of the RFP by checking out the old version and then checking in the latest version that should have the same file name. PMWeb provides the option to show all RFP versions or only the newest version.
Since this is a newly created form using PMWeb custom form builder, additional data fields and tables can be added to capture any additional information needed by the project management team. This form will precede the formal release of the invitation to tender for the short-listed design consultants.
In addition, a workflow will be assigned to the Authorization to Issue RFP for Design Services to ensure that it is formally reviewed and approved before issuing the RFP invitation to the shortlisted consultants. The stakeholders included in the review and approval process could consist of members of the different departments who can be impacted by the RFP and external bodies that could influence the approval for issuing the RFP.
When the Authorization to Issue RFP for Design Services process receives final approval, the project management team can then proceed with the follow-on process for Issuing Invitation to Tender for the short-listed design consultants.
