Invitation to Bid/Request for Expressions of Interest

The Invitation to Apply for Eligibility and to Bid (IAEB) has been replaced by the Invitation to Bid (for Goods and Infra) and Request for Expressions of Interest (for Consulting Services). I noticed, however, that it has not been consistently applied in the draft IRR.

Examples could be seen in Sec. 24.15.3, Sec. 29, Sec. 33.3.1, and Sec. 33.5.

Let us look on those sections:

Section 24.15.3
The BAC shall specify in the Invitation to Bid the set of criteria and rating system for short listing of consultants to be used for the particular contract to be bid, which shall consider the following, among others...x x x

Section 29: Bid Opening
The BAC shall open the bids at the time, date and place specified in the Invitation to Bid and the bidding documents. The bidders or their duly authorized representatives may attend the opening of bids. All members of the BAC or their duly authorized representatives who are present during bid opening, shall initial every page of the original copies of all bids received and opened. The minutes of the bid opening shall be made available to the public upon written request and payment of a specified fee to recover cost of materials.

Section 33.3.1
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 29 of this IRR, as a general policy, the head of the procuring entity shall have the option as to the evaluation procedure to be adopted for consultants, which shall either be quality-based or quality-cost based, as well as the manner by which the actual evaluation of proposals shall be conducted. The consultant evaluation procedure adopted shall be stated in the Invitation to Bid and the bidding documents.

Section 33.5: Quality-Cost Based Evaluation Procedure
For the quality-cost based evaluation procedure, each consultant shall be required to submit its technical and financial proposals simultaneously in separate sealed envelopes, and the technical proposal together with the financial proposal shall be considered in the evaluation of consultants... This shall be indicated in the Invitation to Bid and the bidding documents... x x x

I think, everything is consistent with one thing - evaluation shall be indicated in the Invitation to Bid (as a general rule and term). For the purposes of discussion, may we know which part of the Draft IRR identified "Invitation to Bid" is to goods, services and infra, while the "Request for Expression of Interest" is to consulting services?

engrjhez wrote:I think, everything is consistent with one thing - evaluation shall be indicated in the Invitation to Bid (as a general rule and term). For the purposes of discussion, may we know which part of the Draft IRR identified "Invitation to Bid" is to goods, services and infra, while the "Request for Expression of Interest" is to consulting services?

Sorry for late reply, just arrived from an out-of-town seminar.

Here is that section in the draft IRR:

"8.2.1. The Electronic Bulletin Board

b) Procuring entities shall post the Invitation to Bid for goods and infrastructure projects or the Request for Expressions of Interest for consulting services, in the electronic bulletin board in accordance with Section 21 of this IRR."

Given than, in Sec. 24.15.3, which you have generously quoted, it should be REI. In Sec. 29, it should be both IB/REI. In Sec. 33.3.1 AND 33.5, REI.