Page 118 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable

Overview

After completing the planning stages it is time for public officials and stakeholders to tell suppliers
that they are ready to receive bids for a specific project.

Public officials and stakeholders should let suppliers know:

• their requirements: what they are trying to achieve and why;
• their evaluation criteria: how they will choose the best supplier;

• how suppliers can ask questions about the project; and

• their timetable for awarding the contract.

4.2.1 Write requirements

Write clear requirements that help a supplier understand what public officials and stakeholders
need and propose their best solution.

Why it's important

During the planning stage, public officials and stakeholders will have defined the outcomes they
want from a given procurement. It is important to communicate these to suppliers clearly and
concisely.

What it means

When writing requirements, public officials and stakeholders should provide suppliers with enough
information to propose the best solution for meeting their needs, and nothing more. They should
be based on their defined goals or outcomes and not favour or be “tailored” towards a specific
supplier.

Requirements should include:

• the problem to solve;

• the citizen or “end user” for whom this work is being carried out, and what they need to do;
• any essential skills or experience the supplier must have;

• any technical or quality standards required by their organization;

• the stage that the work is currently in;
• the latest date for the supplier to start work;

• details of their maximum budget;

104 Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities | May 2023