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Z 2135.6 L811g Summer 1995 OKLAHOMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE CENTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, SPONSORED JOINTLY BY THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE OKLAHOMA COMMISSION ON COUNTY GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL, EDUCATION AND TRAINING. 308 CITD Stillwater, OK 405-744-6049 Summer 1995 edited by Douglas Wright Avoid Pi n Writing Bid Specifications by Suzanne Spears So you want to bid a service.... maybe a pest control service for the building or a janitorial service. Where do you start? You know that you want a bug-free work environment and clean restrooms but other than that you are at a loss on specifics. Your immediate thought may be to initiate specifications that by doing specs in this manner would allow the vendor to be creative and come in and impress you with how they can be of service. It is a TRAP. Do Not Do It. Put your money in your pocket and head to the nearest exit. A specification is a description of what will satisfy your needs - your grocery list, not a fi 11 -in-the-blank menu for the vendor. You may be wanting a side dish for chicken and the vendor maybe thinking veal. Writing good specifications is the foundation of getting a good bid. What then is the first step? Writing specifications for services is difficult. When it comes to a service you may not have the knowledge to focus on the design of the service; don't worry. You can focus on the acceptable performance level and the design of the entity in which the service will be performed. Who better than you know what it is that you want? Visit with your purchasing agent and get their input. Maybe they know of similar bids in other counties that might be a good resource. Then you would not have to reinvent the wheel. But if starting from scratch, there are a few things to remember. Be sure to have a sound system of service evaluation and be sure that you have that evaluation system outlined in your specifications. Evaluation can either be performance specific or a physical attribute that is the result of good performance - shining bathroom facilities with a constant supply of toilet paper and a pleasant odor maybe the indicators that janitorial service is alive and well in your courthouse. Also if the service is going to involve several people (more than one person uses the restroom) get their opinion on what is an acceptable level of performance. Determine how often the vendor's service will be checked - weekly?, monthly? Is there an outside public entity that would have more expertise in this area that could read your specifications or come and do performance checks for you? At what point in a vendor's lack of performance do you terminate? Is the rejection policy built into the specifications? When it comes to a service that might have residual effect on humans (a service using chemical compounds, for example), it is a good idea to talk about products used in performing that service in standard terms. MSDS standards are a great example. Licenses, bonding and certifications are also industry standards that can be very useful. Have you asked for vendor references? Centralized Purchasing when done correctly gets the county and the taxpayer best value - affordable quality. But it takes an educated group of participants. If you are a Requesting Officer, make the system work to your advantage. Bad bids are often the result of poor specifications. Take responsibility for writing specifications that address the need. Vendors will take you seriously and respond accordingly. Remember, the vendor is a taxpayer and is one half of the purchasing system.
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Title | Page 01 |
ODL electronic copy | Scanned by Oklahoma Department of Libraries |
Rights and Permissions | This Oklahoma state government publication is provided for educational purposes under U.S. copyright law. Other usage requires permission of copyright holders. |
Full text | Z 2135.6 L811g Summer 1995 OKLAHOMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE CENTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, SPONSORED JOINTLY BY THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE OKLAHOMA COMMISSION ON COUNTY GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL, EDUCATION AND TRAINING. 308 CITD Stillwater, OK 405-744-6049 Summer 1995 edited by Douglas Wright Avoid Pi n Writing Bid Specifications by Suzanne Spears So you want to bid a service.... maybe a pest control service for the building or a janitorial service. Where do you start? You know that you want a bug-free work environment and clean restrooms but other than that you are at a loss on specifics. Your immediate thought may be to initiate specifications that by doing specs in this manner would allow the vendor to be creative and come in and impress you with how they can be of service. It is a TRAP. Do Not Do It. Put your money in your pocket and head to the nearest exit. A specification is a description of what will satisfy your needs - your grocery list, not a fi 11 -in-the-blank menu for the vendor. You may be wanting a side dish for chicken and the vendor maybe thinking veal. Writing good specifications is the foundation of getting a good bid. What then is the first step? Writing specifications for services is difficult. When it comes to a service you may not have the knowledge to focus on the design of the service; don't worry. You can focus on the acceptable performance level and the design of the entity in which the service will be performed. Who better than you know what it is that you want? Visit with your purchasing agent and get their input. Maybe they know of similar bids in other counties that might be a good resource. Then you would not have to reinvent the wheel. But if starting from scratch, there are a few things to remember. Be sure to have a sound system of service evaluation and be sure that you have that evaluation system outlined in your specifications. Evaluation can either be performance specific or a physical attribute that is the result of good performance - shining bathroom facilities with a constant supply of toilet paper and a pleasant odor maybe the indicators that janitorial service is alive and well in your courthouse. Also if the service is going to involve several people (more than one person uses the restroom) get their opinion on what is an acceptable level of performance. Determine how often the vendor's service will be checked - weekly?, monthly? Is there an outside public entity that would have more expertise in this area that could read your specifications or come and do performance checks for you? At what point in a vendor's lack of performance do you terminate? Is the rejection policy built into the specifications? When it comes to a service that might have residual effect on humans (a service using chemical compounds, for example), it is a good idea to talk about products used in performing that service in standard terms. MSDS standards are a great example. Licenses, bonding and certifications are also industry standards that can be very useful. Have you asked for vendor references? Centralized Purchasing when done correctly gets the county and the taxpayer best value - affordable quality. But it takes an educated group of participants. If you are a Requesting Officer, make the system work to your advantage. Bad bids are often the result of poor specifications. Take responsibility for writing specifications that address the need. Vendors will take you seriously and respond accordingly. Remember, the vendor is a taxpayer and is one half of the purchasing system. |
Date created | 2013-03-11 |
Date modified | 2013-03-11 |