To ensure complete transparency, the Bureau of Procurement (BOP) is providing this Request for Proposals (RFP) scoring methodology for the procurement of goods or services through competitive sealed proposals.
RFPs that contain an SDB participation goal and/or a Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) participation goal
RFPs that contain an SDB participation goal and/or a VBE participation goal will be scored on Technical, Cost, and Domestic Workforce Utilization as follows:
1.) Technical Scoring Formula
The final Technical scores are determined by giving the maximum number of Technical points available (A) to the proposal with the highest raw technical score. The remaining proposals are rated by applying the following formula:
Raw Technical Score of Proposal Being Scored x A = Final Technical Score
Highest Raw Technical Score
Note: Proposals which have been deemed nonresponsive to the SDB and VBE participation requirements will be rejected and will not be evaluated further. Responsive proposals must be evaluated for technical viability before Cost is considered. Those that are not viable, i.e., do not meet the technical threshold stated in the Offeror Responsibility Section of the RFP, will be eliminated from further consideration. Cost proposals will be analyzed for technically qualified proposers immediately after technical evaluation is completed.
2.) Cost Formula
The Cost scores are determined by giving the proposal with the lowest total cost the maximum number of Cost points available. The remaining proposals are rated by applying the following formula:
[1 - (B-A)/A] x C = Final Cost Score
A—the lowest Offeror's cost.
B—the Offeror's cost being scored.
C—the maximum number of cost points available.
Note: If the formula results in a negative number (which will occur when the Offeror's cost is more than twice the lowest cost), zero points shall be assigned.
3.) Domestic Workforce Utilization Formula
The Domestic Workforce Utilization points are 3% of the total number of points allocated for the RFP. The 3% will be added to the total points allocated for the RFP as a bonus. The Domestic Workforce Utilization formula applies to procurements for Services only – it is not used for procurements involving Materials.
The following formula is used to obtain the Domestic Workforce Utilization score from each Offeror's Domestic Workforce Utilization Certification Form:
% of Domestic Workforce Utilization x Allocated Points
Example: RFP has 1,000 points total allocated, therefore, 3% of 1,000 points, or 30 points, will be the maximum points available as a bonus for domestic workforce utilization scoring.
Offeror A = 100% domestic workforce, or 1.00 X 30 points = 30 points.
Offeror B = 50% domestic workforce, or .50 X 30 points = 15 points.
Note: Do not round results.
For RFPs that allocate points for SDB and Small Business (SB) participation ONLY
For RFPs that contain language allocating points for SDB and SB participation, a fourth weighing/scoring criterion (in addition to Technical, Cost, and Domestic Workforce Utilization) shall be evaluated as follows:
SDB and SB Participation Formula
The SDB and SB Participation criterion is 20% of the total number of points allocated for the RFP. Based on a maximum total of 200 available points for SDB and SB Participation, the scoring mechanism is as follows:
Small Diverse Business and Small Business Raw Score = 200 (SDB% + (1/3 * SB %))
The final SDB/SB scores are determined by giving the maximum number of SDB/SB points available (A) to the proposal with the highest raw SDB/SB score. The remaining proposals are rated by applying the following formula:
Raw SDB/SB Score of Proposal Being Scored x A = Final SDB/SB Score
Highest Raw SDB/SB Score
The above evaluation formula is not used for RFPs that have been evaluated under the Department's goal setting program for SDB and VBE participation goals.
Final Ranking and Award
After any best and final offer process is conducted, the Issuing Office will combine the evaluation committee's final technical scores, the final cost scores, and (when applicable) the domestic workforce utilization scores and SDB/SB participation scores, in accordance with the relative weights assigned to these areas as set forth in the solicitation. The Issuing Office will rank responsible offerors according to the total overall score assigned to each, in descending order. The Issuing Office must select for contract negotiations the offeror with the highest overall score.
The Issuing Office has the discretion to reject all proposals or cancel the request for proposals, at any time prior to the time a contract is fully executed, when it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth. The reasons for the rejection or cancellation shall be made part of the contract file.