Use multiple phases with smaller numbers of companies proceeding to the next phase.
The solicitation is bifurcated into multiple phases (usually two), with a down-select in between the phases. The down-select can be firm or advisory, there are benefits to each. The goal is to make Phase 1 light, while saving the heavy technical submission and price to Phase 2 with a smaller number of offerors.
- The offeror gets quick feedback on a light but meaningful Phase 1 Factor which can help inform their decision to move forward with a Phase 2 submission based on the instruction or recommendation from the Government
- The Government does not get as overwhelmed with bulky proposal submissions, resulting in a streamlined process and cleaner documentation at the very end
- More streamlined evaluations
- Reduced bid and proposal costs
- Cleaner/reduced documentation for the Government in evaluations
- Quicker feedback to offerors to help them make timely decisions with their bid and proposal costs
- SMALL BUSINESS BENEFIT: Earlier feedback to offerors reduces bid and proposal costs for small businesses so they can focus their resources more effectively on acquisitions where they have the greatest likelihood of succeeding
Using the advisory down select technique allowed our evaluators to provide feedback during the sollicitation phase. This not only helped narrow down the number of offerors to review, but also allowed companies the chance to evaluate whether it was in their best interest or not to move forward. Using this technique also allowed us to cut the lead time down from 45 days to 10 days to make award once the RFQ closed. Lastly, we saw a cost savings of about $3M from the IGCE to the award amount. We believe that having the transparency and communication using the advisory down select contributed to this cost savings.
