Defining the Scope

2022 NACo Achievement Award Winner

Montgomery County, Md., MD

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About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Part of the Office of Procurement’s mission is to facilitate the use of public funds to effectively procure goods, services, and construction in an inclusive, transparent, and equitable manner. With this mission in mind and the County’s commitment to ensure best value contracting, Procurement uses the formal solicitation purchasing method to solicit offers for goods and services from competing businesses via invitation for bids (IFB) or request for proposals (RFP). IFBs and RFPs are documents that make clear the County’s needs and requirements in addition to providing standard language on legal terms and conditions. Because the county procures a variety of complex goods, services, and construction, the details regarding the scope of work, compliance, and other requirements often result in an increase in size of the solicitation package. These large files, often consisting of several volumes, was time-consuming for businesses during their initial assessment to determine if the opportunity would be advantageous to pursue. A solution was needed to address the concerns from the business community on providing a streamlined solicitation package and a more efficient method to review technical requirements.