When to Disclose Selection Scores for Qualifications Review

Under some selection methods, a contractor is chosen based partially on qualifications and partially on certain prices they bid. For example, this is true in Washington State when selecting a contractor for either General Contractor/Construction Manager (GC/CM), Design-Build, or Job Order Contracting.

In such a situation, the price is usually requested only from a shortlist of finalists after the qualifications (and maybe an interview) have been evaluated.

It is very important that the scores for the qualifications and interview not be disclosed to the contractors prior to them submitting their prices. If these scores are disclosed to them prior to the submission of the price bid, the contractor is in a position to determine how low they need to bid in order to get the project. This may result in a contractor essentially "buying" the job with a low price, and does not result in a truly competitive selection process.

Be sure that any evaluation committee members or others in your agency who have access to the qualification and interview scores know that this information should remain confidential until submission of the bid prices.