What's a "Responsible Bidder"?

What's a "Responsible Bidder"?  It's a good question.  Many public agencies have laws that permit award of contracts not just based on the low bid, but to the low bidder who is also "responsible."

Washington State:  In Washington state, bidder responsibility is defined in RCW 39.04.350 for public works projects.  It outlines a half-dozen or so mandatory bidder responsibility criteria that a public agency must check for and validate before awarding a public works contract.  The law also permits the use of supplemental bidder responsibility criteria that are "relevant" to a particular project.  For additional information, check out the Suggested Guidelines for Bidder Responsibility on the website of the Capital Projects Advisory Review Board (CPARB).  I've also developed a checklist to help public agencies in developing and implementing supplemental bidder responsibility criteria that may be found on my website at www.mpurdy.com/resources.

Good Article on Responsible Bidders:  Eileen Youens, until recently a faculty member at the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and now a Texas-based consultant (Eileen Youens Consulting, LLC) in procurement and contracting for state and local governments, has written an excellent article on "What's a 'Responsible Bidder'?" on her blog.  Eileen is an attorney, very knowledgeable about public contracting issues, and a clear writer and communicator.  Check out her website at www.youensconsulting.com.

Mike Purdy's Public Contracting Blog 

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