Authored by: Darren Rowles and Scott Cahalan In a previous article we discussed the requirement that, if it awards a public works contract, a public entity in the State of Georgia must award the contract to the “lowest responsible and responsive bidder,” unless an exception to this requirement applies. This article addresses what it means to be a “responsive bidder.” While responsibleness focuses on the bidder or proposer, responsiveness focuses on the bid or proposal. Specifically, responsiveness requires that a bid or proposal respond and conform to the requirements of the invitation for bids or request for proposals (the “Bid… Read more
Tag: public procurement
Are Sole Source Specifications Enforceable?
Authored by: Darren Rowles and Scott Cahalan A sole source specification restricts a bidder to providing materials, equipment, or labor, from one source. For example, a specification that requires the contractor to furnish a 1200 ton Trane CenTraVac® chiller would preclude furnishing any other make or model of chiller. Sole source requirements are enforceable on private projects where the parties are free to contract with whomever and for whatever they want, so long as their contract is lawful and does not violate public policy. But sole source requirements can conflict with the policy behind public procurement laws that require competitive… Read more