EOI, PQQ, ITT and ECI Management

 


Whichever process you are participating in (EOI, PQQ, RFI, RFP, ITT or ECI) professional Bid Management ensures efficient and timely development of your submission.

Working with your team we will define deliverables, agree a tender programme, and manage the process from commencement to award

Expression of Interest

Fundamentally important, an EOI is the key opportunity for contractors or parties to differentiate themselves from their competitors, during the crucial early selection phase of a project. The process of getting on to the shortlist is competitive and firms should use the EOI to sell their capabilities and expertise focussing on demonstrating their ability to fully address all identified requirements.

Ellipsis International Solutions can formulate or support you in your EOI submission, clearly identifying what you will need to cover: An opening paragraph saying who you are, why you should be considered and what and why you want to work for this employer. Examples of your work or skills that qualify you for this project. Look for examples that combine these (remembering that brevity is the soul of an EOI).  Where the EOI is a standard questionnaire, Ellipsis International Solutions can guide you to ensure that your responses will not exclude you from a place on the next stage.

Pre Qualification Questionnaire

Supplier appraisal starts formally with an assessment of those contractors who have completed the PQQ. Generally ,the objectives of this stage are to establish whether any contractor should be excluded from further consideration because they fail to meet the criteria and reject them, and to create the manageable shortlist of realistic tenderers who qualify by meeting the criteria and who will be asked to proceed to the next stage (tendering, entering into negotiations, etc.) as well as to identify any points that need to be clarified with selected tenderers at a later stage.

Ellipsis International Solutions can assist in a number of ways including:

  1. Analysing your PQQ submission writing deliverables.

  2. Helping you to navigate the complex procurement portals where processes can vary from PQQ to PQQ – Ellipsis International Solutions are familiar with all major procurement portals in the UK and Europe.  We are able to provide download and upload support for all documents and clarifications

  3. Ensuring that you have clearly and correctly addressed all the standard requirements of the PQQ including: the status of your organisation, your finances, how you manage quality, your environmental, social and health and safety policies and case studies and testimonials.

  4. Creating knowledge banks to enable rapid access to the documents and policies that Buyers will expect you to be able to provide.

  5. Ellipsis International Solutions are experts in creating and showcasing case studies and testimonials, these are the areas where we can help you to really demonstrate your company’s abilities.

In summary, a PQQ is a document you complete to show you are both capable of delivery and compliance with specific regulations.  Ellipsis International Solutions can provide expertise for all aspects of this process to ensure you are successful in moving past this point, onto the core part of the tender process – the Invitation to Tender (ITT).

Invitation to Tender

An invitation to tender (ITT) is an invitation to interested parties. Receiving this invitation does not mean that you will be awarded the contract. Indeed, there are generally 3 to 5 other tenderers, although there may be many more also receiving the ITT depending on the opportunity type and the industry. You will all respond to the ITT document and the Employer will select the most suitable tenderer, based on a combination of quality and pricing award criteria. That is why Ellipsis International Solutions recommend ‘targeted and selective’ tendering.

The same rules apply to the invitation to tender as described in the PQQ.  The tender will still contain specific requirements and set questions within the procurement process as well as mandatory and discretionary pass / fail criteria. Ellipsis International Solutions can help to ensure you are fully prepared to answer every question.

An ITT typically has a set of evaluation criteria and minimum requirements, so it is important to give the tender reviewer exactly what they are looking for, Ellipsis can help you to define what the exam question is to enable you to provide the most compelling response.

The format of ITTs varies widely across geographic areas, markets, sectors, and services required, although there are generally some common elements. Some are prescriptive and some are loosely defined. Some lay out very clearly how to respond to the tender document and some do not.

By broadly following some simple steps and through the support of our team, we will create a response method which enables your team to successfully pursue your chosen opportunity through the ITT phase.

Ellipsis' recommended simple steps:

• Read the invitation to tender several times and note down any special requirements

• Appoint a bid manager and operational lead for the tender

• Arrange printing and binding and any other submission criteria (if required, if the submission is electronic clearly defined the word counts and font sizes at the earliest stage)

• Appoint a proof-reader

• Appoint a coordinator. This person will be the central point for all information and is usually responsible for formatting and raising queries with the client, ideally this person needs experience of working with the appropriate tender portal if the submission is to be online

• Ask for clarification on any ambiguous points using the method specified within the ITT

• Reach consensus on bid win themes based on knowledge of the Client’s key drivers

• Agree roles and responsibilities for the tender and delivery teams

• Storyboarding to ensure that as well as individually the responses work together collectively to create a wider compelling narrative.

• Begin writing and responding to the ITT

• When the first draft is complete hold a pink review, this checks that the responses are answering the question asked by the client and are following the agreed win themes

• Write the second draft

• Hold a Red review, this process involves an independent review of the response and highlights and final discrepancies within the submission

• Proofread thoroughly

• ‘Pull’ all elements of the response together

• Have the bid read and approved by the SMT in accordance with approval-levels

• Print and submit either in hard copy or on an online portal.

• Ensure delivery and obtain a receipt.

• Wait (the ITT will normally define the anticipated procurement timetable; this can be any length but is generally a minimum of 3-4 weeks)

• Plan and maintain readiness – with mobilisation periods of a fortnight or less it is essential to have the resources available to enable you to react

Ellipsis International Solutions can support or lead on any of these steps.

The next step varies depending on the product or service:

  • There could be a presentation and the preferred bidder selected

  • There may be a clarification meeting

  • The contract could be awarded (to a sole supplier or multiple suppliers for a framework agreement)

  • They may decide not to award the contract to anyone

In the event of an interview or presentation it is essential to prepare, Ellipsis staff are skilled at coaching our client’s teams for post tender-presentation workshops and can remotely facilitate building the required skills within you to ensure that nothing is left to chance.

Early Contractor Involvement

Early Contractor Involvement is used as a mechanism to optimise design, risk management, risk allocation, price, and control for the Employer. ECI often functions as a first link to the Design Build contract model. It seeks to exploit a contractor's specialist knowledge of construction processes to the benefit of the overall design.

Ellipsis can lead or support, under an early contractor involvement engagement, where the contractor/construction team is engaged for a fee, to ensure that future project works are undertaken as effectively as possible and providing a cost benefit to the customer. At the time of entering into the contract, the actual cost of construction is unknown. This is typically because the design is yet to be finalised, or at least has not been priced and we can assist in delivering the required outcomes to support the initial phases  

An ECI engagement allows an Employer (commissioning client) to:

·        have discrete parts of the work performed, and where appropriate long lead items ordered before all elements of the design have been finalised.

·        gain input from the contractor/construction manager on the design as it is being developed.

·        have greater transparency over subcontractor/trade contractor pricing; and

·        complete the project faster than may otherwise be the case.

ECI engagements can be construct only, or design & construct (or design completion & construct)