Bid package
Two-step sealed bidding
Two-step sealed bidding preparation organizes both stages of a two-step solicitation.
The service
What you send. What you get.
You send
- The step-one request, all amendments and any questions and answers
- The step-one evaluation criteria and the format rules
- Approved technical facts: methods, resumes, project references and safety information
- Your pricing for step two, which stays out of step one
- Your bid security and bond details for step two
- The name of your authorized signer
Start with a short description. We arrange document sharing after confirming the work.
You get
- Technical proposal outlineSections keyed to the step-one criteria, each with an owner and status, ready for your technical facts.
- Price-leak checkA review of the step-one volume for pricing information, which the request does not permit.
- Step-two bid workbookThe bid form organized for your prices, with each line checked against the specifications and your own step-one proposal.
- Addenda log and submission checklistEach addendum tracked to its acknowledgment, plus signature and delivery items for both steps.
Typical buyers: General contractors bidding federal work that uses two-step sealed bidding; Specialty contractors answering a technical step-one request; Estimators and proposal managers who own both submissions.
What we check
Your bid requirements, organized.
Step one is a technical proposal with no prices; step two, if your company is invited, is a sealed bid on the standard bid form. We outline the technical proposal against the step-one criteria, check it for price leaks and build the step-two workbook. Your company signs, bonds and submits both steps. We confirm fit and a fixed quote after reviewing the solicitation.
- Step-one technical evaluation criteria and the section that answers each
- Places where pricing information could slip into the technical proposal
- Step-two bid form lines and unit prices
- Points where the bid must match your step-one technical proposal
- Addenda issued and where each must be acknowledged
- Due dates and times for each step
Who does what
Bidmere prepares. Your team decides.
The decisions that commit your company stay with your team, every time.
We prepare the package
- Lists each bid requirement and who needs to provide it
- Organizes forms, attachments and deadlines
- Writes proposal sections using facts you approve
- Flags missing information and questions for your team
You approve and submit
- Provides project facts and company information
- Sets rates, pricing and commercial terms
- Approves the draft and signs the forms
- Submits the response before the deadline
Before we start
Questions to resolve and work not included.
Questions we help identify
- A technical description that could reveal pricing information
- An amendment changes the step-one criteria after drafting starts
- A step-two bid line departs from your step-one technical proposal
- What the solicitation says about who is invited to step two
Not included
- Signing, certifying or submitting either step
- Bid security, bonds and insurance, which come from your surety and carrier
- Setting your technical commitments or your prices
- Creating or enlarging experience, references or credentials
Sources
Where the rules come from.
Where this shows up
The owner sector that uses it.
Questions
About two-step sealed bidding.
What is two-step sealed bidding?
It is a federal method used when specifications are not definite enough for a standard sealed bid. In step one, offerors submit technical proposals with no prices, and each is rated acceptable, reasonably susceptible of being made acceptable, or unacceptable. In step two, sealed bids are invited only from offerors whose technical proposals were acceptable. The rules are in FAR Subpart 14.5.
Can pricing appear in the step-one proposal?
No. The request states that technical proposals shall not include prices or pricing information. We review the step-one volume for anything that reveals price before your team submits it.
Does the step-two bid have to match the step-one proposal?
Yes. A step-two bid must comply with the specifications and with the bidder's own technical proposal. We check each bid form line against both, and your team resolves any difference before signing.
Plan your response
Related
Keep reading.
- Public sealed bidsWe organize the forms and attachments for your public construction bid.
- Federal negotiated proposalsFederal negotiated proposal preparation organizes your response to a FAR Part 15 construction solicitation.
- Qualifications packagesWe prepare your response to a request for qualifications (RFQ), statement of qualifications (SOQ) request or prequalification form.
- Bid security and surety paperworkBid security and surety paperwork support organizes the bonds, powers of attorney and security a solicitation asks for.
- IDIQ and MATOC contract and task order proposalsIDIQ and MATOC proposal preparation covers two responses: the base multiple-award contract proposal and the task order proposals that follow.
Send the solicitation details.
We confirm availability, scope, price and timing before any work begins.