SES105c - Normalizing Complex Equipment System Proposals

Owners, when sourcing a new aseptic fill line, typically solicit proposals from three or more vendors. The vendor proposals received are complex and oftentimes require additional evaluation to determine the true total cost of the equipment.
This presentation allows the attendee to walk through a structured approach to the design and completion of a technical bid evaluation (TBE) & introduces a systematic methodology for normalizing multiple proposals to estimate the true cost difference between the offers. This work achieves three primary objectives:

1) Identify gaps between each vendor’s proposal and the URS to establish an agenda for preliminary discussions between the vendors & the owner/ engineering company. These preliminary discussions may result in modifications to the URS, disqualification of non-compliant vendors, or updates to vendor proposals.

2) Differentiate vendor offerings on a performance basis to provide qualitative justifications for favoring one vendor over another.

3) Normalize commercial pricing. One vendor may include an accessory as a standard offering that a second vendor excludes but charges a premium if elected. This accessory or technological offering is required for a complete & operable installation. Pricing normalization will ensure an ‘apples to apples’ approach is truly considered at the end of the evaluation.