Guidelines : Submitting

Submitting

Guidelines

• Express appreciation for their business.
• Outline clearly and specifically what you will do for the customer. For example, the services rendered, the materials used, the procedure, the designs, the time frame, and a breakdown of the costs.
• Ask them to please contact you if there are any changes in their original plans.
• Thank them for their business and assure them that you will give them the quality work they desire.

Example 1: Sample Letter for bid submission

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Miss Donaldson:

Enclosed is Computer Wiz’s bid for designing computer systems for your sales and finance departments. The bid reflects the hard work of our technicians who strive to find the most economical solutions to your computer problems. We design our systems for flexibility so your technology can grow as your business grows.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Examples of bid submission letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Bodo:

We hope you will find our enclosed bid for the Tate Independent School District’s 1998 maintenance contract satisfactory. We strive to offer the low prices of our larger competitors while maintaining our high level of customer service. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Example 3: Sample Business Letter for bid submission

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mrs. Lawson:

Thank you for the opportunity to bid on Castle Gate’s roofing repairs. We hope to do business with you in the future.

Sincerely,

Example 4: Submitting Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Rodriguez:

We appreciate the opportunity to bid on the Summit City’s 1999-2002 waste disposal contract. We have been serving Jamestown and Concord for over six years, and we are confident we can meet the waste disposal needs of Summit City.

Sincerely,

Example 5: Bid Submitter Letters

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mrs. Sung:

Thank you for the opportunity to bid for Tarrytown Press’ CD-ROM version of The Guide to International Non-Governmental Organizations.

As you will see, our bid includes the design, packaging, and the disks themselves. We are proud to have Rob Tobin, formerly the chief designer at Pace Computers, as head of our new design department. I have enclosed two of his packaging ideas for your CD-ROM. Rob would be happy to speak with you about several other concepts that will complement your marketing plan.

Sincerely,

Guidelines : Soliciting

Soliciting Bids

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

• Invite the bid up front, giving an overview of the project.
• We are soliciting bids on plant-care service for our corporate headquarters.
• We have attached a list of shelving and other storage items we plan to purchase for our corporate headquarters in the next few months. If you are interested in bidding on these items, please give us your quote on the attached form.
• Barconte Inc. invites you to submit bids for its leasehold interest, wells, and equipment located on the properties shown on the attached data sheet.
• We have in mind a communications project for which we are actively seeking help, and we invite your proposal for consideration. The project will include three phases: ….
• We need a cost estimate for constructing an additional wing on the Huffines Medical Building at 2455 Park Way. Attached is a line drawing showing our plans.
• We are seeking bids on office furniture for four floors of the Two Riverway Chesapeake Building.
• Carolton and Associates requests your bid for weekly housekeeping and maintenance service of our office suites.
• State clearly and specifically what information should be included in the bid. Make your specifications exact so later you will not have to struggle with apples-to-oranges comparisons in bid evaluations.
• Please include all shipping costs in your bid.
• All travel expenses should be included as part of your bid on the developmental costs.
• Your estimate should include material, labor, overhead, and profit. Please show these as separate line items on your quote, because these four items will be the basis for our comparison of contractors.
• Please overview your study process. We understand your reluctance to reveal your entire method of analysis, but we must understand enough of your process to determine the potential benefits.
• Your bid should include your work plan, résumés of the key engineers on the project, brief histories of similar projects you’ve completed, and pricing information.
• Please provide the manufacturer’s name and model number, the quantity of each item you propose to install, and the cost of ongoing maintenance contracts.
• Anticipate the special problems inherent in bids in that companies often quote for “in lieu of” items, making your comparisons of bids difficult. Either caution bidders against substitutions, or state that you will accept them.
• Please do not quote prices for any items you cannot supply as specifically listed. We can make no substitutions on items L through R.
• We have listed our preferences for each piece of equipment; however, we will consider substitutions you deem of equal quality to those we’ve listed.
• We have decided not to consider any substitutions on the items we have listed here.
• Identify the criteria for selection.
• All bidders will be evaluated only on the specified items, with no substitutions. Therefore, our selection will be based on price alone.
• In our decision, we will consider delivery schedules, as well as the previous maintenance record on the reconditioned equipment.
• Our timetable is crucial. If you cannot deliver the products by July 31, we ask that you forego this bidding opportunity.
• Give the necessary information for submitting the bid, such as time, deadline, packaging details, and a contact person for inquiries. To minimize time spent on certain inquiries, you may also want to mention any information you are unwilling to provide.
• Please do not include your pricing information in the same envelope with your proposal; instead, forward each separately in the enclosed, labeled envelopes.
• We will not consider any bids received after June 2, at noon.
• At this stage in the survey process, we will not be able to provide information on any equipment we currently use in our remote locations. You can assume it is of equal quality to that used here at headquarters.
• As you prepare your bids, feel free to suggest methods not mentioned in our own description of the problem and potential solution. We are entirely open to your ideas about a better system of management and operation than we have overviewed here.
• Please do not include the cost for reproduction of the manuals. After we select the winning supplier, we will make arrangements to produce and assemble all necessary manuals with our in-house staff.
• Bids should be submitted in envelopes marked “Sealed Bid–Project #2388” and addressed to Mark Stanton, Purchasing Agent, P.O. Box 2444, Midland, TX 79702.
• Any bid received after 2:00 p.m., August 4, 19–, will not be opened.
• Each bid should be considered a bona fide offer to purchase and shall be binding upon the bidder after submission to us.
• Please detail your pricing information on the forms provided and submit this in a separately sealed package.

Example 1: Sample letters for soliciting bids

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Gentlemen or Ladies:

After reviewing the fact sheets you provided Fairfield Company, we recognize your expertise in the energy-management field. Therefore, we want to invite your proposal to help us reduce our energy costs and improve our efficiency in our four local properties.

The proposal should include the scope of your analysis, the type of information you can supply, the amount of time you would spend on site, and your expectations for what type of recommendations your final report would include.

My objective in this project is to determine if there are ways to save enough energy to allow an attractive payback period on the properties before we plan to sell them. I will need to see your suggestions on how to operate the equipment more efficiently without affecting tenant comfort. And, of course, in the final report I will want to compare the approximate cost and savings of equipment and changes in procedure.

As you prepare your proposal, feel free to inspect our four sites at your convenience. Simply let the security guards know you are here. If you have any difficulty in gaining access to certain areas, ask them to call me or my assistant, John Grimes (ext. 2456), for authorization. We do not, however, plan to conduct formal tours for the bidders before they submit proposals; tours will be at your discretion. After we select the winning proposal, of course, we will be happy to provide you with all energy records and to make ourselves available to answer your questions and arrange formal tours through the tenants’ offices, as well as our own.

If you choose to propose an energy-saving plan, please submit your proposal package to us at the above address by April 30.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Example letters for soliciting bids

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Frazier:

Herrington Corporation is considering suppliers who can provide us with management training programs for our senior executives and our first-line supervisors. This letter, along with its three attachments, constitute our request for pricing and other seminar information.

We reserve the right to reject any and all responses to this request for management training programs and to negotiate further with any supplier.

Along with your pricing information, please include any anticipated price increases for the calendar year and any cancellation or rescheduling policies or terms. Your information should include a complete list of objectives and topics for each of the two training audiences.

Your written quotations must be submitted only in the pre-addressed envelope provided as part of our bid-request package. If we do make a final decision to provide this training, we will be selecting a vendor sometime in the first quarter of next year. If you have questions about this request or the submission process, please phone Helen Graves or Herb Jones (355-478-8889).

Enclosed are copies of all the agreements applicable to the service we are asking you to provide: our standard service agreement, a statement of the work to be performed, and our standard purchase order form with terms and conditions stated at the bottom of the page.

Thank you for providing this information so we may consider your firm to meet our current training needs.

Sincerely,

Example 3: Soliciting Bids Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Long:

We want to invite you to bid on the 19– furniture requirements for Universal, Inc.’s two new branch offices in Northwest Houston.

The attached list details all the specifications you’ll need to identify the various items that match our corporate headquarters furniture. If, however, you do not handle a specific item listed but can supply an item comparable in color, design, and price, please quote on that furniture/decor piece. We also ask that you include a photograph and a catalog description of any substitution.

If you choose to quote, please have your bid in our office by Thursday, May 6, 19–. Thank you for your effort in preparing your bid and your prompt response on these purchases.

Sincerely,

Example 4: Letter of Soliciting

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Gentlemen or Ladies:

Malvern Inc. invites you to submit a footage bid to drill a well to a depth of approximately 1000 feet at the following location: Blk 248, Section 38899, Irontide Bay.

If you decide to bid, please complete Section 6 of Exhibit B and return your bid along with the other information requested in this letter. Exhibit B–Bid Sheet and Well Specifications covers the basic drilling plan that will be followed with this project. Exhibit A covers the responsibilities of the contractor and operator in full detail. Please review these documents carefully and address any questions you may have to us before preparing your bid. Note particularly that the date your equipment will be available should be stated in your bid. Both exhibits will become part of the final contract.

The contractor’s safety record will be one of the major criteria influencing rig selection. Therefore, we will pay particular attention to the proposal’s discussion of your safety program, including a description of the degree of accountability you place on the on-the-job supervisor.

If you are the successful bidder, you will be required to provide a letter of credit from your financial institution. An example is attached for your reference.

Should you want to examine the area of the proposed well location prior to bidding, please make arrangements with Barton Holden at 713-456-6099. You may direct any questions about bid preparation to Harold Wyatt at 345-345-5555.

Malvern Inc. reserves the right to reject any and all bids. Your bid must arrive in the enclosed return envelope by 2:00 p.m. on August 4, 19–.

Thank you for taking the time to address our needs.

Yours truly,

Example 5: Bid Soliciting Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Timberlake:

We are interested in receiving your quotation for the rental of a skid-mounted, packaged reciprocating gas compressor as specified on the attached design.

If you choose to quote on this equipment, please give us your prices and terms for a lease plan with purchase option after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Also, include a quote for a straight lease plan without a purchase option. Both plans should include a maintenance contract and any installation charges.

We ask you do not submit any bid on a substituted compressor; our needs are very specific.

Your confidential bid should be in our office by noon, March 23, 19–. Thank you for your time in preparing this quotation.

Sincerely,

Example 6: Sample of Bid Soliciting Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Horowitz:

We would like to invite you to bid on the furniture requirements of Kilner, Inc., as specified on the attached list. Please forward your bid to me at the above address by February 13, 19–. If you have any questions on the bid’s preparation, please phone me at ext. 3368.

The enclosed furniture specifications identify our exact company needs; please do not include in your quote any substitutions for items on the list.

Sincerely,

Guidelines : Revising

Revising

Guidelines

• Express appreciation to the customer for giving you the opportunity to bid for their business.
• Explain that since changes have been made in the original bid specifications, the original cost and time frame will also be altered.
• Outline the new bid with all pertinent information and details.
• Offer the customer any special consideration you can give them, letting them know that you value their business.

Example 1: Sample letter for revising of the bid

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Miss Taylor:

Having looked over your stipulations for bids on your linen cleaning contract again, I can see we need to clarify our costs. The numbers we sent you are based on cleaning a standard-sized 12″ x 12″ napkins. Our prices are higher for cleaning larger napkins and lower for cleaning smaller ones. For example, we charge 10¢ per 14’’ x 14’’ napkin and 6¢ per napkin smaller than 10’’ x 10’’. If your napkins are not the standard size, please call me so I can revise our original bid.

We appreciate the opportunity to bid for your business.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Example letters for revising of the bid

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Matthews:

I made an error in calculating the bid for the drainage system in the Willow Hills neighborhood. I neglected to look at your intended time-frame, and assumed the six-week job could be completed within a 40-hour work week.

If the neighborhood association must have the drainage system completed between May 28 and June 10, my five-man crew will have to work approximately 50 hours of overtime. I pay them time-and-a-half above their regular $7/hour for overtime (which would be $10.50/hour @ 50 hours). Thus, the correct figure for labor costs is $2,542, bringing the total bid to $64, 294.

Please call me if you have any questions. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Sincerely,

Example 3: Revising Bid Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. White:

I regret to inform you I have to revise the bid on the posters for the Citizens for Change Charity Auction. Unfortunately, our supplier has increased the price of sky blue recycled poster paper from 2¢ to 4¢ per sheet, forcing me to raise my cost of materials by $16.77.

My sincere apologies for any confusion this change may cause.

Sincerely,

Example 4: Letter of Revising Bid

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Adamski:

Due to the unexpected rise in the cost of gasoline, we must revise the bid we submitted last week on produce delivery.

It will cost Farm Fresh 18¢ per mile to make your deliveries and we will drive 112 miles per day to collect and deliver the produce you need. Therefore, the revised daily cost will be $20.16 rather than the amount of $13.44 (shown on the original bid).

Although we strive to keep our service affordable, this additional expense is unavoidable. We appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,

Example 5: Example letters for Requesting the company to revise the bids letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mrs. Boyle:

The amount we bid to host the Ballroom Dancers’ Fifth Annual convention was incorrect. We inadvertently gave you the price of renting the Grand Ballroom for 3 days including the cost of renting 28 tables. Since you requested only 7 tables, our corrected bid is $210.00 less than the one we submitted to you last week, for a new total of $10,780.

I apologize for the confusion. If you have any questions, please call me.

Sincerely,

Guidelines : Requesting Revision

Requesting Revisions

Guidelines

• State reasons why you wish to do business with their company.
• Explain the problems you have with the bids that have been given.
• Give the range of figures you had in mind and the reasons why you think this range is more equitable, both for you and for them.
• Give one final “clincher” reason as to why you ‘re interested in working with them.
• Thank them in advance for revising their original bid.

Example 1: Sample Letter of Requesting Bid Revision

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Randolph:

Your company submitted a bid to build an extension to our office. However, you neglected to include the cost of replicating and installing the 19th-century trim around the door and the top edge of the windows. In all, the job requires 40 feet of trim. In order to have your bid considered, please revise it with these specifications and resubmit before the March 12 deadline.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Requesting Revision Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Chen:

Thank you for your bid on bringing our seven tank trucks up to EPA requirements. The energy saver bill which recently passed requires us to add stop valves and air meters to our original stipulations. Could you please send us another bid which reflects these additions?

Due to the changes, we are extending the final deadline for all bids to be received until August 22. The winner will receive notice within five days; others will be notified within 10 days.

Sincerely,

Example 3: Letter of Requesting Bid Revision

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Weiskopf:

You submitted a bid to create a web site for World Skates, however, you omitted the cost for the six five-second animated sequences we want on our site. Please submit a revised bid which includes the cost of the animation. In order to be considered, we must receive it before noon on the 14th.

Sincerely,

Example 4: Example Letter of Requesting Bid Revision

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Matherne:

Thank you for you bid to install an air conditioning system at our Boswell manufacturing facility. We have made a change in our plans which requires that you revise your bid.

Our engineers have decided we need vents at the north and south ends instead of the north and west ends of the main floor. The location of the south vent will be 7’ 4’’ high and 27’ from the west wall. We anticipate this adjustment will require a longer air shaft to be built in order to accommodate the south side. Please submit a revised bid to reflect the change by May 9.

Sincerely,

Example 5: Sample of Requesting Revision Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Mikovitch:

Thank you for your bid to provide catering services for Stone Mountain College functions next year. I must ask you to revise your bid because we have recently decided to host the Women in Technology Conference. It is a two-day conference held October 18-19. We estimate attendance at 300 to 450 people. We will need catering services for the following:

1. A banquet attended by all participants. The meal is to include a salad, a main entree of chicken or beef, as well as vegetarian, two choices for dessert, non-alcoholic beverages, and coffee.

2. Two afternoon receptions of approximately 70 people, including appetizers and non alcoholic beverages.

3. Three morning receptions of approximately 30 people, including light breakfast foods such as muffins, bagels and cinnamon rolls, as well as juice and coffee.

As with the other events included in the bid, the college will provide a wait staff and set-up and take-down crews, as well as tables and chairs. The caterer must provide the food, drinks, crushed ice, glasses, coffee cups, silverware, dishes, napkins, utensils, and tablecloths.

I would appreciate if you could send me a revised bid before next Friday.

Sincerely,

Guidelines : Rejecting

Rejecting Bids

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

• Begin on a positive note by showing appreciation for the time, money, or effort spent in submitting the bid.
• Thank you for your prompt reply to our RFP on the corporate headquarters furniture purchases.
• We appreciate the time you devoted to studying our specific organization and determining how we could work together on this project.
• Thank you for the well-thought-out proposal on management development courses. We appreciate the comprehensive approach you took.
• Thank you for your proposal to reprocess gravity data on the Macintosh property.
• We have received your price quotes for furnishing our Park City offices; thank you for your prompt response.
• We appreciate your efforts in supplying us with the pricing information on the binders for our training programs for the coming year.
• Thank you for such a detailed proposal; I know it represents much thought and analysis of our situation at Eaglecrest.
• Present your rejection in the form of an acceptance–state what bid you have selected or what other decision you have made.
• Aramco has decided to award the Fitton Drilling Project #24442HT to Wharton Energy.
• After reviewing all the excellent proposals we received, we have selected Aerogrunn, Inc., out of California, for the work.
• Mention your criteria for choosing the winning bid. If you have an ongoing relationship with other bidders and think you owe them a specific explanation, you may mention why their bid package was not selected. Bidders will be more inclined to put forth another superior effort if they know they can learn from their experience and increase their chances for acceptance in the future. Rejections without reasons discourage later responses or, at the least, minimize the effort.
• After careful evaluation, we have chosen Universal Incorporated to complete the work because of their outstanding record with similar projects in our community.
• We have finally narrowed our choice to Brighton, Inc., for the consulting project. Their approach seemed to be exactly on target with our management philosophy throughout the company.
• After much deliberation on the many responses to our request for proposal, we best liked the comprehensive approach outlined by Black and Stein Associates and have awarded the contract to them.
• Although we agreed with your problem analysis, we had difficulty understanding how your approach would work with our people and operations being so scattered throughout the nation.
• While your approach was comprehensive, we have concluded your company cannot immediately provide the adequate heavy equipment necessary to do the job most economically.
• We feel a project such as ours requires at least ten people on site at all times, and we have another vendor that can supply the necessary personnel without fear of any emergency delays.
• As we explained in our RFP, our primary criterion was cost, and we did have two other vendors who submitted lower bids for the work.
• We have chosen a consultant who has more than 20 years’ experience in just the kind of merger-acquisition plans we have in mind.
• Take care to keep the relationship intact; on later projects, the currently rejected bidder may be your only source.
• Thank you for taking the time to quote these prices for us.
• We will keep your name on our bidder’s list for other similar projects.
• We hope you will give us another opportunity to work with you on a later project.
• We assume you’ll be interested in other such projects and will keep your firm in mind.
• We appreciate your prompt and thorough response.
• We’ll be in touch again about other work.
• Thank you for the fine job you’ve done on other such projects for us.
• I’m sorry we could not get together on the price for this work, but maybe the next time we’ll be closer.
• We appreciate your attention to the work and our short deadlines for the evaluation and decision.
• Shall we keep you on the bidder’s list for later projects?
• Thank you for providing this pricing information. We hope to be able to purchase some of your other equipment when the need arises.
• We are aware of the excellent reputation your company has, and we hope to do business with you on another project.
• Thank you for giving us the opportunity to review your proposal; we are keeping your information on file so we can contact you again on future work assignments.

Example 1: Sample Letter for Bid Rejecting

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Gentlemen and Ladies:

Thank you for your very thorough proposal to provide energy management services to us. We appreciate the time you took in preparing such a detailed step-by-step approach to the work you projected; it sounds as though you really know your business and have excellent experience in this arena.

However, after our staff met with all the vendors, we have decided to use Energy Source Forever, out of Nebraska. Their focus seemed to be more in line with our perspective on the changes we would like to incorporate. In addition to their offering a lower price, we noted their approach dealt with the full scope of the buildings rather than simply the computer operations.

We thank you for your interest in the energy-management issues and value our on-going relationship on other projects.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Bid Rejecting Letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Gentlemen and Ladies:

We sincerely appreciate your efforts in preparing such a lengthy and specific quotation for the construction of the Charco facilities detailed in our May 8 RFP #35778. Abcox Construction, Inc. is the lowest bidder, however, and we will be offering that company the Charco contract.

Your proposal indicated the necessary personnel, equipment, and expertise to complete the project, and we appreciate your interest and effort in offering such a comprehensive document. Pricing, however, was our major concern on this project.

Please be assured we will contact you again on future work of this nature.

Sincerely,

Example 3: Example Letter of Rejecting Bid

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Marge,

Thank you for responding so thoroughly and quickly to our video production needs, but I’m afraid I have some disappointing news–the evaluation committee has selected another vendor for the proposed sales training video.

As you may happily know, your reputation is outstanding for such creative design work and timely delivery of similar projects. Our committee, however, was particularly impressed with the winning vendor’s proposed additions to the topic agenda and the subject-matter expertise their writers could offer to the project.

I know the proposal took several hours to prepare, and we appreciate your prompt response on our bid request. May we keep you on our list of outstanding producers when the next video project rolls around?

Cordially,

Example 4: Letter of Rejecting Bid

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Ladies or Gentlemen:

Antonine Associates is the apparent low bidder for the construction of esplanades on our Wellington Freeway property. We know bids that include such fine photography as yours are expensive and time-consuming to prepare.

Therefore, we appreciate your efforts and want to thank you for your proposal. We assure you that you will be given opportunity to bid on future work of this nature and hope you will keep us in mind should you have other ideas for lease-property improvements.

Thank you,