5.6. Step 5 – State Evaluates Suppliers’ Responses
All suppliers’ responses which pass the administrative review will be evaluated further in accordance with the provisions outlined in this section. The state entity is bound by the terms of the solicitation as well as the established evaluation criteria. No changes to either the solicitation or the evaluation criteria may be made after the closing date and time of the solicitation. Although the manner of evaluating suppliers’ responses will vary based on the type of solicitation and the specific terms of the solicitation, a supplier must be both responsive and responsible as defined in Section 5.6.2. - General Evaluation Criteria.
The issuing officer should review the general evaluation tips in Table 5.3 before beginning the evaluation process:
| DO | Act as the facilitator for the solicitation process through active engagement |
| Make sure any evaluation tool is up-to-date and captures any changes made to the solicitation prior to the close of the solicitation. | |
| Make sure the evaluation committee understands the evaluation process. For example, the issuing officer must review the scoring guide with the entire evaluation committee. | |
| Remind the evaluation committee that the evaluation process is confidential and that committee members cannot discuss the suppliers’ responses with others. | |
| Remind evaluation committee members to review questions with issuing officer. No evaluation committee member should contact suppliers directly. | |
| Remind evaluation committee members to review questions with issuing officer. No evaluation committee member should contact suppliers directly. | |
| DO NOT | Change the evaluation or scoring criteria. |
| Revise or amend the solicitation (including any specifications or requirements) after the solicitation closes. | |
| Allow suppliers to revise their responses except as permitted during negotiations. | |