Para 5.3.1 - Consultancy Proposals | KartavyaDesk
Original Rule Text
b) Since cost is part of the selection criterion the ITC shall not indicate the budget (except in case of Fixed Budget System of selection) but shall indicate the expected input of key professionals (staff time). Section VI-A: ‘List of Key Experts and Required Qualifications’ describes the team composition, expertise, experience, and professional qualifications required for each Key Experts. Consultants, however, shall be free to prepare their own estimates of staff time necessary to carry out the assignment. c) Consultants may be encouraged to provide comments and suggestions on Terms of Reference, Counterpart Staff, Key Experts and Facilities to be provided by the Procuring Entity’ regarding these Sections. d) Simplified Technical Proposal: In LCS system of evaluation, since the technical scores are not ranked or weighted and added to Financial Scores, it would suffice if instead of a detailed marking scheme for the criteria/ sub criteria, minimum fail-pass qualifying benchmarks are laid down for each criteria/ sub criteria. For such assignment technical evaluation can be carried out by following a simplified procedure for evaluation of technical quality and only a Simplified Technical Proposal (STP, instead of a Full Technical Proposal - FTP) may be called for and indicated in the data sheet of the RfP document. STP should be used. when the assignment is: i) unlikely to have significant downstream impact; ii) of a routine nature where ToR already defines details of tasks to be performed and required output and approach, methodology, organisation, and staffing could be evaluated without use of sub criteria; and iii) that characteristics of work do not require further detailed evaluation of the consultant’s experience (e.g., engagement of accountants, auditors, consultant engineers etc). e) STP reduces the time and cost required to prepare the proposal and could be evaluated faster by the Evaluation Committee. For example, following parameters can be used: i) Minimum experience including number of assignments handled by the firm similar to the area of assignment; ii) Turnover and other financial parameters of the firm, if required; iii) Minimum educational qualifications of each of the key professionals; iv) Minimum requirement of experience of the key professionals in an area similar to the proposed assignment. v) All the firms which meet the minimum qualifying standards/ criteria so prescribed will stand technically qualified for consideration of their financial bids.
What This Means
Para 5.3.1 of the Manual for Procurement of Consultancy Services provides guidelines on preparing and evaluating technical proposals, especially in the context of Least Cost Selection (LCS). It clarifies that when seeking consultancy services, the Request for Proposal (RfP) shouldn't reveal the budget (unless it's a Fixed Budget System). Instead, it should specify the expected time input from key professionals. Consultants are encouraged to provide feedback on the Terms of Reference and the resources the government entity will provide. A Simplified Technical Proposal (STP) can be used for routine assignments where a detailed evaluation isn't necessary. This speeds up the process and reduces costs for both the government and the consultants.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Key Points
- •RfP should not indicate the budget (except in Fixed Budget System).
- •RfP should indicate expected input of key professionals (staff time).
- •Consultants can provide feedback on Terms of Reference and resources provided by the government.
- •Simplified Technical Proposal (STP) can be used for routine assignments.
- •STP focuses on minimum qualifying criteria instead of detailed scoring.
Practical Example
The Ministry of Rural Development needs to hire a consultant to conduct a basic impact assessment of a water conservation project. The project is fairly straightforward, and the Terms of Reference clearly define the tasks and expected outputs. Instead of requesting a Full Technical Proposal (FTP), the Ministry opts for a Simplified Technical Proposal (STP). The RfP specifies the minimum experience required for the consulting firm (e.g., at least 3 similar assignments) and the minimum qualifications for the key expert (e.g., a Master's degree in Environmental Science and 5 years of experience in water resource management). Firms meeting these minimum criteria are considered technically qualified, and their financial bids are then evaluated to select the lowest bidder.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Full Technical Proposal (FTP) and a Simplified Technical Proposal (STP)?▼
When should we use a Simplified Technical Proposal (STP)?▼
Why is it important to specify the expected input of key professionals in the RfP?▼
What happens if no firm meets the minimum qualifying standards in the STP?▼
Can consultants suggest changes to the Terms of Reference even after the RfP has been issued?▼
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Test Your Knowledge
Question 1 of 3
According to Para 5.3.1 of the Manual for Procurement of Consultancy Services, what information should the Invitation to Consultants (ITC) *not* typically include regarding the project's financial aspects?
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