When the use of competitive bidding is not in the best interest of the city for a purchase of, or contract for, commodities and/or services estimated to cost in excess of $25,000, the commodities and/or services may be purchased by competitive negotiations. A request for proposals or a request for qualifications, or a request for letters of interest shall be issued. Adequate public notice of the solicitation shall be given in the same manner as provided in § 35.19. Other procedural provisions applicable to the sealed bid process shall also apply. To assure full understanding of and responsiveness to the solicitation requirements and full understanding of qualified proposals or offers, discussions may be conducted with qualified proposers or offerors who submit responses determined to be reasonably acceptable of being selected for award for the purpose of clarification and to assure full understanding of, and responsiveness to, the solicitation requirements. The respondents shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of responses, and such revisions may be permitted through negotiations prior to award for the purpose of obtaining best and final proposals or offers. The award shall be made to the responsible proposer or offeror whose proposal or offer is determined to be the most advantageous to the city taking into consideration price and the evaluation factors set forth in the solicitation. No other criteria shall be used in the evaluation. A summary of the basis on which the award is made shall be included in the contract file.
(Ord. 1409, passed 6-19-02; Am. Ord. 1684, passed 3-16-11)