Examining the Results of Solicitation Planning

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Solicitation planning guides the solicitation process. The outputs of solicitation planning help the project manager, the project team, and the sellers clearly communicate. The expectations between the buyer and seller are often not met because of a lack of solicitation planning.

Creating the Procurement Documents

One of the primary outputs of solicitation planning are the procurement documents. These documents guide the relationship between the buyer and seller. Communication between the buyer and the seller should always be specific as to the requirements and expectations of the seller. In initial communications, especially when requesting a price or proposal, the buyer should include the SOW, relevant specifications, and, if necessary, any non-disclosure agreements (NDA). Requests from buyers to sellers should be specific enough to give the seller a clear idea of what the buyer is requesting, but general enough to allow the seller to provide viable alternatives.

Here are some specific terms the project manager-and the PMP candidate-should be familiar with:

Document	Purpose
Bid	From seller to buyer. Price is the determining factor in the decision-making process.
Quotation	From seller to buyer. Price is the determining factor in the decision-making process.
Proposal	From seller to buyer. Other factors-such as skill sets, reputation, idea for the project solution-may be used in the decision-making process.
Invitation for Bid (IFB)	From buyer to seller. Requests the seller to provide a price for the procured product or service.
Request for Quote (RFQ)	From buyer to seller. Requests the seller to provide a price for the procured product or service.
Request for Proposal (RFP)	From buyer to seller. Requests the seller to provide a proposal to complete the procured work or to provide the procured product.

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