I’ve responded to a competition, now what?

We will get back to you.  Really.

We’re a small municipality so it takes us time to get through an evaluation process which can, and typically does, include reading and re-reading the submissions, confirming compliance to the requirements, verification (adding up the numbers or calling references), clarifying anything that is unclear, and, finally, scoring. There may be several evaluators, so all of the scores have to be compiled and verified to determine a top-rated response. Once we have determined the highest-rated proposal or tender, we may have to get approval from Council or the CAO to proceed with award.

Once award is announced, we will:

• Inform unsuccessful proponents

• Update the Nova Scotia Procurement website with the successful proponent’s name and, in most cases, the expected value of the contract

• Provide a debrief to those suppliers who request one within 30 days of the award of a publicly tendered project

• A debrief will only provide feedback on the suppliers’ own proposal or tender with the goal to help the proponent improve future responses

• We encourage and accept feedback from the supplier with respect to the process

If you are successful, you will be asked to sign a contract, usually based on the sample contract included in the competition documents. While there is some room to negotiate small details before the final contract is signed, suppliers must identify any objections to the terms of the sample contract before the competition closes. The Municipality will attempt to be reasonable, but typically clauses like indemnification, insurance, WCB coverage, and performance obligations have been carefully thought through and will not be changed.

East Hants will not typically accept a limitation of liability in a contract. While we recognize suppliers need to protect themselves too, we go to them because they are experts, because they understand the risks in the work they do, and because we expect them to do good work that we can rely on and that they will stand behind.

Once the contract has been signed by both parties, it moves over to the department to manage. The supplier must provide any documents they promised (Certificate of Insurance, Bonds, WCB letters, etc.) prior to starting the work.