RFB (Request for Bid)

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RFB (Request for Bid)

The Request for Bid (RFB) is a type of line item BP. RFBs are unique in that the business process requires participation from personnel outside your company. For an RFB, you need to create two sets of forms—one for the requestor (the Primavera Unifier user who creates the RFB and invites bids) and another for the bidders (the vendors) to fill out with bid information.

An RFB must include a reference process to a vendor list business process, which contains the pool of vendors to whom the RFB will be sent. This vendor reference process will populate the upper fields of the RFB at runtime. Primavera Unifier automatically launches this reference process when the RFB is activated.

Tip: When you create the bidder’s view of RFB forms, keep in mind that the bidders may or may not be Primavera Unifier users. You might want to keep some fields hidden or non-editable. You might also want to allow bidders to modify line items, but prevent them from adding or removing them.

Following is an example of a workflow for a bid invitation:

Bid Comparison

The RFB business process includes a bid tabulation feature that users can use to compare all or selected bids that have been received from vendors. This feature is available after the bidding process is closed. The bid tabulation is displayed on a sheet that you can design in Primavera uDesigner. (If you do not design a bid comparison sheet, Primavera Unifier automatically provides a default sheet.)

How a Request for Bid Works

Once the RFB business process is active in Primavera Unifier, the bid procedure runs as follows:

The Primavera Unifier user

To start the procedure, the user:

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Opens the RFB, fills in the form, and sends it for internal review. During this process, the scope of the project might be verified, as well as other things, such as terms and conditions, architectural drawings, and structural materials.

When the internal review workflow is complete, the user:

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Assembles the bid package and prepares the bid invitation for distribution.

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Sends out the bid invitations, along with a user name and password so that the vendors can log into Primavera Unifier “Lite” and submit their bids.

Once the bid invitations have been sent, the user must wait for the bid due date to pass.

The vendor

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Logs into Primavera Unifier and opens the bid request.

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(Optionally) Requests clarification of any questions or issues before submitting the bid.

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Submits the bid.

The Primavera Unifier User

When the due date is reached, the user:

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Tabulates the bids for comparison.

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(Optional) Opens discussions about the bids, if necessary, with company employees.

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Awards the bid to a vendor.

Design Requirements

For these business processes to work effectively in Primavera Unifier, you will need to create the following components in Primavera uDesigner:

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A vendor master business process to contain vendor or supplier information. Primavera Unifier allows your company only one vendor master list business process. Create this vendor master using the information under the “Simple Type” business process.

Tip: You can create an “approved vendors” list for a specific project that includes a sub-set of the company’s master list of vendors. This makes the bidding process easier because the requestor does not have to select vendors from the entire list of company suppliers. To create this list, use a Line Item BP with a sub-type of “Line Items to Filter BP Records” (see Line Item Type).

In order for the vendor master to work properly with the RFB, the upper form of the master list must include the following data elements:

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Date picker (uuu_due_date)

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Contact Company (uuu_contact_company)

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Contact Last Name (uuu_contact_last_name)

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Contact First Name (uuu_contact_first_name)

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User ID (uuu_user_id)

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Status

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A requestor form, which should include:

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Upper form

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Detail form

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Line Item List

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Workflow

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Log

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Reference process (to reference the vendor list business process)

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A bidder form, which should include:

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Upper form

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Detail form

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Line Item List

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Log

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(Optional) A bid comparison sheet, which should include:

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Upper form

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Detail form

Design Flow

The following table outlines the design steps necessary to create the RFB business process.

Create a data structure

(if necessary)

See the instructions beginning with Creating a Data Structure.

Launch the design

This step initializes the design process for the BP. See Starting a New Design.

FOR THE REQUESTOR:

Create an upper form

See the instructions beginning with Starting an Upper Form.

Mandatory fields for the upper form are:

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Date picker (uuu_rfb_due_date) to specify a due date. This is the date on which the bid will expire. Bidders will not be able to bid after this date, and requesters will not be able to see bids before this date.

Create a detail form

See the instructions beginning with Starting a Detail Form.

Mandatory fields for the detail form are:

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Short description (short_desc

Create a line item list

See Adding a Line Item List to a Form