Section 6.935  Proposal Evaluation

a)         Proposals will be evaluated and any award will be made in accordance with applicable federal requirements for the competitive RFP process described in this Subpart L. (See 23 CFR 636.)

b)         Proposals will be evaluated solely on the factors and criteria specified in the RFP.

c)         Proposals will be reviewed by the Department and may lead to discussions with offerors pursuant to Section 6.940.

d)         Each proposal will be reviewed by the Department to determine if the proposal is responsive to the submission requirements outlined in the RFP and to determine if the offeror is responsible.

1)         A responsive proposal is one that follows the requirements of the RFP, includes all documentation, is submitted in the format outlined in the RFP, is timely submitted, and has been signed by representatives of the offeror authorized to bind the offeror.  Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the proposal being deemed nonresponsive.

2)         A responsible offeror is one that demonstrates the capability to satisfy the commercial, ethical and technical requirements set forth in the RFP.  An offeror's failure to demonstrate that it is responsible may result in the proposal being rejected.

e)         The Department reserves the right to request that an offeror provide additional information or clarify information (see Section 6.945).  The Department's determination regarding the responsiveness of a proposal and the responsibility of an offeror will be final.

f)         In addition to any other rights under this Subpart L, the Department may:

1)         Withdraw an RFQ or RFP at any time and publish a new RFQ or RFP;

2)         Decline to award a public private agreement for any reason;

3)         Request clarifications to any qualifications or RFPs or seek one or more revised proposals or one or more best and final offers;

4)         Modify the terms, provisions and conditions of an RFQ, RFP, technical specifications, or form of a public private agreement during the procurement process; and

5)         Interview offerors in accordance with this Subpart.

(Source:  Added at 37 Ill. Reg. 15878, effective September 27, 2013)