Some construction work is selected on qualifications first and price later, and some on price up front, and a firm that responds to one as if it were the other submits the wrong proposal.
What the selection method sets
Qualifications based selection, common on CMAR and design build, ranks firms on experience and approach before price is negotiated, so the response leads with qualifications. Price driven selection puts the number first, so the response is built around a responsive bid.
Why the method is easy to confuse
The selection method is stated in the instructions and the evaluation section, and a firm under deadline can build a price first response to a qualifications first solicitation, or the reverse, wasting the effort on the wrong content.
How an AI bid response agent splits them
An AI bid response agent reads the instructions and the evaluation criteria, identifies whether the selection is qualifications based or price driven, and points the response at the content that the chosen method rewards.
You can see the selection method identified from the instructions in our AI bid response agent demo for construction and infrastructure RFPs. It splits qualifications based selection from price driven bids so the response fits.