Before issuing an IFB, the contracting officer may prequalify bidders by establishing a prequalification process to certify the financial and professional qualifications of prospective bidders.
The contracting officer may use a prequalification process when he or she determines that this process will be the most advantageous to the District. The contracting officer may limit participation in certain procurements to prospective contractors who have been prequalified under the process.
The contracting officer shall conduct the prequalification process as follows:
The Request for Qualifications shall include, at a minimum:
The contracting officer may conduct oral or written discussions with prospective bidders who submitted responses to the Request for Qualifications.
The contracting officer may provide the information submitted by all prospective bidders in response to the request to an evaluation panel. The panel may recommend to the contracting officer, based upon the panel's analysis of the information according to the criteria set forth in the request, whether a prospective bidder is qualified.
After determining the most qualified prospective bidders, the contracting officer shall issue an IFB only to the bidders who have been determined most qualified.
The IFB shall not be advertised in newspapers or publicly posted.
The use of the prequalification process shall not nullify the requirement for a determination of contractor responsibility under chapter 22 of this title.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 27, r. 27-1513