International Trade

 

This notice is published in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement. The State of Minnesota, Department of Administration, Office of State Procurement, hereby notifies all potential responders of the fact that the State of Minnesota, when acting through the Office of State Procurement, has established contracts for the commodities, services, and construction shown below.

 

Commodities, services, and construction "tenders for purchase," that may meet the Government Procurement Agreement criteria procured by Minnesota state agencies when acting through the Office of State Procurement, are announced for competitive response on the Solicitation Announcements page of this website.

 

Minnesota Rule 1230 requires that all public notices of procurements are announced not less than seven days before the final date of submitting responses. By policy, the Office of State Procurement requires 21 days' notice before the final date of submitting responses for procurements that fall under the Government Procurement Agreement. In certain cases, the Office of State Procurement may permit 14 days' notice.

 

Minnesota statutes create some distinctions in the procurement process that need to be understood to interpret the information provided below.

 

(1) Minnesota Statute 16C.02 makes a distinction between a Request for Bid (RFB) and a Request for Proposal (RFP). The distinction rests on how much flexibility the state has in making an award.

 

A Request for bid or RFB. "Request for bid" or "RFB" means a solicitation in which the terms, conditions, and specifications are described and responses are not subject to negotiation.

 

A Request for proposal or RFP. "Request for proposal" or "RFP" means a solicitation in which it is not advantageous to set forth all the actual, detailed requirements at the time of solicitation, and responses are subject to negotiation.

 

(2) Minnesota Statutes 16C.08 creates a class of services referred to as "professional or technical services." These are services that are intellectual in character; that do not involve the provision of supplies or materials; that include consultation, analysis, evaluation, prediction, planning, or recommendation; and that result in the production of a report or the completion of a task.

 

These services are acquired directly by state agencies, with the review, consultation, and approval of the commissioner of Administration. The staff of the Office of State Procurement act for the commissioner of Administration in performing these tasks. For procurements that may be subject to the Government Procurement Agreement, these procurements are all accomplished using an RFP and announced on the Solicitation Announcements page of the Office of State Procurement website and/or the State Register.

 

Table 1 lists future procurements that will be made through the Office of State Procurement. It contains the following information:

• Commodity/Service/Construction that we are purchasing
• Proposed Date of Public Notice for the RFB/RFP
• Estimated Value of Award, DOES NOT DIRECTLY relate to how much will actually be expended
• Expiration Date, the date the contract is scheduled to expire, including any extension options
• Type of Tender, how the procurement will be made:
  • Commodity - RFB
  • Commodity - RFP
  • Professional/Technical Services
  • Contract Services - RFB
  • Contract Services - RFP
  • Construction - RFB