County Procurement Glossary of Terms

Term	Definition
Bid	A quotation received from a vendor in response to a solicitation from the County.
Bidder/Proposer	An organization/company submitting a bid or proposal in response to the County's solicitation for goods and/or services.
Bidders' Conference	An open forum for potential bidders / proposers to receive all the points outlined in the solicitation and ask questions concerning the solicitation. Also known as Proposers' Conference.
Commodity	A grouping of goods or services. The County bases it's commodities on the NIGP commodity code listing. also see Material Group
County	Within this website the County refers only to The County of Santa Clara.
Evaluation	The process by which the County reviews proposals and which result in the selection of a contractor.
Evaluator	A person who evaluates a proposal.
ITB - Invitation to Bid	A solicitation based on a very specific and non-negotiable statement of work. Contracts are recommended for award to the lowest most responsible and responsive bidder.
Job Walk	An on-site visit by potential bidders/proposers to a location to observe the operation, facility, system or equipment related to the solicitation.
Material Group	The County's internal Procurement system term for commodity code.
Prevailing Wage
Proposal	An offer to provide goods, services and or solutions to an identified problem at a particular location under given terms and conditions.
Quotation	A statement of price, terms of sale, and description of goods or services offered to the County.
RFI - Request for Information	Provides a forum for expression of interest, comments and information gathering about a specific project the County is contemplating. Potential suppliers are able to register an interest in a project. Suppliers must provide information regarding their Company, product or service offering and approach towards satisfying the needs of the project. The RFI also helps the County determine whether to solicit conceptual proposals in a future RFP.
RFP - Request for Proposal	A solicitation based on a proposed solution in response to a defined requirement offered by the County. Contracts are recommended for award to the proposer who submits the proposal deemed to be the overall best in the interests of the County. Generally the highest ranking proposer.
Site Visit	Evaluators' visit to a location to observe and evaluate the proposer's operation or proposed solution in a live environment.
Solicitation Document	A document developed by the County to obtain bids, proposals and or information from bidders / proposers.
Submission Deadline	The time and date specified by the County for receipt of bids/ proposals.
Vendor / Supplier	An organization, individual or other entity that provides products and/or services to the County.