PAPER 21 Competition for Professional Services on Quality Tempered by Price

It is often argued that it is impossible to judge quality in competitive bids submitted by professionals. As a result some funding authorities take the opportunity to select on price alone. When introducing an extension of compulsory competitive tendering to the procurement of professional services for local government, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Howard, required that contracting offices shall strike a proper balance between the quality and price of professional services.

Not only is it possible to assess the quality of a bid offered but also it is an essential pre-requisite to ensure a proper application of public funds.