Enhancing the Responsiveness of Bids in Public Procurement: The Case of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Bid Responsiveness in the public procurement process (PPP) is a crucial aspect of public construction projects. A responsive bid materially complies with the form or content requirements of the bidding documents; the responsiveness of a bid is determined during the bid evaluation period. Accepting low-responsive bids can lead to project failures and unexpected adverse consequences. The Public Procurement Systems (PPS) in developed countries frequently used systematic mechanisms to enhance the quality of the PPP which includes enhancing the responsiveness of bids. This study revealed six dominant factors impacting responsiveness and five systematic mechanisms more prominently discussed in the PPS in developed countries to enhance the quality of the PPP. The population of this study consists of procurement specialists in Sri Lankan public construction procurement at the pre-contract stage and among those who have more than 20 years of experience in PPP were considered as the sampling frame. The fuzzy-set theory was used to determine the ranking order of these systematic mechanisms based on their influence to enhance responsiveness by overcoming the impact of dominant factors. Suggestions were made for Sri Lankan PPS to implement these systematic mechanisms.