Mandatory Attendance
Mandatory Attendance
Do not conduct mandatory pre-bid conferences unless absolutely necessary to provide information to prospective bidders that cannot be conveyed in writing. Mandatory pre-bid conferences are not recommended due to prospective bidder concerns regarding bidding confidentiality and conference scheduling difficulties. Also, procedural errors may occur, which can result in bid rejections and re-letting the project, such as:
- District releases conflicting information about the time/location and/or requirement (mandatory vs optional) of the conference.
- District did not manage or validate the attendance list and a contractor name was provided on the attendance list that could not be validated against; therefore, it was not possible to determine who the proposal should be released to.
Obtain written approval from the Director of the DES or the Director of Maintenance Division (MNT), as applicable, prior to including a mandatory pre-bid conference in the proposal. If a mandatory pre-bid conference is approved, include the requirement in the proposal and the Notice to Contractors. Conduct a second pre-bid conference at least seven calendar days prior to letting for large, complex, highly technical projects that require attendance at a mandatory pre-bid conference.
Submit the list of all prospective bidders attending the mandatory pre-bid conference to the CST via email at
the same day of the meeting. Prospective bidders failing to attend a mandatory pre-bid conference will not be eligible to pull an official bidding proposal or receive authorization to bid the project.