AEC definitions
An invitation for bid, also called an invitation to bid, asks contractors to submit a price to build a defined set of documents. On public work the award often goes to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder. The design is meant to be complete enough that price is the main variable.
Definition
The invitation states the project, the bid date, the place, the bond requirements, and how documents are obtained. Addenda change the documents before bids are opened. A bid that takes exception, or that misses an addendum, can be nonresponsive. This is different from an RFP, where the owner expects to score approach as well as price. Private owners can invite bids and still negotiate. The invitation should say whether they will.
In depth
The form, the alternates, the acknowledgments of addenda, and the signatures have to be complete. A lower number on the wrong form can be thrown out.
Responsible is a separate test: whether the bidder can do the work. The invitation should say what evidence is required, such as a license or a bond.
Drawings, specifications, the bid form, and geotechnical information referenced by the invitation are what the number is based on. A hallway conversation is not.
If the set is incomplete, the remedy during bidding is an RFI and an addendum, not a qualified bid the owner did not allow.
Public openings read the prices aloud. That transparency is the point of an IFB. Private invitations may say the bids will be private. Follow the sentence you published.
Late bids are late. The invitation's clock is the one that counts.
Addenda are acknowledged on the bid form. Opening bids when one bidder did not receive addendum 2, and the others did, invites a protest.
The last addendum should leave enough time to price it. If it does not, extend the bid date in that addendum.
A notice of award, bonds, and the signed agreement follow the opening. The invitation itself is not the contract. Notice to proceed starts the clock the agreement defines.
Bid shopping after a public opening is constrained by the rules and by the subcontractor listing laws some states impose. Know which ones apply before you re-trade the number.
Examples
A school district issues an IFB. Bids are sealed. The low responsive bidder who provides the required bond is awarded the work.
Addendum 2 changes a finish. Bidders acknowledge it on the form. A bid that does not is nonresponsive.
A private owner invites bids and reserves the right to negotiate. The invitation says so, which a public IFB often cannot.
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