Post-SOQ Submission Requirements (subconsultants)

After the SOQ submission deadline, ADOT will evaluate and score all responsive SOQs. Sometimes top-ranked consultant teams may be asked to participate in an oral interview. If this occurs, the prime consultant might ask you to participate in that interview. After ADOT has evaluated the SOQ's and completed any interviews, ADOT then determines final scores and chooses the most qualified prime consultant. ADOT will notify all prime proposers of its decision.

If the panel’s recommendation is approved by the ECS Manager, the award decision will be posted. Negotiations will begin with the company selected. Consultant selections are posted on the Engineering Consultants section of the ADOT website. 

Once a selection has been made, all proposers will be notified of the decision. Proposers may then request their scores and schedule an appointment with ECS to review their scores and proposal. Reviewing the selected SOQ can be an excellent way to improve the competitiveness of future proposals. Subconsultants that are prequalified with ECS may request to view the SOQ of the selected firm.

All consulting firms prequalified with ECS can schedule a meeting with ECS to look at any past winning SOQ proposal.  Doing so may provide your firm with information and elements that ADOT considers to be important for wining proposals. This may help your firm’s future proposal writing.    

If the prime consultant you are subconsulting for is successful with its SOQ, you’ll need to start preparing your firm’s cost proposal documents for the prime consultant. In general, your cost proposal should include detailed estimates of direct costs like travel or document reproduction; labor costs broken down by man-hours, and labor classifications; and other costs such as overhead or additional subconsultants.

Sample cost proposal documents are available in the Engineering Consultants Section of the ADOT website. 

For more information on which costs are allowable and which are not, see the ADOT cost allowability guidelines on the Audit and Analysis Forms and Publications page.

Further discussion of allowable overhead costs can be found in this document about the basic characteristics of compliant overhead submittal. 

Additionally, a few sample cost proposal derivation documents have been provided to demonstrate the type of information generally required.

• Cost Sample 1
• Cost Sample 2

Upon notice of selection, prime consultants and subconsultants must submit documentation to the office of audit and analysis for a pre-award review. See the Consultant Audit Guidelines on the Forms and Templates page for more information.

If you are a DBE, you need to give the prime consultant a completed Intended Participation Affidavit. You can find the form for that on the DBE Contract Specs page.

Following the pre-negotiation meeting, the prime consultant will be required to submit a detailed cost proposal for the work to be performed. Online Cost Proposal Preparation Guidelines can be found on the Consultant Resources page. A basic checklist of cost proposal submittal requirements can be found in Appendix A of these guidelines.

ADOT and the prime consultant will then negotiate the final cost and scope for the contract. ADOT does not negotiate costs directly with subconsultants since the contract is between ADOT and the prime consultant.

Once cost negotiations have concluded, several documents must be submitted prior to contract execution.

If you or any of your tier-subconsultants whose contracts exceed $100,000 have engaged in any lobbying activities, you or your tier-subconsultants must submit an anti-lobbying/disclosure form which can be found on the Forms and Templates page.

Also, you are required to sign a statement certifying that, to the best of your knowledge, you have never and will never use Federal-Aid Highway Program funds for the purpose of lobbying.

You and your tier-subconsultants are also required to certify your compliance with all federal, state and local immigration laws. A sample immigration certification statement can be found on the ADOT website. 

Once all of your paperwork is submitted, provided everything goes well with your prime consultant’s cost negotiations, the contract will be executed and your team will have officially been awarded the contract. You will sign a separate subcontract with the prime consultant. The subcontract will often include “flow through” provisions required of subconsultants from the ADOT contract.

Prime consultant are required to submit copies of their subcontracts with all subconsultants to ADOT. 

Notice to Proceed (NTP) is critically important. Even after cost negotiations have concluded and contracts have been executed, ADOT is not obligated to pay for any work done prior to providing the prime contractor with an NTP. Only after you have received an NTP are you guaranteed payment for your work performed. Confirm that the Prime consultant has a signed contract and NTP with ADOT before beginning work on a project.