Case study · U.S. higher education / SLED
Macomb Community College RFQ Q1971
An AV equipment solicitation with strict pass/fail criteria, mandatory authorized-reseller requirements and 90+ competing firms. AppsGenii decoded it clause-by-clause, audited compliance, benchmarked pricing and delivered a submission-ready package to a U.S. prime under NDA, in 72 hours.
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Package delivered
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Line items decoded
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Compliance points
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Risks mitigated
The challenge
RFQ Q1971 carried strict pass/fail criteria, mandatory authorized-reseller requirements and disqualification language for incomplete forms. One missing field, one wrong part number or one omitted email address was enough to invalidate an otherwise competitive bid regardless of price.
Our approach
AppsGenii applied its SLED intelligence methodology: clause-by-clause analysis, a 22-point compliance audit, competitive pricing benchmarking against national government resellers, a full risk register and a dual-recipient submission protocol all under NDA.
The outcome
The U.S. prime received a fully submission-ready package: SOW decode, compliance checklist, benchmarked pricing structure, risk register, cover-email draft and pre-send go/no-go checklist eliminating every identified disqualification risk before a single document was signed.
Statement of work
Six line items. Zero margin for error.
Exact manufacturer part numbers are mandatory. A single incorrect character on any line constitutes a non-responsive bid.
| QTY | BRAND | PART NUMBER | DESCRIPTION | AWARD RISK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ScreenBeam | SBWD1100PADMIN3Y | 1100 Plus Wireless Video/Audio extender mandatory 3-year Admin Tools subscription, bundled at quote | Standard |
| 5 | Extron | 60-1493-21 | DXP 44 HD 4K Plus 4×4 HDMI matrix switcher, 4K/60Hz, primary AV distribution | High Value |
| 2 | Extron | 42-255-01 | VLM 3001 Pendant VoiceLift mic US/CAN version explicitly mandatory | Standard |
| 2 | Extron | 26-660-02 | VoiceLift adapter companion to the VLM 3001 | Standard |
| 6 | Extron | 60-1773-53 | DTP3 R 301 HDMI 4K/60Hz HDBaseT receiver, rated to 330 ft | High Value |
| 6 | Extron | 60-1773-52 | DTP3 T 301 HDMI 4K/60Hz HDBaseT transmitter, rated to 330 ft | High Value |
High-value lines (60-1493-21, 60-1773-53, 60-1773-52) carry the majority of contract value and were priced aggressively at line level for the split-award scenario.
Evaluation intelligence
How the award gets made.
No weighted scoring matrix is published. Based on clause analysis and the college’s procurement posture, we mapped the decision hierarchy.
| # | EVALUATION FACTOR | TYPE | DECISION INTELLIGENCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Authorized reseller + spec compliance | Pass/Fail | Hard gate. Non-responsive regardless of price manufacturer authorization must be confirmed in writing before submission. |
| 2 | Price per line + grand total + shipping | Primary | The primary award driver. Awarded by individual item a competitor cheaper on Items 2, 5 or 6 wins those lines in a split-award even at a higher grand total. |
| 3 | Delivery ARO FOB Warren, MI | Evaluated | Shorter ARO improves selection head-to-head. Late delivery activates a 10% liquidated-damages clause per item. |
| 4 | Both forms completed & signed | Pass/Fail | Price sheet and contact form are both mandatory; signature must bind the company to the quoted price. |
| 5 | Payment terms on contact form | Pass/Fail | Explicitly required omission may disqualify. This is where bids have historically been lost at this college. |
| 6 | Dual-email submission | Mandatory | Both recipients in a single email's To: field not two separate emails with read receipt requested. |
What we delivered
Six deliverables. One submission-ready package.
01 · Full SOW decode
Every part number cross-checked against live Extron and ScreenBeam catalogs active-production status, US/CAN variant and mandatory subscription bundling all verified within 48 hours of deadline.
02 · 22-point compliance audit
All nine RFQ conditions mapped to specific submission actions with pass/fail determinations payment terms, ARO and dual-email protocol all verified.
03 · Pricing framework & benchmark
Price-sheet structure built and benchmarked against CDW Government, World Wide Technology and GovConnection education tiers, with line-level pricing for high-value items.
04 · Submission pack
Cover-email draft with correct subject line and dual recipients, file-naming convention, document assembly order and a 22-item pre-send checklist.
05 · Evaluation map
Six award factors ranked by real decision weight, with split-award risk mapped at each high-value line.
06 · Risk register
Twelve risks identified with likelihood, impact and a named mitigation per item every disqualification risk closed out.
Our methodology
AppsGenii SLED Intelligence.
Applied precisely.
We don’t just read a solicitation we decode it. Five phases, every requirement explicit.
01
Procurement office intelligence
We read the purchasing posture first. A sole-contact rule, a liquidated-damages clause and a strict reseller gate tell us exactly what the evaluators are protecting against and we design the submission to address each concern.
02
Clause-by-clause structural analysis
Every condition mapped to a specific submission action with a pass/fail determination. Nothing is inferred from context every requirement is explicit.
03
Technical specification verification
Part numbers verified against current manufacturer catalogs within 48 hours of submission regional variants and subscription bundling confirmed.
04
Competitive pricing intelligence
Benchmarked against national government resellers with split-award analysis confirming each line must be priced independently not optimized only at the grand total.
05
Submission engineering
Complete pack built: cover email, dual-recipient routing, file naming, assembly order and a 22-item go/no-go checklist with a 30-minute submission buffer baked in.
Prepared by AppsGenii Technologies under mutual NDA for an authorized U.S. prime contractor. The prime’s identity is confidential. Macomb Community College is named as the public awarding body only AppsGenii is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Macomb Community College.
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