New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 1 - GENERAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
Chapter 4 - STATE PROCUREMENT
Part 1 - PROCUREMENT CODE REGULATIONS
Section 1.4.1.7 - DEFINITIONS

(1) "Anti-poverty program businesses" means small businesses, cooperatives, community self-determination corporations or other such enterprises designed and operated to alleviate poverty conditions and aided by state or federal antipoverty programs or through private philanthropy.

(2) "Best obtainable price" means that price at which services or goods can be purchased which is most advantageous to the purchasing entity; best obtainable price can be found by obtaining quotes or other appropriate methods; where there is only one vendor available for such a purchase utilizing a direct purchase order in accordance with statute (such as an entity requiring dues, for example), the price would be the best obtainable price since it is the only possible price for that particular procurement.

(3) "Bidding time" means the period of time between the date the invitation to bid notice is published and the date and time set for receipt of bids.

(4) "Bidder" means one who submits a bid in response to an invitation for bid.

(5) "Competitive process" means an invitation for bid or request for proposals. Three quotes does not constitute a competitive process as the vendors from whom the quotes are received are singled out and specifically chosen. Increasing the number of quotes does not invalidate this lack of fairness, transparency, and competitiveness.

(6) "Competitive sealed bid" means the response from a bidder to an invitation to bid (ITB).

(7) "Competitive sealed proposal" means the response from an offeror to a request for proposals (RFP).

(8) "Contract" means any written, binding agreement for the procurement of items of tangible personal property, services or construction. A purchase order alone can be a binding contract.

(9) "Invitation for bid (IFB)" means all documents, including those attached or incorporated by reference, used for soliciting competitive sealed bids. Also sometimes referred to as an invitation to bid (ITB).

(10) "Offeror" means one who submits a proposal in response to a request for proposals.

(11) "Sealed" means, in terms of a non-electronic submission, that the bid or proposal is enclosed in a package which is completely fastened in such a way that nothing can be added or removed. Open packages submitted will not be accepted except for packages that may have been damaged by the delivery service itself. The state reserves the right, however, to accept or reject packages where there may have been damage done by the delivery service itself. Whether a package has been damaged by the delivery service or left unfastened and should or should not be accepted is a determination to be made by the procurement manager of any particular procurement. In terms of electronic submission, the entire required information and accompanying documents for the bid or proposal must be submitted via the electronic system being used by the state and by the deadline specified in the procurement. The deadline is that minute as stated in the procurement. That is, if a submission is due by 3:00 p.m., on a particular day, that deadline means 3:00:00 p.m., and does not mean 3:00:59 p.m.