What factors may be used in sealed bidding according to regulations?

In the context of sealed bidding, regulations stipulate that the evaluation of bids primarily focuses on price and price-related factors. This approach is consistent with the goal of sealed bidding, which is to ensure a fair and transparent selection process based on objective and quantifiable criteria. The emphasis on price helps to maintain competition and ensure that the government or contracting authority receives the best value for the goods or services being procured.

In sealed bidding, the technical aspects of the bids are usually not evaluated unless they are explicitly linked to price, such as in the case of specific price adjustments based on provided performance metrics. Therefore, the process does not consider subjective qualities that fall outside the realm of price, such as performance or past performance in evaluations, which would be more relevant in competitive proposals where factors beyond just the bid price come into play.

This regulatory focus ensures that the sealed bidding process remains straightforward, allowing for efficient evaluation and award processes primarily based around the most observable and easily compared aspect: the bid price.