Which statement best describes competitive negotiation?

Which statement best describes competitive negotiation?

• A. It requires no discussions with offerors
• B. It is used only for construction contracts
• C. Allows discussions with responsible offerors who submit proposals
• D. It guarantees price-based final selection without evaluation

Answer: (C)

Competitive negotiation revolves around evaluating proposals and then engaging in discussions with offerors to improve their proposals and terms in pursuit of best value. This approach permits discussions with responsible offerors who submitted proposals, so that price, technical merit, and other factors can be clarified and refined. The other statements don’t fit because discussions do occur in competitive negotiation, it isn’t limited to construction contracts, and final decisions are not guaranteed to be price-based without evaluating proposals—awards are determined after evaluating proposals and potentially negotiating to achieve the best overall value.

Competitive negotiation revolves around evaluating proposals and then engaging in discussions with offerors to improve their proposals and terms in pursuit of best value. This approach permits discussions with responsible offerors who submitted proposals, so that price, technical merit, and other factors can be clarified and refined. The other statements don’t fit because discussions do occur in competitive negotiation, it isn’t limited to construction contracts, and final decisions are not guaranteed to be price-based without evaluating proposals—awards are determined after evaluating proposals and potentially negotiating to achieve the best overall value.