PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide, Third Edition (Certification Press)

Solicitation planning is the process of preparing to solicit sellers to provide products the project needs. It's a pretty straightforward business, as Figure 12-4 demonstrates. There are three inputs to solicitation planning:

• Procurement Management Plan This subsidiary plan sets out the methodologies and expectations of procurement within the performing organization.

• Statement of Work The SOW provides detailed information on what the seller will be providing for the performing organization. Recall that this document allows the seller to determine if it can provide the product and meet the requirements of the project team.

• Other planning outputs Other details within the project plan, such as the schedules, estimates, constraints, and assumptions, are referenced as their values may have direct influence on the solicitation process.

  Figure 12-4: Solicitation planning prepares the performing organization to solicit products from sellers.

Organizing Solicitation Materials

Solicitation planning relies on the outputs of procurement planning. The Procurement Management Plan will guide the process as the project team has planned, as the performing organization requires, or under the guidance of a procurement office within the performing organization.

There are two primary tools used for solicitation planning:

• Standard form Within the performing organization, there may be many different standardized forms for contracts, descriptions of procurement items, bid documents, and other procurement-related documents.

• Expert judgment Expert judgment may be needed to review and help the project manager select the best source for the procured product.