Abstract
In Japan, the designated competitive bidding was mainly applied for the award of engineering consulancy services over many years. Recently there has been an increase in the use of the technical proposal method, and also the comprehensive evaluation method which is known as QCBS in foeign countries has come into use. However, some contracting authorities, mostly local governments, still often apply the lowest price criterion for the award of such services. Furthermore, the current technical proposal method reduces effectiveness of competition over technical capabilities. As for the comprehensive evaluation method, it is often the case that consulting firms are forced to make contracts at unreasonably low prices.
In many countries of the world, there is a tendency toward increased recourse to QBS, and greater consideration for quality during the selection stage of QCBS. Based on the comparative review of foreign procurement procedures, it is concluded that QBS shoud be mainly used for selecting consulting firms while giving due regard to fair procedures and so on, after legally establishing negotiated procedures. It is also indicated that when QCBS is used, more weight should be given to the quality component.
