- procurement
A request for qualifications is a public solicitation that asks interested firms to document their experience, staffing, and capacity — their qualifications — rather than a price. An agency uses it to shortlist candidates before a priced proposal, or, for professional and qualifications-based services, to select outright and negotiate the fee afterward.
The RFQ is the front door to a project's procurement record and often names the field of competitors before anyone is chosen. It is the customary selection route for a construction manager at risk and for design engineers, where qualifications rather than low bid govern. It pairs with the request for proposals, which does ask for a scoped, priced offer — together they mark how and on what basis a public project's team was assembled.