Chapter 24 - Requests for Proposals and Competitive Negotiations

24.9.1 Cancellation of a Solicitation

An Invitation for Bids, a Request for Proposal, any other solicitation, or any and all bids or proposals, may be canceled or rejected. When canceling a written solicitation not created in eVA, all vendors who have been issued a solicitation must be notified, and the notice must be publicly posted. When canceling a Quick Quote solicitation in eVA, the purchasing office is not required to notify vendors of the cancellation. When canceling an eProcurement solicitation in eVA, the cancellation shall be made through eProcurement which will update the posting on VBO Buyer. All premium vendors registered for the commodity code used for the solicitation will be automatically notified. Other vendors may view the status of the solicitation in the VBO to see that the solicitation has been cancelled. If the solicitation was posted on the VBO, the solicitation must be cancelled by the issuing purchasing office using VBO Buyer in order to notify vendors of the cancelled solicitation. The reason for cancellation shall be documented and made a part of the contract file. A public body shall not cancel or reject an Invitation for Bid, a Request for Proposal, any other solicitation, bid or proposal solely to avoid awarding a contract to a particular responsive and responsible bidder or offeror (Code of Virginia, § 2.2-4319). Personnel responsible for opening bids or proposals must be notified of the cancellation to prevent responses from being inadvertently opened. […] If a program is canceled after receipt and opening of bids or proposals, original documents will remain a part of the procurement transaction file.  

Bidders or Offerors should be notified in writing that the program has been canceled and that duplicate proposals, if provided, will be destroyed unless the Offeror requests their return (APSPM https://dgs.virginia.gov/procurement/policy-consulting--review/policy/).