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Sealed bidding is characterized by a rigid adherence to formal procedures.
Those procedures aim to provide all bidders an opportunity to compete for the contract on an equal footing. In contrast, competitive negotiation is a more flexible process that enables the agency to conduct discussions, evaluate offers, and award the contract using price and other factors. The IFB must describe the Government's requirements clearly, accurately and completely. The FAR and case law prohibit the use of unnecessarily restrictive specifications that might unduly limit the number of bidders. If no mistakes are found, after certain other administrative steps, the CO awards the contract to that responsible bidder who submitted the lowest responsive bid.