Opinion ID: 4533874
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: FCA’s Sourcing Process

Text: Prior to his termination in April 2017, Plaintiff Kenya Spratt worked as a Senior Construction Buyer at FCA US. FCA US is a North American car manufacturer, and is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles family of companies. In his role as Senior Construction Buyer, Plaintiff was responsible for soliciting competitive bids for large-scale construction projects at FCA US and sourcing the projects based on the bids. Although FCA US did not have written policies for how the sourcing process should be conducted, the standard practice that developed over the years was for the Senior Buyer and the internal client (i.e., the particular department overseeing the respective project) to identify three to four contractors and invite them to bid. Once the initial bids were received, the Senior Buyer would then prepare an initial bid comparison summary, which lists the bids from each contractor based on their respective unit prices (e.g., structural, electrical, plumbing) and item prices (e.g., steel, lighting, sinks). According to Plaintiff, the initial summary sheet “is an analysis tool used to identify variances in the cost of specific units . . . between contractors’ bids to determine what clarifications of the job requirements are necessary” before asking the contractors to submit their final bids. (Appellant Br. at 5–6.) The initial summary sheet does not contain the names of the bidding contractors, and it is not used to determine who will be awarded the job. 2 No. 19-1420, Kenya Spratt v. FCA US LLC After the Senior Buyer prepares the initial summary sheet, he shares it with the internal client, and the Senior Buyer and internal client then decide whether or not a clarification meeting is needed. The purpose of a clarification meeting is to review the scope of the project with the contractors in order to ensure that they understand what the project will entail. At this stage, the highest bidder may be eliminated from the competitive process. Following the clarification meeting, the remaining contractors submit their final bids. The Senior Buyer then prepares a summary of the final bids, and sends that summary to the internal client. Unlike the initial summary sheet, the summary of the final bids includes the contractors’ names and identifying information. The internal client and the Senior Buyer use the final summary sheet to determine which contractor will be awarded the job. Usually, the contractor with the lowest bid is successful.