Proposals way below Independent Government Estimate

Moderator,

Please delete one of these. Not sure why the double post.

When a bidder comes in well below the IGE, it raises some questions - chiefly, does the bidder understand the requirement? Related questions include, how good was the IGE? Were the specs clear and complete, or do they contain some holes or ambiguities? Until you understand the reasons for the difference, you're taking a risk if you proceed.

If you know what you're getting, (i.e., it's a well-defined commercial item, and you have a responsible bidder proposing to furnish what you want) and you understand the reason for the pricing difference, then you may have a low-risk scenario.