| Course | PJM-5400 Procurement and Vendor Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Module 1 written assignment: the procurement process, trust and teamwork |
| Length | About 558 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | M.S. in Management in Project Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PJM 5400 Module 1
Six Steps on Each Side: Building the Team and the Trust for a Smart Meter Procurement
Student Name
M.S. in Management in Project Management, Thomas Edison State University
PJM-5400: Procurement and Vendor Management
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Six Steps on Each Side: Building the Team and the Trust for a Smart Meter Procurement
The Program
Our utility will replace 48,000 aging water meters with smart meters that report readings hourly over a radio network, letting us detect leaks, bill accurately and stop sending readers door to door. The program has an estimated value of $14 million over three years and involves three kinds of purchase: meters and network equipment, installation labor and integration with our billing system.
The Contract Management Process
Garrett (2010) describes contract management as a process with steps on both sides of the transaction. The buyer plans the procurement, plans the solicitation, solicits offers, selects a source, administers the contract and closes it out. The seller, in parallel, conducts presales activity, decides whether to bid, develops its bid or proposal, negotiates and forms the contract, administers its side and closes out.
Seeing both sides matters. A seller deciding whether to bid needs clear information early; if our RFP is vague, the best firms may not bid at all.
| Buyer step | What it means for our program | Seller's parallel step |
|---|---|---|
| Procurement planning | Decide what to buy and how to package it | Presales: learning our needs |
| Solicitation planning | Write the request for proposal and evaluation criteria | Bid or no-bid decision |
| Solicitation | Issue the RFP, hold a pre-proposal conference, answer questions | Proposal development |
| Source selection | Evaluate proposals, negotiate, award | Negotiation and contract formation |
| Contract administration | Monitor installation, accept work, pay invoices | Delivering and invoicing |
| Contract closeout | Final acceptance, warranty start, lessons learned | Closeout and warranty |
The Procurement Team
Garrett stresses that world-class contracting depends on teams that combine contracting skill with technical, financial and legal knowledge. Our team:
Including customer service is unusual but important: installers will enter 48,000 basements, and complaints will reach customer service first, often before anyone in engineering hears of a problem.
| Member | Role |
|---|---|
| Procurement manager | Leads the process; sole point of contact with bidders |
| Engineering lead | Writes technical requirements; evaluates meter and network proposals |
| Operations supervisor | Writes installation requirements; plans customer access |
| Finance analyst | Evaluates pricing and cost models |
| Utility counsel | Reviews terms, insurance and compliance with public contracting law |
| Customer service manager | Represents customers' experience of installation |
Building Trust Before the Contract
Dyer and Chu (2003) found that supplier trust in buyers lowered transaction costs and was associated with greater information sharing, and that trustworthiness grew from fair dealing and process over time. In a public procurement, trust must coexist with strict fairness among bidders. Schapper et al. (2006) note that public procurement is judged by accountability and transparency as well as by value, which shapes how trust can be built. Three practices can build it.
First, a request for information and an industry day before the RFP let vendors tell us what is realistic, such as installation rates and network coverage in our hilly service area. Second, a single point of contact and written answers to every question, shared with all bidders, show that no one has an inside track. Third, a clear evaluation method published in the RFP tells bidders how they will be judged.
Conclusion
Mapping both sides of the contract management process, forming a team that includes customer service and engaging the market openly before the RFP lay the foundation for a procurement in which bidders trust the process and the utility gets competitive proposals.
References
Dyer, J. H., & Chu, W. (2003). The role of trustworthiness in reducing transaction costs and improving performance: Empirical evidence from the United States, Japan, and Korea. Organization Science, 14(1), 57-68. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.14.1.57.12806
Garrett, G. A. (2010). World class contracting (5th ed.). CCH.
Schapper, P. R., Veiga Malta, J. N., & Gilbert, D. L. (2006). An analytical framework for the management and reform of public procurement. Journal of Public Procurement, 6(1/2), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-06-01-02-2006-B001
Reading the PJM 5400 Module 1 assignment instructions
PJM-5400 requires six written assignments, together worth 36 percent of the grade, seven discussions and a three-part course project in which students develop a request for proposal from a federal business opportunity. The text is Garrett's World Class Contracting. This first written assignment covers the procurement process, trust and teamwork. Expect to map the buyer's and seller's steps for a procurement, describe the team that should run it and explain how trust can be built while keeping the process fair. Use a real or realistic procurement you can follow through later assignments. Describe the procurement's scale and parts, and explain why each team member is needed, including any member a typical team would leave out. Show how your process stays fair to every bidder while still building trust.
How the PJM 5400 Module 1 example is put together
The paper describes the program and its value. A table maps Garrett's six buyer steps to the program and the seller's parallel steps. A table sets out a six-member procurement team and the text explains an unusual member. A section draws on research on trust and transaction costs and proposes three practices that build trust openly. The conclusion links process, team and trust. The team table includes a customer service manager, and the text explains why: installers will enter thousands of homes, and complaints will surface there first, so customer experience must shape the requirements. The conclusion links process, team and trust.
Where the marks sit in the PJM 5400 Module 1 rubric
Marks reward correct use of procurement concepts, close application to one purchase and orderly writing. Papers that show both buyer and seller steps, and why the seller's view matters, demonstrate understanding of the process. Explaining how trust can be built without favoring a bidder shows awareness of public procurement's constraints. A team that reflects the program's real effects, such as customer contact, reflects practical judgment. A process map that shows the seller's decisions alongside the buyer's demonstrates that the paper sees procurement as a shared process. Practices that build trust openly, available to all bidders, show sound public procurement thinking. Clear tables for steps and roles help.
Common PJM 5400 Module 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by describing only the buyer's side, by listing team members without roles or by treating trust as informal relationships with favored vendors. Others ignore fairness rules. Map both sides of the process. Give each team member a role. Build trust through open, equal practices. Tie everything to your procurement. Explain why each team member is there, and show how trust-building stays open to every bidder. Map the seller's decisions next to yours so you can see the process through a bidder's eyes and remove what would discourage good firms. A free first sample on your own PJM-5400 written assignment is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
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More PJM 5400 and M.S. in Management in Project Management sample papers
- PJM 5400 Module 2: Written Assignment: Choosing Contract Types for Meters, Installation and Integration
- PJM 5400 Module 3: Written Assignment: The RFP, Evaluation Criteria and a Best Value Source Selection Plan
- PJM 5400 Module 4: Written Assignment: Price Analysis and a Fixed-Price Incentive for Installation
- PJM 5400 Module 5: Written Assignment: Negotiating the Award and Debriefing the Losing Bidders
- PJM 5400 Module 6: Written Assignment: Administering the Smart Meter Contract Through Closeout
- PJM 6400 Module 4: Discussion: Choosing Collaboration Tools for a Team That Never Meets
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PJM 5400 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PJM 5400 Module 1 sample paper?
A water utility's smart meter procurement process, team and trust-building plan are in the assignment above.
What are the buyer's steps in contract management?
Procurement planning, solicitation planning, solicitation, source selection, contract administration and contract closeout.
Why consider the seller's side of procurement?
Sellers decide whether to bid based on what the buyer communicates, so clear information attracts better proposals.
How can a public buyer build trust with bidders fairly?
Through open market engagement, written answers shared with all bidders and published evaluation methods.
What textbook does PJM-5400 use?
Garrett's World Class Contracting, fifth edition.