The purpose of this guide is to provide assistance to state and local government officials in the procurement of resource recovery systems and services. It is important to note at the outset that each procurement must be tailored to fit the particular application and needs of the local sponsor, within legal and equitable bounds. It is recognized that every state and local government must operate with unique traditional and legal procurement procedures and, for this reason, the information in this guide is advisory. Each government must design its own best procurement approach. Primary emphasis in this guide is on defining and explaining a competitive negotiation approach to procurement. This approach offers flexibility and is appropriately used to procure not only equipment and facilities, but also a 'system designer', whether a consulting engineer or a design and construct contractor. Two topics are treated in some detail: (a) managing the procurement process, i.e., procedures for soliciting and evaluating proposals; and (b) preparing the Request for Proposals (RFP).