Attachment - Bidnet Guide _ Response Submission.pdf

Register for access to the City of Grand Rapids, MI Business Opportunities https://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn/cityofgrandrapids

• In addition to having access to the City of Grand Rapid’s solicitations, by registering you will have:

• Access to over 200 participating local government agencies in

MITN Purchasing Group

• Access to over 1,000 local, state, and federal government agencies located within Michigan

• Ability to respond electronically to bid opportunities issued by all participating agencies

• Ability to receive email alerts of new solicitations and amendments (small subscription fee required)

• Ability to market your company through the Advertising Profile option

Vendor Benefits

Registration

• Enter your Company information including:

• Address

• Company Name

• Enter your main user information including:

• Email address

• Username/Password

Select Package

• Select the package that makes the most sense for your company

• For automatic e-mail notification of matching bid opportunities from 200+ member agencies and/or State & Local agencies across Michigan, select the Purchasing

Groups or Statewide Bids plan (subscription fee required)

• For maximum bid opportunities, select

Federal Bids to receive matching email notification from ALL Participating Member

Agencies, State & Local, and Federal bids across Michigan (subscription fee required)

• Limited Access provides access to all bid information; however, you are not notified when you match with new information as it is published. Vendors can view, search, download and respond electronically to solicitations at no cost.

Advertising Profile (Optional)

• An option is available to add your logo, product sell-sheets, catalogues, etc. to your company profile

• You can add this to your profile or select “Not Now”

Complete & Verify Email

• A summary of the registration options you selected will be displayed

• If any paid registration options were selected, you will be prompted to enter your credit card information

• CHECK YOUR EMAIL to complete the registration process & verify your email address

Follow Link to Activate Account

• CHECK YOUR EMAIL to complete the registration process & verify your email address

• Click on the link and login using the username and password you entered

Category Code Selection

• Upon your initial login, you will be asked to select the category codes of the products or services your company offers

• Search by keyword & select all the codes that apply

• This information is used:

• For automatic email notifications when you match with new solicitations

• In your company profile for buyers to search & find by product/service requirements

• For any “invitation” to bid manually requested by buyers

Additional Information

• Additional information such as your type of business structure, and any DBE or other certification will be asked

• You may also upload your W-9 form directly to your company profile (agencies prefer this)

• This information is used:

• In your company profile for buyers to search & find by product/service requirements

• For any “invitation” to bid manually requested by buyers

Registration Complete!

• Login and start looking at open solicitations from the City of Grand Rapids

• If you selected the paid e-mail notification for the Purchasing Group, Statewide or

Federal Opportunities, new notifications of solicitations that match your profile will start immediately

• Need help registering or navigating the system? Contact the bidnet direct Vendor

Support team at 800-835-4603, option 2

Electronic Bid Submission (EBS) User Guide for the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan

About Bidnet Direct

State and local government agencies throughout the State of Michigan, including the City of

Grand Rapids, utilize Bidnet Direct for the distribution of solicitations, documents, and addendum. In addition, many utilize the electronic bid submission option for vendors to submit responses directly online through the platform. Answers to some frequently asked questions regarding electronic bid submission are listed below. Register to receive notifications and respond to solicitations at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn.

What is an Electronic Bid Submission?

The Electronic Bid Submission (EBS) is the electronic transfer of proposal bid data between a supplier and a contracting authority. The EBS feature allows suppliers to submit bids/proposals online via Bidnet Direct. The EBS feature includes safeguards to ensure the security and authenticity of the material being transferred. Vendors must be registered at to https://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn participate in EBS.

When do buyers see my submission?

Submitted documents are stored securely with a high level of security. All bids remain encrypted and not readable until bids are opened by the buyer and only after the closing date and time have passed.

What should I do before I submit a bid?

Verify that you are a Follower of this Solicitation (if so, the top button will indicate that you are

Following). You should be following a solicitation to be alerted of ANY addendum or communication regarding the solicitation (note that a change in registration type may be required to Follow).

https://www.bidnetdirect.com/ https://www.bidnetdirect.com/

Please review the addendum and communication tab for any information that may have already been issued and make certain to download existing documents and/or addendum.

You may have to click on Intent to Bid before submitting a formal Bid. This is an optional, but commonly used, request by buyers.

All registered vendors can place an electronic bid when accepted by buyers. Each bid response will be slightly different based on the agency’s requirements. The online bid submission process will take you step-by-step through what is needed. This information should also be in the documents that you have already read outlining the requirements. Some solicitations will need only pricing, others need specific documents, etc.

How do I place a new bid?

The first step is to hit the PLACE BID.

The Place a Bid modal window appears. Select “Place a new Bid” and click on Continue.

Creating a Bid typically takes place in three steps: the Proposal, the Submission, and the

Confirmation. The steps will be outlined so that you understand when to upload documents, enter in pricing or an online response, and/or upload a spreadsheet with pricing and items. A red “Bid Not Submitted” will show until your bid has been successfully submitted.

Figure 1 Place bid pop-up window

How do I attach my documents to submit?

You can either drag and drop or browse your computer for files to upload. To Browse for a file or set of files to upload, simply click on the link labeled “Browse for your file” and select the files from your computer.

Or, you can simply drag and drop the files one at a time in the Add File area or on the Add File button. If you have many documents in a compressed file, drag and drop the file in the Import

ZIP File area or on the Import ZIP File button. The files will appear in the File section.

Once the files are uploaded, click on the next tab. This might be the Pricing tab or the Questions tab, depending on the type of Solicitation.

Figure 2 Create Bid: Proposal - Documents tab – Attach a File

How do I add pricing information?

The Create Bid screen will walk you through what type, if any, pricing information is expected for you to fill in. Often, pricing is included as part of the documents that you upload within your proposal. When prompted, fill out the information in either lump sum or line item bidding, depending on the fields that appear.

You can then click “Next” or, if you need to save it and come back, hit “Save and Quit”.

Figure 3 Create Bid: Pricing tab

What if I have to submit multiple line items?

If there are multiple line items, a template will appear you can simply download the template, fill in your pricing and any comments and then upload the file.

Figure 4 Multi-line Item: Download Template Button

Figure 5 Multi-line Item: Excel Spreadsheet Format

Once the template is filled out, you can upload the file by clicking on the Import

Proposals button. The list will fill itself out with the information taken from the XLS file.

Figure 6 Multi-line Item: Import Template

Depending on the solicitation, there may also be a list of questions to be answered on the electronic submission.

Figure 7 Create Bid: Questions Tab

Submitting the bid You will need to re-enter your Bidnet Direct user password before officially submitting the bid.

Figure 8 Bidder Compliance & Authentication Before Submission

And finally, you will need to confirm to submit the bid.

Figure 9 Confirm Submission

I am having trouble submitting a bid or have a Bidnet Direct question, who can I contact for assistance?

The Bidnet Direct Vendor Support team is available M-F from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET. You can contact our team at (800) 835-4603, option 2 or support@bidnet.com mailto:e-procurementsupport@bidnet.com