To Bid on a RFQ Event (after you are registered)

1. Find the event you are interested in. Check for any attachments and download them to be sure you have everything you need including a spreadsheet (for multiple item bids); specifications, terms and conditions for bidders, etc.

2. Prepare your bid for submission. If more than one line (if instructed by buyer), use the attached spreadsheet to fill out your price and save on your desktop. Any extraneous documents that may be needed such as MSDS sheets, data/spec sheets, etc – save on your desktop for easy access when needed.

3. Now you are ready to fill out the RFQ and submit.

4. Double click on event #.

5. Go to “create response” – this creates your personal SR number.

6. Go to Step # 2 – Commodity Response (on left in blue). This brings you to the SR New Draft – Commodity Response. Open up Commodity Response (white section - middle of page).

7. Unit price and delivery days MUST be put in. Be sure to look at unit type (pieces, rolls, feet, etc). If you are doing an attached spreadsheet for pricing, you can put 0.00 dollars in. Delivery days should be a number only. Do not put the word days or weeks in. In comments write anything you need us to know – e.g. see attached spreadsheet for pricing. This is the place you tell us anything about your bid we need to know.

8. Click “save” at the bottom.

9. If there is more than one line, go to top right and hit “next” to move to next line. Repeat until all lines are done. Each line, click “save” at the bottom and then proceed to the next line.

10. If you have attachments, now go to the bottom to attachments and click. Go to upload. Go to browse. Find your document (on your desktop). Click on it once. Click open. Click upload again. (You can only do one at a time). If you have very large documents or a lot of documents, you may find that they are too big to go through the website. If this is true, call your buyer for a solution on how to get all your attachments to us.

11. Now – return to document.

12. Hit submit. You will get a notice ‘successful submission’. Be absolutely sure you get this.

13. If you want to be sure, go in to ‘My Bids” and be sure it reads accepted (not rejected). The buyer CANNOT see if your bid was made or successful; the only way to know is to go in and check under “My bids”.

14. NOTE: You can make modifications up until the day and time the bids close. Go to “My Bids” and click on the SR # to open your bid, then go to the bottom and click “edit”; make your changes and then click on “submit” again to finalize your bid.

A couple of notes – check for Modifications and Questions and Answers. If anything is amended on the original RFQ, it will be posted again to the website and you will get a email notification (if you are set up correctly).

Questions and answers button is in the top left area. Anytime a vendor asks a question, we post their question and answer on the site so everyone has the same information and equal opportunity.

The buyer cannot see any bids until the RFQ actually closes (to be sure all vendors have exactly the same opportunity, the system is “blind” to the buyer). However, we will be happy to help you navigate the website to be sure your bid was done successfully.

To View Information and Awards after They are Made When an award is made, you will get an email stating “an award has been made”. This does not necessarily mean that you won the award; just that an award has been made. To see information on who won the award and the details, follow below:

1. Go to Search for Solicitations

2. Change status from “open” to “awarded”

3. Find the RFQ by # or description. Click on it to open it up.

4. Go to “notice of award” and “public bid reading” to see results and details.

Note: Our IT Specialist has also developed these same instructions in a pictorial format. That is attached below; along with a section to “Add a location”.

If you have any problems or issues with registering, bidding, etc, please call the associated buyer. We are always happy to help and be sure your bid is submitted successfully.