READ- job aide quote for POS RFRs revised 6-11-2015~14.docx

Creating a Quote in COMMBUYS.

For the Massachusetts Department of Public Health

This document was created in an attempt to help vendors responding to DPH Bids navigate the COMMBUYS system. These are not instructions to guide bidders on what is required for a specific RFR. The information found on the COMMBUYS screens will not be included in the RFR evaluation process. All RFR response requirements and evaluation criteria can be found in the RFR document.

The focus of this job aide will be on vendors who are responding to BIDs for services. All vendors are encouraged to call or email the COMMBUYS help desk when they encounter difficulties using the COMMBUYS system. You can contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or call them during normal business hours (8AM – 5PM Monday – Friday) at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197.

1. Home Screen

From your Home Screen you choose the BID you are interested in by clicking on the Blue Bid Number. This will take you to the Bid Acknowledgement screen described below. The list will show all Open Bids found in COMMBUYS by the date it was posted.

You can click on View under the Bid Q&A Column and see the Question and Answers that have been submitted to date for this RFR. (There may be no Q&A if the Department did not allow questions to be submitted through the COMMBUYS system.)

If you know you are ready to submit a quote you can click on Create a Quote and it will take you directly to the quote screens.

2. Bid Acknowledgement Screen If you respond to the RFR you will need to click Yes to move on to the main BID Screens. By clicking yes you will receive updates on this RFR whenever an amendment is made to the BID by the department.

If you click No you can still view the BID and all the associated documents and submit a quote, but you will not be notified if there are amendments or updates made to the BID.

3. Bid Solicitation Screen On the Bid Solicitation Screen you will see all the documents associated with this RFR or BID in the File Attachments Section. Once you have decided that you would like to respond to this RFR you would click on Create a Quote.

4. New Quote General Tab

Required Fields:

Organization – This is populated with the name of your company.

Description – This is populated with the name/description of the RFR.

Info Contact –Enter your company contact for this RFR. Include Name, title, address, phone number and email.

Remaining Fields – When responding to RFRs requesting Services the other fields on the General Tab are not required and do not need to be completed to continue in the Quote process.

Once all your information is entered click on Save & Continue

5. General Tab (Saved)Once you click on the Save & Continue button you may see Red Quote Validation Errors. You can still continue on to the other tabs. As you continue to complete the required information on the remaining tabs this error should disappear.

6. Items Tab

OR

No Charge Checked A dollar amount must be entered

The Items sections is ideal for commodities driven Bids but can be confusing if the item being purchased is a service (e.g. Early Intervention Services or Office Based Opioid Treatment Services, Consultant Services, Training Services)).

The item description and quantity will be populated from the BID information.

“No Charge” must be checked or a dollar amount entered in the Unit Cost Field.

The No Bid is the default when you begin your quote. Vendors submitting quotes with the “No Bid” checked in the item screen will not be eligible to enter into a contract with DPH. The “No Charge” selection will not be construed by the DPH to mean an offer to provide services or products at no charge.

Once all your information is entered click on Save & Continue

7. Terms & Conditions Tab The Terms & Conditions that you are accepting on this screen refer to COMMBUYS, the RFR and any referenced attachments listed on this screen. The attached Commonwealth Terms & Conditions are a different document and should be signed and returned based on the instructions found in the RFR.

You will have to accept the COMMBUYS Terms & Conditions to submit a quote. Accepting these T&Cs will remove the red Quote Validation Error found at the top of the screen.

Click on Save & Continue.

On the Terms & Conditions page you will find all the forms that were posted with the BID including the RFR. These forms are the same documents found in the File Attachment Section on the bid Solicitation Screen (See #3 above). These are the forms that you will need to download, read and (if applicable) complete according to the instructions in the RFR.

8. Attachments Tab The Attachments Tab is where you will upload all the files and documents for your BID Response or quote.

Click on the Add File Button at the bottom of the page.

9. Attachment Add File Screen Click on the Browse button.

You can edit the Name of the document. [Please refer to the specific RFR for Document Naming Instructions. ] Description – you can enter description about the document. (The description is optional).

Click on the Save & Exit button at the button at the bottom of the screen.

You can only add one file at a time.

10. Attachment Screen with Files attachedRepeat the above steps until all of your documents have been attached.

Zip files and PDF files are accepted.

Your response will be reviewed based on the information found in your attachments and should be guided by the instructions found in the RFR.

11. Summary Screen Once you are assured that your quote is complete click on Submit Quote at the bottom of the Summary Screen.

You should receive a confirmation email from the COMMBUYS systems that your Quote has been sent. Your quote is not considered accepted until you have this confirmation email. If you do not receive this email in a timely manner you should contact the COMMBUYS helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or by phone at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197.

12. Quote Submitted If there is a situation where you have submitted a quote and then discover a missed document or a mistake you can withdraw your quote and resubmit it. This is allowed up to the Bid Opening Date or in the case of informal Bids until the Bid is opened by DPH.

image1.png image2.png image3.png image4.png image5.png image6.png image7.png image8.png image9.png image10.png image11.png image12.png