Vendor Guide.pdf
PDF 385 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Optical Fiber Construction
- Solicitation number
- RFQ - 18B - 19101000000000000118
- Issued by
- Kennebec County, Maine
About this file
This is a vendor guide document issued by the State of Maine describing enhancements to the Vendor Self Service (VSS) system that became effective on October 15, 2019. The guide outlines two primary changes affecting vendor participation in state solicitations: the implementation of a clarification questions process and the ability to re-open solicitations. Under the clarification questions feature, buyers may request additional information from vendors after receiving bids, with vendors notified via email and given a specified due date to respond through their VSS account. Vendors must log into their account, locate the relevant solicitation response, and submit clarification responses using the designated response field before the deadline.
The re-opened solicitation process allows buyers to reopen bids if no qualifying bids were initially received or if specifications have changed. When a solicitation is reopened, it appears in the Business Opportunities tab with a "REOPENED" status and can be viewed and responded to like any other active solicitation. Vendors who previously submitted responses to the original solicitation must submit a new response to the reopened bid for their submission to be considered for award. These enhancements provide structured procedures for vendor-buyer communication and create opportunities for vendors to participate in solicitations that may have initially closed without receiving acceptable bids.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| HowtoSearchBidsandRespond_VSS3.9.pdf | ||
| RFQ Specifications.docx.crdownload | CRDOWNLOAD file |
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Text version
Vendor Self Service (VSS) Enhancements
State of Maine 1
Introduction On October 15, 2019, State of Maine’s Vendor Self Service (VSS) system will be upgraded with several new features.
Two of these changes may have an impact on how vendors respond to bids, and should be reviewed.
This guide covers both of these enhancements in detail:
1. Clarification Questions – the buyer on a solicitation may request a clarification on the response submitted by the vendor. When this occurs, the vendor will have a chance to review the clarification question and submit a response.
2. Solicitations Re-opening for Bid – if the buyer does not receive any qualifying bids on a solicitation, or have changed the specifications, they may choose to re-open the solicitation after it has closed.
Clarification Questions
When the Buyer receives a bid for a solicitation, they may determine they need additional information from the vendor. If this occurs, you may receive an email requesting that you provide a clarification.
1. An email is received with the subject:
ADVANTAGE SELF
SERVICE
CLARIFICATION
REQUESTED ON
YOUR RESPONSE
The Response Status of your response under the Solicitation Response tab in your VSS account will also show as “Clarification Requested”
State of Maine 2
2. Log into your VSS account and go to Solicitation Responses tab
3. All responses will show by default.
If necessary, use the Keyword Search box to narrow the results and find the response you are looking for
4. Open the response by clicking on the SR number
5. If a clarification has been requested, you will see:
a. Clarification
Due Date
b. Clarification
Details
5a
5b
State of Maine 3
6. Respond to the clarification request using the Response field.
7. Submit your response.
Your clarification response will be sent back to the buyer.
You will receive an email confirming that the response was submitted.
Re-opened Solicitation A Buyer may choose to re-open a solicitation after it has closed if no bids were received, or if none of the submitted bids were selected. If this occurs, you will be able to submit a bid on the re-opened solicitation as you would with any other.
If you previously responded to the original solicitation, you will have to submit another response to the Re-Opened bid in order for your bid to be considered.
1. A solicitation is posted to
VSS, and the status is set to CLOSED once it expires.
State of Maine 4
2. The buyer chooses to re-open the solicitation. It is now available on the Business Opportunities tab with a status of
REOPENED.
3. The solicitation can be viewed and responded to like all other solicitations. To view or respond, click Details.
| Introduction |
| Clarification Questions |
| Re-opened Solicitation |
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