VendorLink_Online_Submittal_Instructions_(as_of_03-30-2020).pdf

How to Submit Online Quotes/Bids Via

City’s Official Solicitation Posting Portal

LinkSystems, LLC (407)222-1885 www.mylinksystem s.com

Disclaimer: this document is an extraction of certain portions of VendorLink’s VendorLink Vendor Manual, it is not the entire manual. It is meant to focus on basic navigating and the Online Quote/Bid option.

https://www.myvendorlink.com/doc/VendorLinkVendorManual.pdf

1. INTRODUCTION

The concept of the VendorLink web application is to go beyond simply providing vendor registration and solicitation information. The VendorLink web application provides management of vendors, their commodity codes, local/minority owned programs, solicitations, contracts, email notifications, user, and content management.

1.1 ARCHITECTURE AND NAVIGATION

The user interface architecture of the VendorLink web application is very simplistic, which makes it extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate. Most of the navigation through the site is performed in the top center of the web pages.

Once the user is logged in and depending on the role assigned, the links provided on the menu will vary.

2. FEATURES

The VendorLink web application contains a list of features/sections which are listed based on a user’s role in the VendorLink system.

2.1.1 HOME

The VendorLink home page contains the main navigation links in the top center of the web page.

2.1.2 LOGIN

For users that have registered as a vendor or been assigned an account, the login page is the point of entry to access internal web pages. The username consists of the email used to create the account. Once you have signed in, your main navigation menu will change to reflect your account access.

NOTE: Vendors are required to click on the “I’m not a robot” checkbox in order to log into a

VendorLink site. Staff users are not required to click on the checkbox.

This tool was added to prevent screen scrapers from accessing information on VendorLink sites.

2.1.3 BID SOLICITATIONS OR CONTRACTS

If an agency elects to publicly display solicitations or contracts, those solicitations/contracts can be found by clicking on the Bid Solicitations or Contracts link in the navigation menu. The

Agency drop down lists will only contain agencies that have decided to make their solicitations or contracts available to the public. Public users can select the criteria to search for then clink on the Search Solicitations or Contracts button. If results are returned, users may view the details of the solicitation or contract by clicking on the view button of the selected solicitation.

Active Solicitation documents however cannot be accessed without first registering on the site and logging in to access the documents. Once the Solicitation moves past the Active Status, the documents can be accessed without registering on the site.

2.1.4 HELP

The VendorLink help web page contains the contact information and requested items that

VendorLink Support will request when they receive an email.

3.1 VENDOR ACCESS

VendorLink users that have registered as a vendor have access to login into the VendorLink system. These users can access solicitations, contracts, and documents provided by the agencies they have registered with. If a vendor downloads a solicitation document, the vendor becomes a planholder of the selected solicitation and will be notified automatically if changes to the solicitation are made. Vendors that select commodity codes during or after the registration process will have their codes matched to the codes used in agency solicitations.

These vendors will also be notified when a solicitation is broadcasted.

3.1.1 HOME

The VendorLink vendor home page contains the main navigation links in the top of the web page.

In addition, vendors can select to view solicitations and contracts from the Quick Links menu:

• All Active Solicitations - All bid solicitations that have the Active status can be found here. The list will only include bid solicitations from agencies the vendor has registered with.

• Matching Active Solicitations - Active bid solicitations whose commodity codes match the commodity codes currently selected by the vendor. The list will only include bid solicitations from agencies the vendor has registered with.

• Solicitations for which I have been Notified - Solicitations for which a vendor has been notified. This list includes all bid solicitation notifications, whether the bid solicitation is Active or not.

• Solicitations for which I am a Planholder - Solicitations for which a vendor has downloaded a document and been added as a planholder.

• Solicitations for which I am a Bidder - Solicitations for which a vendor has submitted an Online Bid/Quote through VendorLink or been added to the Bidder list by an agency staff user.

• Solicitations for which I am an Awardee - Solicitations for which a vendor has been added to the Awardee list by an agency staff user.

• Contracts for which I am an Awardee - Standalone contracts for which a vendor has been added to the Awardee list by an agency staff user.

3.1.1.1 ACTIVE, MATCHING ACTIVE, NOTIFIED, PLANHOLDER, BIDDER, AWARDEE

SOLICITATIONS AND CONTRACT AWARDEE

Vendors that select one of the seven options from the Quick Links menu will be able to view solicitations or contracts by clicking on the view button for the selected solicitation or contract.

Vendors are able to download the list of solicitations by clicking on the Convert to Excel button.

The list of agencies in the drop down list depends on the agencies for which the vendor is registered with. This list can be modified by a vendor in the My Account, Agency Registration section.

After the solicitation is selected, documents may be downloaded by a vendor. Once a

List of agencies Click to view the solicitation vendor downloads a document, they are automatically added as a Planholder of that solicitation. Solicitation planholders are notified of any changes to the solicitation via email. If a vendor would like to be removed from the planholder list, they will need to contact the bid solicitation agency or VendorLink Support.

3.1.1.2 ONLINE QUOTE/BID

Some agency bid solicitations created by agencies will allow the vendor to submit their quotes/bids online through the VendorLink site. If the bid solicitation has the Online Quote/Bid selection set to Yes, two buttons will be displayed to the vendor at the top of the View

Solicitation page – Create a Quote/Bid and I wish to NOT submit a Quote/Bid (These may change to Edit my Quote/Bid or View my Quote/Bid and View my Non-Submission depending on the selection made by the vendor). These buttons will only be available when then bid solicitation is Active.

If a vendor wishes to submit a quote/bid, the Create a Quote/Bid must be selected.

Click here to download the document and automatically become a planholder of the bid solicitation

Online Quote/Bid has been selected as

Please note the following:

1. The status of the Quote/Bid is located at the top of the page.

a. None - The Quote/Bid has not been saved in the VendorLink system.

b. Draft - The Quote/Bid has been saved as a draft. A Quote/Bid that is in

Draft status will not be included in the final tally of submissions.

c. Submitted - The Quote/Bid has been saved and submitted to the agency and will be included in the final tally of submissions.

2. If line items are present in the Quote/Bid Items Requested table, there exists 3 statuses for and item.

a. White/Light Gray background - The item has not been changed since the bid solicitation has been Active.

b. Yellow background - The item has been changed since the bid solicitation has been Active.

c. Red background - The item has been deleted since the bid solicitation has been Active and the item cannot be bid on. This item will not be included in any sub-totals or totals.

3. If line items are present in the Quote/Bid Items Requested table, a spreadsheet will be provided to the vendor containing a list of the items.

Directions on how to use the spreadsheet are provided on the page.

4. If line items are present in the Quote/Bid Items Requested table and the required checkbox is selected, that item must have a unit price entered by the vendor. If the price entered is $0.00, then a reason must be selected from the dropdown provided.

5. If line items are present in the Quote/Bid Items Requested table and the Brand

Name/Equal Value/Service option is “Brand Name or Equal Value” or “Service,” the

Make, Model and Description can be entered by a vendor. If the “Brand Name Only” option is selected, then only the Unit Price can be entered.

6. If line items are present in the Quote/Bid Items Requested table and unit prices have been entered by a vendor, the Extended Price, Sub-Total and Total are automatically calculated by the VendorLink System. The Extended Price is the product of the Quantity listed for an item multiplied by the Unit Price provided by the vendor. The Sub-Total is the sum of all the Extended Prices and the Total is the sum of the Sub-Total and

Shipping Price.

7. If line items are present in the Quote/Bid Items Requested table and the cost of shipping is not included in the price of the items, a vendor can enter the price of shipping by selecting the Shipping Extra radio button and entering a price of shipping.

8. The Quote/Bid can be edited up until the Due Date/Time is met for the bid solicitation.

9. The vendor must select whether they can or cannot meet a delivery date, accept any shipping requirements, terms and conditions, and payment methods.

10. If a list of Vendor Files is provided to a vendor, the vendor must upload each document before a vendor can submit their Quote/Bid.

11. To submit the final Quote/Bid, vendors must click on the Submit button at the bottom of the page. The VendorLink system will verify all the required items are entered before a Quote/Bid can be considered Submitted.