For Bid Express vendors
In this article:
- before you submit
- check bid or response for errors
- submit bid or response
- solicitation addendum
- withdraw a bid
- submit multiple bids
Unless otherwise noted, the actions you take as a vendor when preparing a bid can also be taken when you prepare a response to an RFP.
After a vendor has entered bid information, you can check your bid to make sure it is complete before you submit it.
Before you submit
- Check your bid or response for errors. If you see a message saying your bid is incomplete, click Cancel and return to your bid. The Bid Express service will highlight any sections of your bid that need to be completed.
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The Bid Express service doesn't prevent you from submitting incomplete bids, but the owner-agency may reject them.
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If your bid has been processing for a while, you may need to clear your cache or increase your browser memory.
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You can submit your bid at any time and can resubmit it any number of times up to the bid deadline.
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The countdown clock keeps the official time for the bid closing.
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The owner-agency will be able to see information and required documents in the envelope section (provided the bid has one) after the deadline and without opening bids.
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Owner-agencies will not be able to see your bid until after the bid deadline has passed, and they will only see your last submitted bid.
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Bids using a Digital ID can't be submitted using a mobile device.
- If you need additional help, please contact customer support.
Check bid or response for errors
You can check to see if all required fields have data entered in them. This will prevent you from submitting an incomplete bid.
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Select the bid from the Bids tab if it's not already open.
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Click Check Bid or Check Response at the top of the page.
The Bid Express service highlights incomplete fields and scrolls to the first error.
Fix the errors and click Check Bid again. If all required fields have data, the Bid Express service displays a bid complete message and your bid is ready to submit.
Submit your bid or response
You can submit your bid at any time before the deadline. You can submit a bid as many times as you want. The owner-agency will see only the last bid submitted.
- Click Submit Bid or Submit Response at the top of the page.
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The Bid Express service displays a warning if the bid is incomplete and highlights the incomplete fields. Click OK to submit the bid or click Cancel to return to the bid page. The Bid Express service won't stop you from submitting an incomplete bid.
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If you clicked Cancel, fix the highlighted fields and submit your bid again.
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If you click OK or if your bid is complete, the Bid Express service displays a Submit window that authorizes the service to use your Digital ID or electronic signature to sign and encrypt your bid. Enter your electronic signature if necessary.
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Click Submit Bid or Submit Response. The Bid Express service submits your bid, and returns to the bid page and displays a bid submitted message. You will also receive an email confirmation of your submission.
If you change your bid you will need to resubmit it. In addition, you must update and resubmit your bid if the owner-agency issues an update. If you do not resubmit your bid after an update, your bid will be marked out of date when opened by the owner-agency.
If you are submitting an update for a bid that has already been submitted by a member of your business, the Bid Express system displays a message with this information. Click Yes to submit your bid over the current submission.
Submission status
The Submission status bar in the top left corner of a vendor's bid displays the current submission status of the bid, from not yet submitted to the date and time it was submitted, and if it was complete. The color of the submission status changes depending on what actions have been taken.
Orange
Either your bid or response has not yet been submitted, or the bid has changed. This may mean the agency has changed the solicitation and issued an update, or that you changed the content of your bid, both of which require you to resubmit. It may also mean the last submission was incomplete, meaning all required fields were not filled in prior to submitting. Click Check Bid or Check Response to find the incomplete information.
Blue
A completed bid or response has been submitted at the posted date and time. If someone else in your business also submits bids, this may not be the time you submitted the bid.
Solicitation addendum
When the owner-agency issues an update for a solicitation, an exclamation point displays next to the solicitation number on the Bids tabs for the vendor. Rest your mouse on the exclamation point to read the update notice. You should also receive an email with this information.
If the solicitation accepts multiple bids, you will receive an email but not see the exclamation point next to the solicitation number. When you open your solicitation, you will see the exclamation points and out-of-date notices.
When you open your bid, the Bid Express service automatically applies the update and lists the change in the Advertisement Notes section. You can use the Check Bid or Check Response button to find the changes.
Please make sure all updates have been applied and addressed before submitting your bid in order for your bid to be considered complete. For multiple bids, you must resubmit each bid, even if there are no changes to what you're bidding on.
A red X next to the solicitation on the Bids tab indicates the bid has been withdrawn by the owner-agency.
Withdraw bid
A vendor can withdraw the bid at any time before the bid deadline. You don't need to withdraw your bid if you make a change, but you will need to resubmit it.
- Click Withdraw Bid or Withdraw Response.
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Click OK in the confirmation window.
After you withdraw your bid, the Bid Express service sends a notification email to the address you have on file. Your bid can be resubmitted before the deadline.
Submit multiple bids or responses
Some agencies in the Bid Express service have the option of creating solicitations or RFPs that will accept multiple bids or responses. If the solicitation or response you are bidding on allows you to submit separate bids for different work types or scopes of work, the navigation trail displays the number of the current bid; for example, BID 1.
If you're using the Bid Express pay-as-you-go payment option, you pay only one time for the solicitation.
Many agencies will use the envelope component, identifiable by the striped banner, to distinguish the bids submitted by the same vendor. This enables you to differentiate between the bids you submitted on a single solicitation. The agency can view the information you entered in the envelope after the bid deadline but before bids are opened.
Once you submit your bid, you’ll be taken to a page that shows your bid submission history (and the envelope, if applicable) and the Add New Bid button to create your next bid.
- Fill out the bid as required by the owner-agency.
- Save or submit the bid.
- If you are bidding again, click Add New Bid in the solicitation header.
- Repeat the process for the next bid.
See the guide to help with submitting multiple bids or responses.