| In this article: Search bar | Tagger | Advanced filters | Recommender | Map view |
You can find projects and RFPs on Bid Express® using the Solicitations tab, found on the navigation menu. This article explains the different ways you can search and filter for solicitations that may interest you.
Search bar
Use the search bar to find solicitations by:
- owner-agency
- solicitation number
- NIGP code(s)
- description keywords
You can also narrow your results to a specific time period by using the Start date and End Date fields.
Note: The search function uses exact phrasing, so you can only enter one keyword per search. Try entering part of a word to find the whole word and a wider range of matches.
Example: Entering "way" will find highway, driveway, and park way.
Click on the Number or Deadline column to change the sort order of your results.
Click Reset Filters to clear all the search criteria and return to the full list of solicitations.
Tagger
Solicitation tags, automatically generated by AI based on the agency's solicitation description(s), are displayed from your Solicitations tab.
Location of Tags
You'll find these tags, which indicate relevant work types or classifications, to the right of each solicitation's title and description.
You can also find these tags in the General Info > Solicitation Summary section of any solicitation page.
Filter by Tag:
Work tags simplify the process of identifying the type of work or classification associated with solicitations. These tags also enhance advanced filtering. To use them for filtering, expand the Any work tag drop-down menu in the public solicitations view and select the specific tag(s) you wish to focus on.
Advanced filters
To the right of the Solicitations search bar, use the Advanced Filters tool to perform an advanced search. Narrow down your solicitation results using these criteria:
- status of closed or not closed
- location by state or county
- Note: location filters are available only with a paid subscription.
- distance from you
Note: The filters build on any terms you entered in the basic search bar to include only results matching both the keyword search and the filters selected.
Example: If you entered an owner name into the search bar and then selected Closed in the advanced search filters, you'll only see solicitations that are both Closed in status and were posted by that owner.
Click Apply when you're finished to see all the proposals that meet your search terms.
Recommender
Powered by your bidding history and the solicitation details provided by agencies before advertising, the service suggests solicitations that may interest you.
Identifying Recommended Solicitations
There are three ways to see recommendations:
Recommended tags
Look for the Recommended tag found in the work tags section.
Toggle Sort
Toggle on Show recommended, which re-sorts your view and moves recommendations to the top of the solicitation list.
Recommended Tag in General Info
Navigate into a solicitation and see the Recommended tag in General Info.
Click the Why was this recommended? hyperlink under the solicitation number field to see the details of this recommendation.
Map view
Search terms and filters can be combined with the solicitation map view option. To view solicitations geographically distributed on an interactive map, select the map icon from the View options.
Pan and zoom the map to view solicitation location clusters. Clusters appear as a blue circle with a number inside that indicates the number of solicitations within the cluster. They update dynamically as you zoom in or out of the map.
To view solicitations within a location cluster, click on a cluster. If there are multiple solicitations in that location, scroll within the results box to view the solicitations. Click on the solicitation title to go to the solicitation page.