BIDS & RFPS For local governments
Bid and RFP postings with every addendum.
Bids & RFPs lets your staff publish bids and requests for proposals with their documents, addenda, due dates and results in one place on your community's website. Vendors subscribe to a bid and get each addendum as it's posted, so your staff stop emailing a list by hand and every bidder works from the same documents.
- Every tool included
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- Works with BS&A
What goes wrong with bids posted as a list of PDFs?
Bid documents often sit on a page as a growing list of files, with addenda added at the bottom and the due date mentioned only in the PDF.
What residents run into
- Vendors miss an addendum because nobody told them it was posted.
- The due date is buried on page four of the specifications.
- Residents curious about who won a contract can't find the results.
What your staff deal with
- Your staff email each addendum to a list of vendors they keep by hand.
- A bidder who didn't get an addendum creates a dispute after the opening.
- Old bids stay mixed in with open ones.
How does posting a bid work?
Every bid becomes one page that holds its full history.
Publish the bid
Add the description, documents and due date. The due date shows at the top, not inside a PDF.
Vendors subscribe
Interested vendors subscribe to the bid from its page.
Post addenda
Add an addendum to the bid, and every subscribed vendor gets it as it's posted.
Share the results
After the opening, post the results on the same page, so the whole record is in one place.
What does Bids & RFPs include?
Every bidder works from the same set of documents.
Documents and addenda for each bid
Specifications, drawings and every addendum stay attached to the bid they belong to, in order, so a vendor can confirm they have everything.
Clear due dates
The due date and time sit at the top of each bid page, and open bids are listed separately from closed ones.
Vendor subscriptions
Vendors follow the bids they care about and get each addendum as soon as it's posted, which replaces the email list your staff kept by hand.
Built accessible
Bid pages built to meet WCAG 2.1 AA
Bid pages are public web content like any other, and the ADA Title II rule sets WCAG 2.1 AA for them. Bid pages are built to that standard, and documents you attach can go through Document Center's upload check. Large drawings and plan sets are hard to make fully accessible, so offer a way for anyone to ask for help with them.
Can bids be posted on the website instead of the newspaper?
In some states, for some solicitations. Minnesota is one example. This row comes from our state guide. Follow the state for the full rule.
| State | Requirement | What the law says | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | Bid solicitations, RFPs and RFIs | Website may replace the newspaper after a six-month overlap | Minn. Stat. 331A.03, subd. 3 (opens in a new tab) |
Every state sets its own bidding and advertising rules, and many still require a newspaper notice. Check your state guide and your attorney before dropping a newspaper ad.
Questions about Bids & RFPs.
Short answers, linked to the law where it applies. Ask us anything else on a demo.
How do vendors get addenda?
Vendors subscribe to the bid from its page. When your staff post an addendum, every subscribed vendor gets it as it's posted. The addendum is also attached to the bid page, so a vendor who subscribes late can still see every document in order.
Can a local government post bids only on its website?
It depends on the state and the kind of solicitation. In Minnesota, a political subdivision can move bid solicitations, RFPs and RFIs to its website after a six-month overlap with the newspaper (Minn. Stat. 331A.03 (opens in a new tab)). Check your own state's rule with your attorney.
Should bid results be posted online?
Posting results on the same page as the bid gives vendors and residents a complete record and cuts down on calls after an opening. Whether you must post them depends on your state and your purchasing policy, so check both.
Do bid documents have to be accessible?
Posted documents fall under the ADA Title II rule, which applies WCAG 2.1 AA. Some files are hard to fix, like large engineering drawings, so make sure anyone can request help or an alternate format. The PDF guide covers which documents to fix first.
Tired of emailing addenda by hand?
On a demo we'll post a sample RFP, add an addendum and show it reaching every subscribed vendor.