Frequently Asked Questions About PennBid

Yes — for line items bids, bidders enter their per unit cost and the system automatically calculates their line extensions and base bid totals.

No — Bidders MUST provide cost information and respond to agencies’ acknowledgments prior to bid submission.

Yes — Line item and lump sum bids can be split and awarded to multiple vendors.

The agency manager determines when and what information is displayed after bid closing. In most cases, bid results are publicly displayed immediately following bid opening.

PennBid date and time stamps when a bidder downloads addenda (along with all other documents) and this information is available within the Log of the solicitation. Also, if desired, bidders’ addenda acknowledgement can be made a requirement during the bid submission process.

Addenda is posted within the Documents tab of the solicitation. All potential bidders/planholders can be notified with a message that contains a direct link to the project documents.

There are two ways – every question and answer can be emailed directly to bidders and all questions and answers can be displayed publicly within the solicitation.

No — When a bidder asks a question, the solicitation manager receives an email notification.

No — Only invited bidders have awareness of or access to private solicitations.

Yes — bidders can download documents and send them to coworkers, subcontractors, and suppliers.

All posted Bid Documents, such as specifications, bid forms, pre-qualifications, and plans are available to the vendors, contractors, and subs.

Depending on the schedule of prices, optional/mandatory events, how many primes, etc., a proposal or solicitation can be posted in 10 – 30 minutes.

Yes — Pre-bid meetings, site walks, virtual conferences and any other event or meeting can be scheduled in a matter of seconds within the Events tab. This information, including whether the event is mandatory or optional, will appear on the first screen that the potential bidders see. Pre-registration can also be enabled to get an accurate number of people attending the Event.

The bidding community is very supportive as there are many benefits from their perspective. The ability to have access to all documents without wasting time driving, having to purchase plans and specs, being automatically notified of opportunities that match their products and services, receiving addenda instantly, and being able to update bids multiple times are all valuable, resulting in better pricing for the agency.

No — PennBid is a “hosted service.” No changes or additions are needed for either the posting manager or bidding community. All that is required is a connection to the internet.

Regardless of the number of bidders interested in a solicitation, communication with all takes just one mouse click. PennBid can send individual messaging directly from agency to bidders/planholders to answer questions and issue addenda. This eliminates the need to look up names, obtain email addresses and fax numbers, or call to verify addenda receipt.

Responding to questions from bidders is very straight forward. Upon response, the question and answer can be automatically sent to all bidders. Additionally, all Q&A’s stay with the solicitation and can be viewed at any time by all bidders. This is especially helpful for a late bidder.

PennBid is provided at absolutely no cost to public agencies, private firms, and vendors. Only vendors who are awarded contracts are assessed a modest, capped fee of 1/3% for fixed fee contracts or 1/6% of contract value (+ tax) for term contracts. There is a minimum award fee of $100 and a maximum of $5,000.

Overall time and cost is reduced by 80% compared to paper solicitations. Typically agencies save around 3-6% of total bid value.

Any solicitation and request-for-proposal, ranging from multi-prime construction projects and equipment rental to office supplies and professional services.

Yes — PennBid can be used for any request-for-quotation or request-for-proposal, regardless of department. The same system can be used by Public Works, Engineering, Public Safety, Authorities, Admins., Township, Counties, School Systems, etc.

Absolutely! Each agency is provided access to set-up and manages their solicitation(s) individually.

PennBid was originally designed through the collaborative efforts of a consortium of Pennsylvania municipal agencies and Authorities to streamline and significantly reduce the cost of procurement and bid solicitations. The program is a secure internet-based system for managing many aspects of the procurement process, specifically document distribution, notification and communications with vendors/bidders, addenda management, receipt and tabulation of bids and awarding of contracts. Currently over 1,700 public agencies and design firms use the Program for their bids and solicitations.