Vendor Guide - How to Submit A Bid

Vendor Guide - How to Submit A Bid


Submitting your government contract bid has never been easier or more convenient than with City Innovate’s online submission portal.

Gone are the days of flash and zip drives. No more printing and courier services.
Introducing the most advanced, efficient, and cost-effective means to manage and share documents. 

Benefits of Online Vendor Submissions

  1. Increase Efficiency: The online submission portal streamlines the submission process and makes it more efficient for both vendors and Procurement Staff. Procurement Staff can process submissions more quickly, reduce errors, and improve communication with vendors. Vendors now have a more convenient and user-friendly experience, enabling bid or proposal submissions with greater ease and speed.
  2. CollaborationThe portal facilitates organization-wide collaboration, allowing users to share and edit documents in real time. Improve communication and productivity, especially for teams that work remotely or across different locations.
  3. Convenience: The online portal provides a centralized location where all relevant documents can be stored and accessed anytime, anywhere. Users can log in to the portal and download or upload files as needed, without the need for physical delivery or coordination.
  4. SecurityThe portal offers robust security features, including encryption and access controls, to ensure that sensitive documents are protected from unauthorized access. 
  5. Cost-effectiveness: Eliminates the need for printing, mailing, or courier services. This can result in significant cost savings over time, especially in consideration of complex procurements requiring a large volume of documents or data.
Streamline your process and make it easier to securely submit accurate, complete, and timely bids. 

Get Started Now in 5 Simple Steps

  1. Step 1: Register
    Click the link provided with this Procurement Announcement and select “Get Started” to register as a vendor. You will need to provide some basic information, such as your name, business name, and contact details, and to create a unique password.
  2. Step 2: Review the opportunity details
    Click on the opportunity title to see the solicitation. You may invite other collaborators from your company to view and respond to the procurement from this page. The PDF version of the solicitation is available for download on the Solicitation Page.
  3. Step 3: Questions and Answers
    The Q&A process allows potential vendors to seek clarifications and receive additional information regarding the requirements outlined in the procurement document. This process is available for the duration outlined in the procurement documents. Vendors may submit written questions related to the procurement via the Vendor Submission Portal. The procuring organization will respond with written answers, providing clarification and guidance, to all vendors via the same Portal.  The Q&A process is very simple. Simply select the Q&A button in the left hand menu, click “Add New Question”, enter the question then click “Create Question”. When the response is created, the column under response will show “Published”.
  4. Step 4: Prepare your submission
    If you are interested in submitting a bid or proposal, complete/prepare each of the documents or responses indicated on the procurement response page. Using the “Next” button, move through the document and upload each item to the vendor portal in the identified location. In many cases, the required document will be provided as a link to download, complete, and upload to the same page. This process simplifies previously complicated submission folder structures and ensures all documents are stored in precisely the right location. You may save your progress and re-enter the portal at any time up to the final submission date and time.
  5. Step 5: Submission
    When your submission is ready to submit, simply click Submit and Complete. You will receive verification of the date and time your proposal or bid was submitted. This timestamp is visible at any time via the portal. If any documents are missing, the associated procurement document will be identified by a red box. Scroll from top to bottom of the document to locate the missing field.  


 Note: All submission requirements must be completed prior to the portal accepting your submission. 

Questions? Start a chat or submit a ticket!


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