Online Bidding System

Vendor Registration Guide

And
Online Bidding Manual

Revised 07/28/2017
1. Introduction and Overview

Thank you for your interest in providing goods and/or services to the divisions, departments
and offices under the Collier County Board of County Commissioners Agency.

This step by step guide has been developed to assist vendors in registering and using the
Purchasing Department’s Online Bidding System.

With the Collier County Online Bidding System, you will have the ability to:

• Maintain the company’s profile online any day, any time

• Receive electronic notifications of all solicitations for commodities registered by the

company

• View and download solicitations, including construction plans online

• Receive electronic notifications of any addenda to solicitations you have downloaded

• Ask questions and receive answers online

• See all questions asked and the responses given

• Submit solicitation responses online when indicated

• View Planholder list for bids downloaded online

• View and download tabulations online

To fully benefit from all the features of this system you will need:

• Internet access with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later (DSL or cable most

efficient)

• Have email access that can accept PDF file attachments (If you have spam

software, allow our email transmissions to be received)

• Have scanning capabilities

If you do not have these capabilities, solicitation responses can be submitted in hard copy

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form prior to the denoted time and date.

2. The Registration Process

The first step is to click on your Microsoft Internet Explore browser and proceed to the
Collier County Purchasing Department website: https://www.colliergov.net/your-
government/divisions-f-r/procurement-services/.

On the left hand side you will see the following menu:

Procurement
Current Solicitations
Frequently Asked Questions
Notice of Recommended Award (NORA)
Policies and Procedures
Public Meeting Notices
Procurement Staff
Surplus Property / Auction Information
Vendor - Doing Business with the County
Vendor Registration
Vendor Substitute W-9 Form

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Next, click on Vendor Registration, and you will see this page.

Vendor Registration
Collier County offers online vendor registration to all prospective vendors. This no cost required online registration
offers our vendors many benefits including:

• Ability to maintain your profile 24/7, 365 days per year

• Electronic notification of all solicitations for the products/services indicated on your application
• View online and download solicitations, including construction plans
• Be electronically notified of any addendums issued on solicitations you have downloaded
• Ability to ask questions and receive answers online
• Ability to see any questions asked and answers given online
• Ability to submit solicitation responses online, when indicated on solicitation
• Ability to view Planholder lists online
• View and download solicitation tabulations
• View "The First Word" newsletter, which includes a listing of future Bids/RFPs

This new Online Bidding System is electronically based, and to partake in its benefits, your firm should have the
following resources:

• Computer with Internet access (DSL or cable most efficient)

• Have a email address and be able to accept PDF file attachments
• Have access to a scanner to submit certain response documents

If you have any questions regarding this new registration process or need assistance in completing the registration
form, please contact us at (239) 252-8407 to have our capable staff assist you.

To register, click Vendor Registration

To View the guide, click Vendor Registration Guide and Online Bidding Manual

Registered Vendors, click to view Current Solicitations

To View Commodity Codes, click Commodity Codes, Alpha-Numeric

Please note: Collier County Purchasing Department does not use any private notification service. Automatic
advance notification of the County's solicitations, downloading of solicitation packages and other specified data are
available solely to our registered vendors.

We welcome your comments, questions, suggestions, etc. We can be reached by e-mail.

To register, click on the link: www.colliergov.net/bid/register and you will see Vendor
Registration (Profile) Form, which looks like this.

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The following is an explanation of the Vendor Profile Form fields. Required fields are
indicated on the form.

Field Name Description

Username Enter a username. This must be unique in the system. Usernames
are case-sensitive and may contain between 4 and 16
alphanumeric characters. No spaces or special characters are
allowed.
Password Enter a password. Passwords are case-sensitive and may contain
between 4 and 16 alphanumeric characters and the following
special characters: ~! @#$ %^&*(). No spaces allowed.
Retype Password You must retype the password here to confirm it.
Company Enter your company name.
Contractor Type Select the type of contractor you are (General or Subcontractor)
leave blank if does not apply.
Tax ID/SSN Enter the Tax ID or SSN for the vendor.
E-mail Address More than one address may be entered. Use a semicolon to
separate addresses. Addresses entered here will receive all
solicitation-related notifications.
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First Name Enter the first name of the vendor contact person.
Last Name Enter the last name of the vendor contact person.
Address 1 Enter the vendor's address, line 1.
Address 2 Enter the vendor's address, line 2.
City Enter the vendor's city.
State Select the vendor's state.
ZIP Enter the vendor's ZIP code.
Phone Enter the vendor's phone number.
Fax Enter the vendor's fax number.
Mobile Phone Enter the vendor's mobile phone number.
Web Address Enter the URL of the vendor's website. Web address must be
complete and contain the http:// or https:// prefix, e.g.
http://www.yahoo.com

When you have finished, click the Next button to save your information and move to the
next step, selecting commodities. For your convenience, the commodity list link is noted on
the Vendor Registration page (To View Commodity Codes, click Commodity Codes, Alpha-
Numeric).

The next step in registering is to select commodities that reflect the type of business you
have. (You will receive e-mail notifications when solicitations are created in the commodity
groups you have selected.) The screen is as follows:

There are three different options you can use for finding commodities.
1. Choose a Commodity: You can use the pulldown menu on the top to choose a
commodity. When you choose one, that commodity is displayed in a list at the bottom.
2. You can click the View All Commodities link to get a full list of all commodities available
in the system.

3. Commodity Search: You can enter keywords to search for specific commodities. Search
results are displayed on the bottom of the page.

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Check the box next to a commodity to add it to your preferences, and click the Add
Commodities button to save your changes. You can repeat this commodity selection
process for multiple different commodities if desired. You can also log in at a future date to
make changes to these selections if needed.

Once a commodity is selected, it will appear in a list labeled My Subscribed Commodities

at the bottom of the page. In this list, you can click the Delete link next to a commodity to
remove it from your preferences. When finished adding commodities, click the Finish
Registration button. You will receive an e-mail confirming your registration. You are now
logged into the system, and you can begin responding to solicitations. The next portion of
this manual will take you through the steps of viewing, downloading, and submitting
solicitation responses online.

Please note, this is your profile and it is your responsibility to properly maintain your file to
ensure accurate notification of solicitations in your field of interest.

3. Solicitation Response Process

You have successfully registered and now wish to participate in the solicitation process.
You may have received an email notification about a solicitation associated with a
commodity you registered under, or you could just browse the active solicitations on the
website. The following steps will assist you in achieving your endeavor.

To log into the Collier County Purchasing Department Online Bidding System, open your
Microsoft Internet Explorer and enter the following URL in the address bar:
http://bid.colliergov.net/bid/login.asp . The login page will be displayed as shown below.

Enter the username and password established in your registration and click the login button.

After logging in, you will see the list of the current Active Solicitations sample shown below.

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This list shows the Department issuing the solicitation, solicitation number, solicitation title,
the start and end time for responding to the solicitation, and whether the solicitation is
manual or electronic. Manual solicitations are downloaded and submitted in hardcopy, and
electronic solicitations are responded to online with no hardcopies required.

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Click on the solicitation title you are interested in and you will see the following sample
screen (This is an electronic solicitation sample).

What you see above is the Solicitation Summary. The summary enables you to view the
relevant aspects of the solicitation and assists you in determining whether or not you wish to
pursue (ie: dates and times, contact information, and since this is an electronic submission,
you also see the items to be bid). From this page you can also review the solicitation
Specifications, Terms, and Conditions, view and/or ask any questions view other questions
asked and answered, the Planholders (firms) that have downloaded the solicitation (this is a
valuable tool for subcontractors wishing to promote their goods or services to prime
contractors), and, in this case, Submit response online. The following pages will take you
through each step to ensure your participation success.

Please note, if you view the solicitation document, you are automatically placed on
the Planholder list for this solicitation only, and not placed under the commodity
code. Additionally, as a Planholder, you will receive email notifications of all
questions and answers, or any addenda issued. You cannot be removed from the
Planholder list of active solicitations.

The next step in the process is to click on the highlighted Specifications, Terms, and

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Conditions. This screen will look similar to this sample.

To be able to submit a response to a solicitation, you must first open and download the
details of the solicitation. In the above example, you will note there is the Bid Document, Bid
Plans, Bid Schedule, and Exhibit 1, Supplemental Terms. All these files must be opened
and downloaded.

You have downloaded the required files and during the process you have questions. These
questions may be in regard to the specifications, the plans, or maybe even on the
solicitation submittal. All questions regarding a solicitation must be asked online and will be
answereds online for two reasons. First, only questions answered in writing by the County
are the official answers. Verbal answers are not official. Second, all prospective solicitation
submitters are entitled to see any and all questions asked and answered.

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To ask a question, or to view questions previously asked and answered, click on the
highlighted Q&A. The sample screen below shows that a previous question was asked and
the answered.

To ask a question, type your inquiry in the box and click on the send question button. Your
question will be sent electronically to the appropriate individual in the using department.
When your question is answered, you will receive an electronic notification that answers
have been issued to questions asked. You will need to return to this screen to see the
answers.

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To see who has downloaded the solicitation, click on the highlighted Planholders. By doing
so, you will see a screen as shown below.

You now have a clear understanding of the solicitation requirements, all your questions
have been answered, you know who else may submit a response, and now you want to
submit a solicitation response online. The following pages will take you through the
submittal process.

Please remember, if for any reason you are unable to submit a solicitation response
online, you may participate in a competitive process by submitting a hardcopy
response.

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When you are ready to submit an electronic solicitation, click on the highlighted Submit
Solicitation Online. The screen below is a sample of what you will see.

Before you are able to submit your solicitation, you will need to open each of the required
files. Once you have viewed all of the required documents on this screen, the system will
verify your action by placing a (downloaded) after each of the items. Additionally, a link will
appear that reads, “I have read and agree to the above terms and conditions. Click here to
submit solicitation online”. Click this link to go to the next step. The sample screen below
will appear as a result of your actions.

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The next screen samples below will appear after you click the “I have read and agree”
statement. I have split this screen into three separate screens to show and explain the
submittal requirements for this particular solicitation. Not all solicitations are exactly alike,
yet there are similarities.

On the first screen you will be required to upload the file requests from your computer.
Some file requests require signatures and/or notarized signatures. These types of
documents will require you to scan them to your computer in order to upload. All request
files must be submitted for solicitation acceptance.

The second screen shows the items that require pricing. Items that you do not wish to
submit prices for, input a 0 in the unit price column. After you have input all your prices, click
on the calculate button as shown on the third screen. This will give you the opportunity to
verify your unit prices, see the extended prices, and verify your total offer. If you see that a
price is incorrect, you have the opportunity to correct before confirming your solicitation.

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Once you are confident with your price submittal, read and acknowledge the Disclaimer and
click the confirm bid button. Your solicitation response has now been submitted, and you
will receive an email notification confirming your submission.

At any time prior to the solicitation end date and time, you can edit your solicitation and/or
withdraw your solicitation response by logging on to the website and clicking on the
appropriate solicitation and clicking edit. You will then be given the options of editing your
solicitation, or withdrawing your response.

After the appointed date and time, you can view the solicitation tabulations online. Logon to
the website and under the bid menu, click on expired. Select the appropriate solicitation and
click on tabulation to see all bids submitted.

We hope this guide has been of value to you in your participation in the Collier County
competitive procurement process.

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