Searching the Florida Vendor Bid System (VBS) Vendor Meeting: March 18, 2010

Agenda Agenda Overview Registering for Notifications Searching in VBS VBS Tips & Tricks SPURSView Contact Us 3/18/2010

Overview The Vendor Bid System (VBS) is a place for state agencies, universities, and water management districts to post announcements, solicitations and public meeting notices per Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) requirements http://vbs.dms.state.fl.us/vbs/main_menu Rule 60A-1.021, F.A.C. Electronic Posting of Decisions and Intended Decisions 3/18/2010

Overview Who uses VBS? Agency customers who post solicitation notices, single source notices, or public meetings Vendor customers who wish to be notified of upcoming business opportunities 3/18/2010

Overview: VBS Benefits Why should vendors use VBS? Agencies are required by Rule 60A-1.021 to post all bids for public view in VBS State of Florida guarantees the validity of all bids posted in VBS MFMP vendors receive automatic notifications of new bids posted in VBS Based on commodity codes VBS is one of three bidding tools available to vendors at no charge eQuote Sourcing 3/18/2010

Agenda Agenda Overview Registering for Notifications Searching in VBS VBS Tips & Tricks SPURSView Contact Us 3/18/2010

Registering for Notifications VBS Notifications When vendors register in the Vendor Information Portal (VIP) and select ‘Yes’ for solicitations, they automatically register for VBS e-mail notifications - https://vendor.myfloridamarketplace.com - Based on the commodity codes selected in their VIP account -Sent to the VIP main contact e-mail address Vendors receive VBS notifications for all new and modified advertisements posted for a commodity code (notifications are not sent for single sources or agency decisions) To change notification settings, vendors update their contact information in their MFMP VIP account 3/18/2010

Registering for Notifications Vendors sign up for VBS notifications by logging into their VIP account and selecting ‘View/Edit Solicitations Selections’ from the drop down menu 3/18/2010

Overview Registering for Notifications After clicking yes and saving changes, the registration for electronic notifications is complete 3/18/2010

Registering for Notifications The following table displays VBS advertisements that trigger vendor notifications: Yes No Single source X Agency decisions Grant opportunities Competitive solicitations Public Meeting Notices 3/18/2010

Agenda Agenda Overview Registering for Notifications Searching in VBS VBS Tips & Tricks SPURSView Contact Us 3/18/2010

VBS http://vbs.dms.state.fl.us/vbs/main_menu VBS Main Page Select Search Advertisements to search for active solicitations 3/18/2010

VBS VBS Search Parameters Type Competitive Solicitations Subject Title Type Competitive Solicitations Public Notices Agency Decisions Agency Number Title Commodity Codes Closed by Date Subject Title 3/18/2010

VBS -VBS Search Results are displayed with Title, Number, Version and Type -Links are provided in the Number Column to the solicitation documents 3/18/2010

VBS Now, let’s punch-out to VBS and perform a search. We’ll review: Open solicitations Closed solicitations Agency decisions http://vbs.dms.state.fl.us/vbs/main_menu 3/18/2010

Agenda Agenda Overview Registering for Notifications Searching in VBS VBS Tips & Tricks SPURSView Contact Us 3/18/2010

Wrap-Up VBS Toolkit – http://dms.myflorida.com/vbsguide The VBS resources section includes a screen by screen guide and tips and tricks 3/18/2010

VBS Helpful Hints VBS notifications are sent to the VIP main account’s e-mail address and are driven by commodity codes Consider creating a general e-mail account as the main contact e-mail address This ensures multiple parties have access to notifications received by the state Easy to forward on internally by region, location or notification type Eliminates the need to update contact information if an employee leaves your organization Make sure commodity codes are up-to-date and accurate If you offer a new product/service and have not updated the commodity codes, you could miss out on a bid opportunity 3/18/2010

Responding to Bids: General Tips The instructions for preparing a bid response will vary based on the solicitation type (ITB, RFP, or ITN) Respondents should review the instructions with the evaluation criteria established in the solicitation to ensure that all critical elements are addressed Provide a professional looking response If there are questions, contact the agency solicitation contact listed in the actual solicitation Utilize the checklist provided in the solicitation to confirm compliance with the basic requirements Allow enough time to have someone in your organization review the proposed response (preferably someone not associated with the preparation) 3/18/2010

Responding to Bids: Tips Common Pitfalls Submission of incomplete or unsigned documents Exceeding established page limits for response Not participating in mandatory meeting/site visit Relying on information that is ‘heard’ rather than getting the information is writing from the solicitation owner The most common pitfall is not allowing enough time to prepare and submit the bid 3/18/2010

Agenda Agenda Overview Registering for Notifications Searching in VBS VBS Tips & Tricks SPURSView Contact Us 3/18/2010

SPURSView SPURSView is a public portal Offers insight into agency purchasing activities Contains a search for commodity codes Allows for searches for Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs) 3/18/2010

SPURSView http://www.myflorida.com/apps/spurs/spurs.main_menu_form Click on any of the links to perform the desired search 3/18/2010

SPURSview Now, let’s punch-out to SPURSView and perform a search. We’ll review: Commodity code searches Purchase Order (PO) information http://www.myflorida.com/apps/spurs/spurs.main_menu_form 3/18/2010

Agenda Agenda Overview Registering for Notifications Searching in VBS VBS Tips & Tricks SPURSView Contact Us 3/18/2010

Resources Resources Solicitation specific questions Contact the Agency Contract Administrator / Purchasing Office responsible for the solicitation- this information is available in the solicitation documents http://dms.myflorida.com/agencypurchasingofficials For technical questions concerning solicitations, please contact Vendor Help at: VendorHelp@myfloridamarketplace.com or 1-866-352-3776 Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm EDT Vendor toolkit: http://dms.myflorida.com/vendortoolkit 3/18/2010

Resources Resources For general State Term Contract (STC) information, please contact the Division of State Purchasing: 850-488-8440 http://dms.myflorida.com/contracts For questions about becoming a certified minority vendor, please contact the DMS Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD): OSDHelp@dms.myflorida.com http://www.osd.dms.state.fl.us 850-487-0915 3/18/2010

Resources SPURSview Today’s presentation is available on MFMP vendor toolkit http://dms.myflorida.com/vendormeetings Future teleconferences: 4/7/2010: MFMP Overview 5/12/2010: How to Find Business Opportunities Register at http://dms.myflorida.com/vendormeetings Questions / Comments Be on the lookout for a participant survey! 3/18/2010

Wrap-Up Wrap-Up Questions? 3/18/2010