Bid Manager is an application that lets you:

·         Post bids online to the Virtual Bids & Plan Room.

·         Associate bid drawings and files from Document Management with a bid.

·         Associate one or more Bid Packages with a bid.

·         Manage a list of contractors or vendors to participate in the bid.

·         Manage invitations to the list of contractors or vendors.

·         Manage Questions and Answers.

·         Publish Addenda.

·         Manage submissions from the bid participants.

·         Level bid packages.

Using Projectmates Bid Manager / Virtual Bids & Plan Room, you can effortlessly publish and manage bids online. This tool allows you to publish projects for bid, include bid document files for online viewing, manage addenda, answer contractor questions, and receive electronic bids. You can also create password protected, invitation only bids.

All published bids are available for viewing to interested contractors and subcontractors on Projectmates' Virtual Bids & Plan Room. Contractors can be supplied a Projectmates login ID and password by the site administrator or can sign up for the Virtual Bids & Plan Room through a separate sign-up process. Contractors interested in keeping track of addenda and Q&A responses can add published bids to their My Bids. My Bids entitles bidders to receive email notifications on addenda, Q&A responses, and bid awards.

Bid Management Services is a multi-threaded tool. In other words, multiple independent bids can be created and published. For example, in a two-phased project, two separate bid packages can be created for phase 1 and phase 2.

The Project Administrator will set up bid threads and assign view and manage rights. Projectmates users with access to the project and bid view permissions will be able to view the bid details, the list of invitees, any questions and answers regarding the bid and any subscribers to the bid.

Users with permissions to manage the bid will have full rights to publish and un-publish; manage invitations, addenda, and Q&A; review submissions; and level the bid.

Prior to publishing, bid documents are uploaded in a document management folder and details regarding the bid are collected. Gathering this information is a 4-step process.

To access Bid Manager:

1.   Click the Bid Manager button in the navigation frame.

The left-side menu will display available Bid Manager threads.

2.   Click a thread to expand the actionable links below.

Users with manage rights will see the list of actionable links to the right.

3.   Click the Manage bid link to create a new bid.

1.   Title or Project Name: The system automatically pulls this from the name given to the bid thread. Make modifications as needed.

Note: Name your bids wisely! If duplicate bid names are used, contractors will not know which bid to follow.

2.   Project Address: The system automatically pulls this from the project info screen. Make modifications as needed.

3.   Description: Optionally, add a description of the project or scope of work involved with this bid.

4.   Pre-Bid Meeting Info: Optionally, add any pre-bid meeting details.

5.   Enter the Owner and Architect/Engineer Name.

6.   Optionally, enter the Contractor Name.

Note: Owner and A/E Name fields are required, but specific usernames are not. If Owner and A/E names are not applicable to your bid, just enter "Not Applicable" in these fields.

7.   By default, the Bid Due Date and Time is auto-calculated for you. Make modifications as needed.

Note: Bids will be closed to bidders after this date/time, unless the Accept new bid documents after bid due date check box is selected.

8.   By default, Accept Online Bids is set to Yes.

Note: If this bid will be posted offline, change this setting to No. (uncommon)

9.   Optionally, click in the date field to set the Online Bid Open Date. This is the date that Bid Managers will be able to open and review the bid.

Note: Mark the check box to indicate if vendor Bids can be previewed before Bid Open Date.

10. Optionally, click in the date field to set the Target State Date.

11. Select the Main Contact using the drop-down.

12. Optionally, add any Alternate Contacts by clicking the link. Follow the prompts in the pop-up that will display to select alternate contacts.

Note: Main and Alternate Contacts need to have Manage Bid permissions.

13. Optionally, enter Special Instructions to the bidders.

14. Optionally, enter an Access Code. If entered, this code will be included in the email sent to invitees and will be required to view the bid. (uncommon)

15. Optionally, mark the check box to Allow bidders to view list of bid subscribers. (uncommon)

16. Optionally, mark the check box to Hide this bid from non-invitees.

17. Click to Save and Go to Step 2 Bid Documents.

This step provides a means for bidders to view bid documents within the project.

1.   Use the drop-down menu to select a Document Management group where pertinent files are located.

2.   Click the Select button.

3.   Mark the check boxes for the folders to be made available to vendors in the Bids and Plan Room.

Note: Click the Select another tab link to re-pick the Documents Group.

Note: Bid documents should be uploaded to these folders prior to publishing the bid.

Note: The number of files uploaded in each folder is displayed by the folder icon. This allows you to know if the files have been uploaded prior to including them in the bid.

Note: Once a bid is published, these folders will be locked and files cannot be edited or removed until the bid is un-published or deleted.

4.   Click to Save & Go to Step 3 Buyout Packages.

Multiple Subcontract Bid Packages can be associated with a single bid. Bidders can submit specific amounts to bid package line items, enabling Project Managers to easily compare bid submissions.

1.   Select one or more Buyout Packages to be included in this bid.

Note: Packages that are closed or awarded cannot be added to a bid.

2.   Click to Save & Go to Step 4 Review and Publish.

Note: This screen will not be accessible if user does not have access to the Bid Packages module.

This step is to review and publish the bid to the Virtual Bids & Plan Room. Modifications to the bid can be made up to the time that the bid is published.

To access the audit log for this bid, click the  Bid Status History link.

If changes are needed to any of the prior steps, click the appropriate navigation button jump back into that screen to make the necessary revisions.

To publish the project bid:

1.   Mark the check boxes for Projectmates users to receive email notification.

2.   Click to Publish to Bids/Plan Room.

Note: Once you have published a bid, only the Project Administrator can un-publish it.
Un-published bids are not accessible to bidders.

Most changes should be made via issuing an addendum; however, some changes require the bid be unpublished to make a correction such as changing the bid contacts.

To un-publish a bid:

1.   Click the Bid Manager button.

2.   Click the bid thread in the left-side menu to expand the action links below.

3.   Select Manage Bid option in the left-side menu.

The View Bid screen displays.

4.   Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the Unpublish from Bids/Plan Room button.

Note: Any bidders who were previously able to view and access this bid in the bids and plan room are no longer able to do so, once the bid has been unpublished.

Note: Upon re-publishing the bid, subscribed bidders may receive automatic email notification that simply tells them that something was changed without explaining what exactly was changed. Please keep this in mind. It is best practices to make changes via issuing an addendum so that bidders are fully aware of the changes that take place.

Note: If you re-publish a bid, it is best practices to also issue an addendum where by you can explain to bidders what was changed.

Within the Bid Manager module, users can maintain lists of vendors invited to bids. Once the bid is published, contractors associated with the bid are sent invitations.

To view and manage bid invitees, click the Manage invitations link in the left-side menu.

The Bid Invitees screen displays.

To add Bid invitees individually from a list of users with bid access:

1.   In the Actions drop-down, click to Add Bid Users as Invitees.

The Add users or contacts pop-up displays.

2.   Optionally, click the Change link to add skills or enter keywords by which to filter the list of bid users.

3.   Select the check box next to each name to be added.

4.   Click the Add button to include the selected bid users as invitees in your bid.

To import bid invitees from other projects:

1.   In the Actions drop-down, click to Import Invitees from Other Projects.

The Copy Contacts From Other Projects pop-up displays.

2.   Select the project from the project drop-down list that has the list of bid invitees that you want to import into your bid.

3.   Check one or more threads from which to obtain invitees.

4.   Click the Import button.

To remove a contact from the invitee list:

1.   Mark the check box for the name to be removed.

2.   Select the Remove Invitees option from the Actions drop-down list.

To send bid invitations:

1.   Mark the check box next to the name of each contact to receive a bid invitation.

2.   Optionally, add any additional comments to include in the email invitation.

Note: Mark the check box to Save "Additional Email Comments" to save your entry for use in future bids.

3.   Click Submit to send the invitations.

The screen will refresh to show Invitations have been emailed in green text to confirm. A date stamp will display next to each email recipient.

Note: If a vendor is notified more than once, each date the invitation was sent will be listed here.

After a bid has been published, any changes to the bid details or documents should be maintained through the Addendum process. Subscribed bidders can be notified of changes via email when an addendum is published. Addenda are included at the bottom of the bid details page for bidders who subscribe after an addendum has been published.

Addendum documents should be uploaded to appropriate Document Management folders prior to publishing. Once an addendum is published, these folders will be locked and files cannot be edited or removed until the addendum is un-published or deleted.

Please note that only users with Manage permissions will be able to add addenda. Once published, an addendum cannot be modified until the Project Administrator unpublishes it.

To publish an addendum:

1.   Click the Manage addendum link in the left-side menu of the bid manager module.

The addendum log will display.

2.   Click the Add New Addendum link.

The Bid Step 1 – Add Addendum Info screen displays.

3.   Enter the Subject.

4.   The current bid due date has been provided for you. Optionally, provide an extension to the current due date.

5.   Enter the Memo.

6.   Click the Save button to preserve this information or click Save and Go to Step 2 Bid Documents to continue to the next step.

Note: It is a good idea to quickly verify that addendum documents are placed in the correct folder in the document management tabs.

7.   On the next screen, use the drop-down menu to select the document group containing the addendum documents.

8.   Click the Select button.

9.   Mark the appropriate check boxes to select folders.

Note: Once an addendum is published, these files will be locked and unavailable for editing or removing until the bid is un-published or deleted.

10. Click to Save and Go to Step 3 Review and Publish.

11. On the final screen, you can review the Bid Addendum Details.

12. Select any notification options that apply.

13. Click the Publish button.

Note: You cannot publish an addendum while there is a prior addendum that has not been published. The prior addendum must be published first.

Only Project Administrators or Site Administrators can un-publish or delete addenda. If you find that an addendum needs to be unpublished or deleted, please contact your Project Administrator. If you are a Project Administrator, you can follow the steps below to un-publish or remove any addendum.

To un-publish an addendum:

1.   Click the Manage addendum link in the left-side menu of the bid manager module.

The Addendum log page will display.

2.   Click the subject line for the addendum to be un-published.

The Bid Addendum details screen displays.

3.   At the bottom of the screen, click the UnPublish button.

Note: Un-publishing addenda temporarily removes updated bid documents from the Bids and Plan Room and allows the information to be corrected and re-published.

To completely remove an addendum:

1.   Click the Manage addendum link in the left-side menu of the bid manager module.

The Addendum log will display.

2.   Mark the check box for the addendum to be removed.

3.   Click the Delete link.

Note: Once an addendum has been deleted, bidders will not be able to see the updated bid documents from the Bids and Plan Room. Deleting addenda is permanent and cannot be undone.

From the Bids and Plan Room, subscribed contractors can submit questions regarding bids. The inquiries are listed under Manage Q&A. Any user listed as a primary or secondary contact for the bid will have these questions listed in his or her Ball-In-Court.

To view bidder questions, click the Manage Q & A link in the left-side menu for the Bid Manager module.

All questions and answers regarding this bid are displayed.

To filter the list of questions, enter the from and to dates and click Filter.

To add a question, click the Add New Question link. The Submit Response screen will display with a blank question field.

To answer a bidder inquiry:

1.   Click the question link. The Submit Response page will display.

2.   Edit the Question, if needed.

3.   If you do not have the final answer, you can forward this question to another member of your team that has manage rights to this bid by clicking Route and follow the prompts.

Note: Routing a Bid RFI to another user will cause the item to appear in the user's Ball-in-Court, and it will generate an email to let the user know that action is needed.

4.   Once the final answer is known, enter the answer in the Type Response field.

5.   Attach a file, if appropriate.

Note: The only one file can be uploaded per Q&A entry.

6.   Optionally, mark the check box to Send email to all subscribed contractors.

Note: The bidder who submitted the question will be notified of the response automatically.

7.   Click to Post Response!

Note: In addition, users with manage rights can add questions. For instance, if a bidder calls or emails a question, the managing user can submit the question and answer for all bidders to view.

To view submissions online:

1.   Click the Manage submissions link in the left-side menu of the Bid Manager module.

The Bid Submittal log displays.

2.   Click the company name to view the submission details and any attached bid documents or package submission information.

The Bid Submission details for that company will display.

Details of a submitted bid are broken into four components:

·         General info

·         Buyout Packages

·         Bidder's Documents

·         Comments

The general information includes the division, bidder contact information, and submission date.

The Buyout Packages section lists buyout packages and bid amounts.

3.   Click the package description to view line item details.

Note: If a bid is not using buyout packages, this section will not be displayed.

The submission details pop-up will display, showing a list of package line items and submitted amounts for each.

Note: Package details are also viewable in the Subcontract Bid Packages module.

The Bid Documents section shows any submitted bid documents.

4.   Click the file name to download the file.

5.   The Comment  icon highlighted in yellow shows if there are notes submitted by the bidder for that file. Click the icon to view the notes.

6.   To upload additional files, click Browse button to select files or drag and drop files.

7.   To remove any files, mark the check box for the file and click the  Delete link.

8.   Review the Bidder's Notes in the Comments section.

9.   Add any notes regarding the submission review in the Bid Reviewer's Comments box.

10. Click to Save.

To level bid packages, click the Level Bid Packages link in the left-side menu of the Bid Manager module.

The Bid Award Info screen displays.

To compare bid submissions for a bid package, click the package name link.

The Analysis tab of the bid package details displays.

Click here to go to Analyze Vendor Bids section.

Click here to go to Awarding the Bid section.