How can solicitation notifications help my agency?
Your agency has an important bid coming up, so you want to ensure you reach as many vendors as possible. You know that posting your solicitation on BidNet Direct will help you reach more vendors than you otherwise would. But how do you know vendors will see your new solicitation? That’s where BidNet Direct’s solicitation notification comes in!
What is a solicitation notification?
A solicitation notification provides vendors with an alert for any new bid opportunities matching the NIGP codes they selected when registering on BidNet Direct. This allows agencies like yours to rest easy knowing that their solicitation was sent to qualified vendors who provide the products or services related to your request. The notification also provides the basic information the vendor needs for an overview of the solicitation including: the solicitation number and title, your buying organization’s name, closing date and description of what the solicitation is for. Most importantly, the notification includes a link to the solicitation page on BidNet Direct so vendors can easily access all the applicable link documents. By providing this information vendors get an idea of whether or not this seems like a bid they would like to pursue, and how long they have to do so.
Who gets notified of my organization’s solicitations?
The number of vendors your solicitation gets sent to will vary depending on the codes you select for your solicitation (another reason why selecting the correct codes is so important!). However, you can always see who will be notified by looking at the “Matching Suppliers” tab upon drafting your solicitation. This will be especially helpful so that you can set expectations for possible bid submissions. If you forget to look beforehand, you can always go in after you’ve posted your solicitation to see who it was sent to. This also provides your organization with a level of transparency, as you can always go back to show that your solicitations were sent to an appropriate amount of vendors before awarding the bid.
If you’re worried about notifying your current vendors who may not be on the notification list, BidNet Direct offers a Courtesy Email feature that can alert them of the open solicitation, similar to the notification email received by matching vendors. You can type in the email of your vendors and an automatic notification will be sent, providing them with all the required information to register and access the bid.
What is the benefit to you for vendor notifications?
By sending solicitation notifications to matching vendors, your agency expands its vendor outreach and ensures that all vendors have access and are notified at the same time and fully audited. Expanding vendor outreach is often crucial to agencies with large bid opportunities, and it can be a requirement for solicitations that utilize federal funds. Expanding vendor outreach can also lead to more competitive bid submissions.
Your agency can also save time while facilitating your relationship with your vendors. By utilizing BidNet Direct’s solicitation notifications, your agency benefits from a fast and easy way to alert vendors of your solicitation. Rather than spending time tracking down contact information for all of your vendors and having to send each one your solicitation, BidNet Direct’s platform does that for you by sending to all registered vendors at the same time! By receiving the solicitations notifications from your agency and all other participating agencies in your state, your vendors now have the benefit of increased local government business opportunities.
Increasing bid competition through expanded vendor outreach and providing your vendors with access to your solicitations with just the click of a button is a great way to make sure your local organization and your vendors are getting the most out of their time and money!
Find out how BidNet Direct can help your government organization today! 
