DemandStar Agency Buyer User Guide Onvia, Inc 509 Olive Way, Suite 400 Seattle, WA 98101 Phone 800.331.5337 Fax 206.373.9008 www.demandstar.com 1
Overview DemandStar by Onvia connects business to government opportunities online. DemandStar partners with government agencies to streamline their procurement processes so they save time, money and taxpayer resources while improving vendor awareness and competition. We connect businesses with more than 400 government agencies that input their bid information directly into the Onvia system. We help agencies expand their supplier pool, and help suppliers stay up to date with bid documents and addendums from specific government agencies in a county, state or across the country. Our growing list of agencies includes school districts, multi-county transportation agencies and utility boards. Subscribers receive automatic bid notifications via e-mail or fax. They may also download bid documents from our website at no charge. Further, we provide easy access to other helpful information, such as Planholder lists and Tabulation Sheets. 2
Logging in to the DemandStar Website At your Internet browser s address line, enter: www.demandstar.com. Enter your username Enter your password The website will open to the My DemandStar tab. Click the Buyers tab to go to the tasks associated with purchasing. Member Login Screen Forget your password? Just click on Go next to the Username and Password fields. On the next screen, click on Forgot your password? Once you have entered your username, click on Email Password. You will receive your password by email within moments. 3
Bidwire Training Manual Logging in a Bid Note: red asterisks on screen indicate required fields. Click on Log Bid from the Buyers tab In the Bid Type field, select the bid type (RFP, RFQ, ITB, etc.) In the Bid Number field, enter any number In the Fiscal Bid Year field, select the proper bid year. (This field will always default the current year, if you are working on a bid in a different fiscal year, use the drop-down box) In the Bid Writer field, select a bid writer In the Bid Name field, enter a descriptive name for your bid In the Bid Status field, the only available status is Upcoming. The bid status will automatically change to Active after all bid documents have been approved and the broadcast date arrives. The Bid Status Text is an open text box that can be used for additional information regarding the bid In the Due Date field, enter the date the bid will open. The proper format is: mm/dd/yyyy, or click on the calendar icon to select a date Select a time and choose AM or PM (the system will default to PM) In the Broadcast Date field, enter the date you want the bid to be broadcast. The proper format is: mm/dd/yyyy, or click on the calendar icon to select a date (The broadcast date must be prior to the due date). Many agencies set the broadcast date as the same date as the legal notice in the newspaper. All bids broadcast at 3:59AM EST. In the optional Bid Bond field, enter a percentage or a dollar amount. In the Project Estimated Budget field, enter a dollar amount. You may also choose to allow suppliers to see this information by selecting the adjacent box. In the Scope of Work box, enter the scope of work information for the bid (you may cut and paste text into this field). Click Next to continue, or click Save and Finish Later (Bid Information Screen shown on following page). 4
Bid Information Screen Blueprints If your bid has no associated plans (blueprints), choose Bid has no associated plans. You will upload bid specs only. If you will distribute plans associated with your bid yourself, or an architect or engineer will distribute your plans, select Plans are being distributed by Agency or 3 rd Party. Your Agency will then distribute the blueprints outside of DemandStar. You may upload electronic plan files (.plt,.dwg,.dwf) to DemandStar. Select Uploading electronic plan files if your bid has blueprints and you have electronic versions. You may also mail hardcopy plans to /Plan Express. Select this option if your bid has blueprints but you are not uploading electronic blueprint files. If you indicate that DemandStar by Onvia will distribute the package, you will not need to enter the cost of the package or fulfillment information in the corresponding boxes below. 5
Indicate type of Distribution Method: Mail Order Only or Download and Mail. If you have uploaded your plans in.plt,.dwg, or.dwf format, select Download and Mail. If you have sent us a hardcopy of your plans and have not uploaded them electronically, please choose Mail Order Only. Indicate whether you will distribute the plans yourself (Agency Only), DemandStar will distribute the plans for you (), or if there is a (3 rd Party) distributor such as an engineering firm. If you choose Agency Only or 3 rd Party, you may enter cost of plans and other fulfillment information. Plan/Blueprint Information Screen 6
Pre-Bid Conference Information Enter information about any pre-bid conference in the box provided. Click Next to continue. Pre-Bid Conference Screen 7
Publications for Legal Ad Enter the dates that the legal ads will be published. Enter the dates in the following format: (mm/dd/yyyy), or click the Calendar icon to select dates. Click Next to continue. Publications Screen 8
Selecting Commodity Codes Groups (indicated by a group abbreviation) are listed on this screen. Note that if you click on the + sign next to the name of the group, the categories below it (indicated by the information in parentheses) will be shown. The commodity codes matching your keyword search are displayed in bold in the Commodity Code Search Results screen. Always enter keywords as singular, not plural. Click the boxes beside the codes you want to select. Commodity Code Search Screen 9
Please be as specific as possible when selecting codes. There are multiple codes within each category. You may be broadcasting to vendors that have nothing to do with the goods or services you are seeking. Choose Save to save the selected commodity codes, or choose Cancel to cancel the search results and any commodity codes selected on this screen. You are returned to the Commodity Codes screen. Commodity codes selected prior to performing this search will have a checkmark beside them. If you select a category from a commodity code group, the group s name is displayed in bold; likewise, if you select a code from a commodity code category, the category s name is displayed in bold. Click the + sign next to the commodity code group description that appears in bold text. Click on the text to see the categories below it. (Scroll down to see the categories displayed.) Click on the + sign next to the category to see the codes below the category. In this way, you can check your commodity code selections to make sure that the most appropriate commodity codes have been selected. To close the categories, click on the sign. To view the suppliers who match the commodity codes you selected, click View Matching Suppliers at the top of the screen. The Matching Suppliers screen appears. Click Return at the bottom of the Matching Suppliers screen to return to the Commodity Codes screen where you can modify or add additional commodity codes until you are satisfied. To de-select a code, simply click on the bold commodity category and uncheck the box next to the incorrect code. Click Save. When you have selected all the appropriate commodity codes, you may click Next to continue, or click Refine Broadcast List to limit your broadcast by location, MBWE status or program. 10
Refining Broadcast List When you have finished selecting your commodity codes, click on Refine Broadcast List at the bottom of the screen. The total number of suppliers matching the commodity codes you have selected will appear. Scroll down to search criteria. Select states you wish to include in your broadcast list. If you are selecting more than one state, press the ctrl button and choose the states you wish. To deselect a state, press ctrl key and click on state. To restrict your broadcast list to a city or cities, enter in name of city and click the Add button. You may add up to 10 cities. To remove a city, highlight and click Remove button. To refine your broadcast list using self-declared attributes, check the box next to desired attribute (African-American owned, small business, etc.). Once you have selected your search criteria click on the Search button. Your new broadcast list will appear. If you are not satisfied with the results, change your search criteria and click Search again. If broadcast list meets your approval, click next. Refine Broadcast List screen 11
Adding Supplemental Suppliers Only the supplier name and FAX number are required, however, we will fax and email your supplier if you provide an email address. In Company Name, enter the company name. In FAX number, enter a FAX number. Supplemental suppliers will get a 3 page fax notification. The first page will inform the supplier of the bid announcement. The second page contains the DemandStar legal ad, and the third page is a fax order form for the complete bid. Click Next to continue. Add Supplemental Suppliers Screen 12
Updating Legal Ad Text The legal ad text is provided so that the supplier can get the information about the bid without having to refer to published legal ads in newspapers. If you wish to make any changes to the legal ad text, simply add or change the text in the appropriate text box. Click Next to continue, or Skip if you will not be making changes. You may also save your bid and finish it later. Legal Ad Text Screen 13
Uploading Bid Documents In Document Title, enter the name of the bid. Note: Document title must be 100 characters or less. Do not use any special characters such as quotes, slashes, or hyphens. In Document Type, select the document type. Find the bid document you wish to upload by clicking on the Browse button and searching for the document on your computer. The Choose File pop-up window will appear. Select the document and click Open. The path for the document appears in the Specify Upload Document box. Select the first upload option below (Post Document as Adobe PDF), unless you specifically wish to upload the document in its original format. Click Next. The Confirmation screen will appear. Click Next to continue. Document Upload Screen 14
Reviewing Bid Details and Completing the Bid Scroll through the screen to review the summarized information. Click Edit on each section to view (and update if necessary) the information in the corresponding categories. Click View to view the legal ad in its final format. After you update information on a particular screen, click Save to save the information you changed, or click Cancel to return to the Bid Details screen without saving any updates. View the legal ad, which comprises the default legal ad text and the information you entered on the Log Bid screen. Legal Ad Screen After you have reviewed the bid information and updated any information as needed, scroll to the bottom of the screen, and click on Complete Bid. The Post Bid Validation screen appears. Choose Continue. (You must click Continue to complete the bid posting process.) You will return to the Bids screen. 15
Note: Your bid document will not convert until you click Complete Bid at the bottom of the Bid Details Screen. Sending Blueprints to Plan Express If you have hardcopies of blueprints to send to our document fulfillment partner Plan Express, the Shipping Hardcopy Plans and Specifications screen will appear after you click Complete Bid. Click on the link to fill out a free FedEx shipping label ( Click here to send documents to Plan Express for Free ). Click Print to print a transmittal letter to include with plans. Shipping Hardcopy Plans and Specifications Screen Approving your Bid Document After you have uploaded your bid documents and posted your bid, you must approve your bid documents in preparation for the bid to be broadcast. DemandStar will notify you by e-mail that your uploaded document or documents are ready for approval. The e-mail message contains a hypertext link that you can click on to go directly to the Bid Documents screen where you can approve your bid document (Bid Document Approval Screen on following page). 16
Bid Document Approval Screen When you click Approve, a second confirmation screen will appear. Click Approve once again. You will return to the Bid Documents screen. The only choices available now from the Actions column are View and Delete. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and click Return to go back to the Bids screen. We are unable to delete a document from a bid once it has broadcast! Ensure Conditions for Broadcast Have Been Met When you have completed approving all the bid documents you uploaded and the broadcast date is approaching, go to your My DemandStar page and check the Missing Conditions for Broadcast column in the Bids Near Broadcast Date section. 17
My DemandStar Screen Find your bid and make sure that there are no missing conditions for broadcast listed. If not, you ve completed your part of the process. When the broadcast date is reached, the bid is broadcast and the status of the bid automatically changes from Upcoming to Active. When suppliers download your bid spec or order it by mail from DemandStar, the Planholders list is automatically updated. If suppliers pick up the bid documents from the agency, you must add them to the Planholders list manually. You will need to check the broadcast list to verify that your suppliers have been notified. If the bid requires an addendum, you may upload it just as you did the original bid document. If the addendum changes the bid due date, you may indicate the new date when you upload the addendum. The bid due date will automatically change. After viewing and approving the document, the addendum will be broadcast to your planholders within 15 minutes. If the addendum is three pages or less, the entire document will be faxed to planholders. If it is more than three pages, planholders will receive a one-page notification of addendum. Planholders with email addresses on file will also receive an email notification. When the bid due date and time arrives, the bid will automatically change from Active to Under Evaluation. You may upload a tabulation sheet at this time. Awarding the Bid When you are ready to award the bid or make a recommendation of award, go to the Bid Details screen by clicking on Buyers, View Bids, and selecting Details under the Action column to the right of your bid. Scroll down to Documents and click on Edit. You may enter the dollar amount of the winning bid and select the winning vendor from a drop-down list of planholders. You may also upload an award document or bid tabulation. Planholders will be able to go to the website and download the award document. If you upload an award document, the bid status will automatically change to Awarded. Change the status of the bid by editing the Bid Details screen and changing the bid s status to Awarded. The bid remains on the website with a status of Awarded indefinitely in the bid library. 18
Supplier Search To search for suppliers in the DemandStar network, Click on Buyers and then click on Supplier Search. Enter the search criteria into the appropriate field and click Search. Supplier Search Screen 19
QuoteWire Training Manual Quotes are broadcast only to active subscribing suppliers who match commodity codes and subscription area (agency, metro, state, region, nationwide), and who are registered to be notified by email. You may add supplemental suppliers to your quote if you wish. Logging in a Quote Enter all the basic information about the quote. Click Log Quote from the Buyers tab. Note: On the screen, red asterisks indicate that information must be entered in the required field. 1. In Quote Name, enter a name for your quote. 2. In Quote Number, enter your quote number. This field is alpha numeric. Note: In Quote Number you may also view existing quote numbers by clicking on the link next to the Quote Number box. A pop-up window appears listing all of your agency s quotes. Click the close button X to close the pop-up window (please note: you may not re-use existing quote numbers). 3. In Fiscal Year, select the year. This field defaults to the current calendar year. 4. In Quote Due Date, enter a date (mm/dd/yyyy format) or use the calendar icon to select a date. 5. In Due Time, enter the time the quote is due. The time is in 15 minute increments and the time will default to PM. Click the drop-down menu to choose AM. 6. In Delivery Requirements, enter the number of days given for delivery after receipt of order. This is not a required field for you, but it is required for vendor responses. 7. In Shipping Notes, enter shipping notes, such as FOB destination. 8. The quote contact information is displayed for you automatically. (This is the quote writer s information). If you need to change the information, delete and reenter. 9. In Shipping Information, the default selection is Same as Contact Information. If you want the order to arrive at your office, keep this option selected. If you want the order to arrive at a different address, deselect this option and enter the shipping address in the boxes provided. Click Next to continue. 20
Enter Quote Line Items 1. Enter a description of the item. This field can take up to 700 characters. 2. Enter a quantity. 3. Enter a unit of measure, for example: each, pair, feet, inches, etc. Note: To continue adding line items, click Add 5 More Lines. 4. Optionally, you can add Additional Specifications, Insurance and Additional Requirements, or Terms and Conditions. You may copy and paste text into these fields. Click Next to continue. Uploading Documents You may upload documents for your quote on this screen. 1. Enter document title (100 characters maximum). 2. Click browse. A Windows pop-up menu will open. Select the appropriate document title and click on Open. The window will close. 3. On QuoteWire screen, click on Upload. Your document will appear under the Document Title section. You may upload the following file formats: Text, Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Adobe PDF, DWG files, and graphic files such as.gif,.tif,.bmp, or.jpg. If necessary, you may remove your document by clicking Remove under the Actions column to the right. 4. It is not necessary to review or approve documents in QuoteWire. You may remove documents at any time before the quote is posted. Selecting Commodity Codes Enter keywords to find matching commodity codes. Select the most exact commodity codes for your quote. Groups (indicated by a group abbreviation) are listed on this screen. Note that if you click on the name of the group, the categories below it (indicated by the information in parentheses) will be shown. 1. At Search Criteria, enter a keyword: <keyword> and click Search. The commodity codes matching your keyword search are displayed in the Commodity Code Search Results screen. 21
Always try to enter keywords as singular, not plural. Exact keyword matches will appear in blue bold lettering. 2. Click the boxes beside the codes you want to select. Important Note: As you view the search results, note the information in the Code Type column. If the code type is Category, be aware that you are actually choosing a broad category with codes underneath it. Depending upon the category selected, you may broadcast to vendors that have nothing to do with the goods or services you are seeking. 3. Choose Save to save the selected commodity codes, or choose Cancel to cancel the search results and any commodity codes selected on this screen. You are returned to the main Commodity Codes screen. Commodity codes selected prior to performing this search will have a checkmark beside them. If you select a category from a commodity code group, the group s name is displayed in bold; likewise, if you select a code from a commodity code category, the category s name is displayed in bold. 4. Click the + sign next to the commodity code group description that appears in bold text. Click on the text to see the categories below it. (You will need to scroll down to see the categories displayed.) Click on the + sign next to the category to see the codes below the category. In this way, you can check your commodity code selections to make sure that the most appropriate commodity codes have been selected. To close the categories, click on the - sign. 5. To view the suppliers who match the commodity codes you selected, click View Matching Suppliers at the top of the screen. The Matching Suppliers screen appears. Click Return at the bottom of the Matching Suppliers screen to return to the Commodity Codes screen where you can modify or add additional commodity codes until you are satisfied. 6. Click Save to save your selected commodity codes. Click Next at the bottom of the screen to continue or choose to refine your broadcast list (see below). Refining Broadcast List You may narrow your broadcast list if you wish. 1. When you have finished selecting your commodity codes, click on Refine Broadcast List at the bottom of the screen. The total number of suppliers matching the commodity codes you have selected will appear. 2. Scroll down to search criteria. Select states you wish to include in your broadcast list. If you are selecting more than one state, press the ctrl button and choose the states you wish. To deselect a state, press ctrl key and click on state. 3. To restrict your broadcast list to a city or cities, enter in name of city and click the Add button. You may add up to 10 cities. To remove a city, highlight and click Remove button. 22
4. To refine your broadcast list using self-declared attributes, check the box next to desired attribute (African-American owned, small business, etc.). 5. If you agency utilizes the Managed Programs feature, you may also refine your broadcast list to your Managed Programs (example: WMBE) 6. Once you have selected your search criteria click on Search button. Your new broadcast list will appear. If you are not satisfied with the results, change your search criteria and click Search again. If broadcast list meets your approval, click the Next button in the middle of the screen. Previewing Quote Review all the quote information before you post your quote. NOTE: This is the only opportunity you will have to review your quote. Quotes broadcast within 15 minutes of completion. Quote Preview Screen 1. Scroll through the Quote Preview screen to review the quote information you entered. You can click Edit to update or revise any information you want to change. 2. Click Post Quote at the bottom of the screen to post your quote. Reviewing Quote Responses When the quote due date and time arrives, the quote s status will automatically change to Closed. When you are ready to review the quote and award it, follow these steps. 1. Click View Quotes from the Buyers tab. 2. Under the Search Criteria, Choose the status of closed and then click Search. 3. Find your quote from the list presented, or search for your quote by entering in quote name, quote number or the contact name and clicking Search. The search will default to open quotes. 4. Click Details from the Actions column of the selected quote. The Quote Details screen appears showing the suppliers who responded to the selected quote, the total amount of their respective quotes, whether the quote was complete or partial, and other information. 5. Click the Suppliers tab to see the suppliers who responded to your quote. You can define which suppliers are listed by selecting a response status from the box at the top center of the 23
tab. Click Search. The list of suppliers displayed is based on the response status you selected. Quote Details Suppliers Tab 1. Select the supplier whose detailed information you want to view. Click Details from the Actions column of the corresponding supplier. The Supplier Quote Details screen appears. Use this screen to view the quote details submitted by a supplier. You can compare prices and award quotes from this screen. 2. Click on the Line Items tab to view the line items. Click Details from the Actions column to view individual supplier quotes for the corresponding line item. The Line Item Supplier Responses screen appears. You can compare prices and award quotes from this screen. Awarding Quote You can award the entire quote to one supplier or award the quote to individual suppliers by line item. To award a quote by supplier, do the following: 1. Click Details from the Actions column of a selected quote. 1. From the Quote Details screen, click the Suppliers tab. A listing of all suppliers who responded to the quote is presented. 2. Select the supplier whose detailed information you want to view. Click Details from the Actions column of the corresponding supplier. The Supplier Quote Details window appears. Use this screen to view the quote details submitted by a supplier. You can compare prices and award quotes from this screen. 4. Click Award now? to award a selected line item to the supplier. 5. When you have finished awarding line items to this supplier, click Award Selected Supplier. The Quote Award Notification screen appears. Use this screen to review the automated Award Notification e-mail and enter award notes in the text box, if desired. 6. The e-mail will be sent to the awarded Supplier when you click Send This Award Email. 7. Click Return to return to the Quote Details screen. Awarding a Quote by Line Item 1. Click Details from the Actions column of a selected quote. 2. From the Quote Details screen, click the Line Items tab. A listing of all quote line items is presented. 24
3. Click Details from the Actions column of the selected line item. You can compare quotes to this line item by supplier and award line items from this screen. To award a line item quote to a selected supplier, do the following: 4. Select the supplier you want to award the quote to. 5. Click Award now? to award the line item to the selected supplier. 6. Click Award Selected Supplier. The Quote Award Notification screen appears. Use this screen to review the automated Award Notification e-mail and enter award notes in the text box, if desired. 7. Click Send This Award Email to send the e-mail to the awarded Supplier. Click Return to return to the Quote Details screen. Updating Quote Due Date If there is a need to extend out the quote due date, you will be able to extend it in the system. 1. Click on Update Due Date from the Actions column of a selected quote. 2. Change the Due Date by using the calendar function or typing in the new date. 3. Change the Due Time. 4. Click Save. The system will automatically extend out the quote to the new date and time. Updating Quote Status Update the quote s status. The status changes available are: Awarded and Cancelled. 1. Click Update Status from the Actions column of a selected quote. 2. In the Update Quote Status To box, select the status you want to update to. 3. Click Save. If you change the status to Awarded before awarding line items, the system will lock you out and you will not be able to award the line items. 25