User Guides
      Back to home
      1. Knowledge Base
      2. User Guides

      PB System™ Insurance Certificate Management User Guide

      I. Logging In

      A. Enter Username

      B. Enter Password

          • Click on the eye to see keystrokes
          • If password is unknown, click on Need Password Help?  to reset your password

      II. Home

                  A. Daily Calendar

                        Daily calendar contains a list of all of the agency's important solicitation deadlines for the day. Users will see the Pre-Bid meeting, Q&A, and bid deadlines. Click on any listing to open the solicitation. 

                 B. Stat Cards

                       Stat cards contain statistical data on the PB System™ general overall usage by both the agency and the public. Stat cards can be configured for user preference. 

                     Configuring stat cards:

          • Select edit
          • Select the delete icon within each card to remove
          • Select the + bar to add in a new card type or select any existing card to edit
            • Select Report Type to define the type of data to be shown
            • Select Timeframe for the frequency of data
            • Select the color bar to change the color of the card
            • Select Save, Cancel or Reset to Defaults

           C.      News and Events can be found by clicking on the bell icon in the top right of the screen, and contains important information PlanetBids needs to share with its clients. It is highly recommended that Users take a quick look when entering the PB System™ to view updates. The Line Item Import Template and the Inside Scoop registration links have moved to the Help Center.  The Import template can be filled out by the Agency's internal client and provided to the PB User to upload line items into the bid record quickly.

         

            D. Left Side Navigation Menu

        • Navigation menu navigates the user to the different areas of the PB System™. Access to each area is based upon the purchase of the module and User permission configurations.

          • Top right corner of the left-side navigation menu will either be an X or >. This will toggle the menu open and closed to optimize screen space.
          • Home: returns User to the home page.
          • Bid Management: quickly manage the process of issuing, monitoring, conducting evaluations, and awarding formal and informal bids.
          • Bid Spec Library: access to PlanetBids client solicitations to help Users find piggy-backable, cooperative bids and build specs using other agency bids.  
          • Project Evaluation: add-on that allows Users to manage the multi evaluator and/or consensus evaluation process on solicitations. Project Evaluation allows Users to use the RFP evaluation process on all solicitation types (Quotes, Bids, RFI, RFP, RFQual and IPWB).
          • Vendor Management: Gain access to Vendor records, run advanced searches on multiple sets of Vendor data, add a vendor, perform real-time verification of provided information (i.e., certifications and licenses) against third party databases, generate comprehensive reports with visual charts, and broadcast messages to selected Vendors.
          • Contract Management: maintain and retrieve up-to-date, relevant information regarding contracts.
          • Insurance Management: enables risk managers, procurement, public works, and contract administrators to automate, maintain, and retrieve up-to-date, relevant information regarding Vendor or contractor insurance certificates.
          • Emergency Operations: enables any Agency to manage, maintain and retrieve up-to-date information on Vendors that provide goods and services in the event of an emergency.
          • Business Certifications: enables an organization to manage its certification programs such as Small Business Enterprise, Minority, or Diversity as well as Contractor Prequalification(s).
          •  Reports: print or export comprehensive reports.
          • Calendar: calendar view of Agency and any other selected PB Agencies bid dates/deadlines. Users plan solicitation dates to enhance Vendor participation. Provides a quick link to the Agency bid information.
          • Admin: permission-based access to manage administrative areas of each module. (See Admin manual).
          •  Vendor Portal: quick access to the public side of the PB System™. 
          • User Settings: reset User information (name, title, phone, email, login).
          • Help Center: Access Knowledge Base, FAQs, create a support ticket, Support phone number, and feedback section.
          • Log Out: logs User out of the PB System™.

                  E. Dark Mode/Light Mode               

                       Found at the bottom right corner, Dark Mode / Light mode allows the user to change                     the background setting.

       

      III. Vendor Management

             Entering Vendor Management, Users can search for Vendors, check validations, edit         profiles, and create a quick Vendor profile, run reports, send emails, and export data. Access to different functions is permission-based.

                  F. Searching for Vendors                 

                      PB System™ has default fields to search for Vendors. Select the "+" to add more fields.                 Multi-chooser fields are designated with a black square and allow the User to choose                     multiple criteria within the field.

                     Located in front of the “Clear” button will either be an or >. This will toggle the                     search criteria open and closed to optimize screen space.

          • Entering a multi chooser box
            • Search box (top left): User can search list by code, number, description.
            • Select all that apply.
            • Select Show only selected to see selections.
            • Select Save.
            • Select Search.
          • Collaborative searching

            Collaborative searching will offer the User different criteria choices depending upon when the Collaborative feature is selected.


            • Select Criteria first and the options displayed will be Agency configuration only.
            • Select Collaborative first and then the Criteria- options displayed will be from all PB Agencies giving the User greater search abilities.
              • Select Collaborative.
              • Select Exclude Own to remove vendors already registered with the Agency.

                    G. Managing Display Results

          • Select the cog icon located at the far right.
          • Check or uncheck an item to hide or add to the search display.
          • Drag the up/down arrow to change the display column order.
          • Place cursor between columns to resize, similar to Excel.

                    H. Viewing and Editing a Vendor Profile 

          • Select any Vendor in the list to open the profile.
          • Scroll down to view information.
            • Information is based on Vendor Registration configuration during implementation. Agency Superuser can manage the master list of category codes, classifications, ethnicity, and gender tracked by the Agency in Admin, Vendor Management. (See Admin Manual)

                     I. Select Edit (Permission Based)

                          PB System™ allows Users with edit rights to edit selected fields only. 

          • Status: controls Vendor notification and participation with the Agency.
            • Approved: The Vendor is allowed to receive bid alerts and participate in bids so long as their profile meets requirements set at the bid level. Vendors are automatically approved when registering.
            • Not Approved: Set when a Vendor is no longer allowed to participate in Agency projects due to debarment or other issues defined by the Agency.
            • Needs Approval: if the Agency is configured to approve Vendors prior to allowing participation after registration, PB System™ will default to Needs Approval instead of Approved. Agency will be required to view all Needs Approval profiles and change the profile to the appropriate status.
            • Deactivated: Vendor profile has been closed down and is no longer active. Used primarily when a Vendor has multiple profiles, and only selected profiles need to be closed.
            • Unsubscribed: Vendor has requested not to receive any further communication from the Agency.
          • Agency Vendor ID: allows Agency to assign a Vendor number to a profile.
          • Allow Multiple Profiles: by default, Vendors are allowed only one profile under a tax id number. Agency and PlanetBids Support may allow Vendors to create additional profiles, if applicable.
            • Check Allow Multiple Profiles.
            • Select Submit.


          • Exempt from Document Fees: if Agency charges Vendors to download documents, Users can exempt a profile from being charged. This will allow the profile to download all bid documents without paying.
          • Allowed Certified Vendors Search: if the Agency has configured Business Certification, this allows the Vendor to search approved Certified Vendors. PB System™ can be configured to automatically grant any profile access, or Agency can specify which profile shall have access. All approved certified Vendors will reside in Certified Vendor Search area for Vendor networking purposes on the Vendor Portal.
          • Opt out of BidBroadcast Emails: Vendors may contact PlanetBids and ask to opt out of receiving Bid Broadcast notices.
                

            Note: Bid Broadcast are additional bid notice emails an Agency can opt to send when posting a bid to vendors registered at other Agencies. Opting out of BidBroadcast will not affect any emails the Agency sends to vendors registered directly with the Agency.

             

          • Classifications: correct any classification information provided by the Vendor when registering.
            • Verify: Select Verify to reach out to the appropriate website to verify classification information.
          • Contractor Licenses: list of contractor licenses, if applicable, Vendor provided when registering, including license number and expiration date.
            • Verify: Select Verify to reach out to the appropriate website to verify classification information.
          • Other Licenses: list of other professional licenses, if applicable, Vendor provided when registering.
            • Verify: Select Verify to reach out to the appropriate website to verify classification information.
          • Groups: list of private category codes the Agency has added to the Vendor's profile. Vendors cannot select a group when registering, nor does the Vendor see the group in their profile.                            

                               Note: to create a category, go to Admin, Bid Management. (See Admin Manual)

            • Add:
              • Select one or more codes from the list. Search box allows search by code number and description. Select Show only selected categories to see a final list of codes chosen.
              • Select Save.
          • Categories: list of public category codes the Agency is using to notify Vendors about bid opportunities. Agency may add a code to a Vendor 's profile, but Agency may not remove a category code.

            Note: to create a category, Admin, Settings. (See Admin Manual)

            • Add:
              • Select one or more codes from the list. Search box allows search by code number and description. Select Show only selected categories to see a final list of codes chosen.
              • Select Save.

            • Comments: found at the top of the profile, this section allows for internal Agency notes on the Vendor's profile and contains a history of edits made to the profile by either the Vendor, PlanetBids, or the Agency.
            • Select Submit when done editing.
        • Reports: found within the profile, Agency can view and export the Vendor Statistics Report. The report details all Vendor project activity with the Agency from notification, becoming a Prospective Bidder, to award at the contract and subcontract level. (Subcontract tracking is only available with Advanced eBidding for Public Works). 
            • Select column header to organize in ascending or descending order.
            • Report can be exported to Excel.

                J. Creating a Quick Vendor Profile (Add Vendor):

                    WARNING: before creating a new Vendor profile, search for the Vendor by all possible                  variations of their name, DBA, email suffix (ex: @planetbids.com) and tax id number to                  avoid duplicates. TIP: search by character string. (Ex: T.W. Applied Electrical. Enter                          Applied Elect in the name field).

          • Select the person icon at the top right
          • Complete the Form: (minimum mandatory fields) and select Submit.
          • Generate Email: The PB System™ will automatically generate an email to the Vendor, instructing the Vendor on how to log in and update the profile.

             K. Email

      Allows Agency to Post an announcement in News and Events, Email registered and collaborative search Vendors or Both.

          • To Post only:
            • Select the Email icon.
            • Enter Subject, Message and Attachment.
            • Select Display in News & Events.
            • Select Done to post or select Cancel.
          • To send only or Send and Post:
            • Select the Email icon.
            • Select one or more vendors from the list.
              • User may redefine search results at this time.
              • To Hide Send Email form while searching for vendors select the > on the Send Email form.
              • To Open Send Email form, select New Email tab on the right side.
            • Enter Subject, Message and up to 5 Attachments.
            • (Optional) Select Display in News & Events.
            • Select Done to post or select Cancel.

              Note: to remove a post from News & Events, go to Admin, Email History (See Admin Manual).

             L. Reports

                 Agency can run several reports based on Vendors listed in search results.

          • Ethnicity/Gender Chart displays the number and percentage of vendors who have identified themselves based on the ethnicity and or gender tracked by the Agency.
          • Classification Chart displays the number and percentage of vendors who have identified themselves or have been certified by the Agency through Business Certification based on the classifications tracked by the Agency.
          • Vendor Activity report displays high level vendor project activity: bid notifications, prospective bidder, bidder, awards, award amount and classifications tracked by the Agency.   Report can be exported to Excel.
          • Vendor Types (Classification, Ethnicity, Gender) A report providing statistics on the number and percentage of registered vendors for each category code, and the number and percentage of vendors by Classification, Ethnicity and Gender.
          • Vendor Types by Category A report providing statistics on the number and percentage of registered vendors for each category code, and the number/percentage of vendors with each vendor Classification, Ethnicity, and Gender.

        M. Export

      • Exports search results Vendor data into an excel document. Includes registration information.

      IV. Insurance Certificate Management

      • Entering Insurance Certificate Management, Users can view, create, manage, export and send an email based on search results. Access to different functions is permission-based.

      • N. Searching For Certificates: 

        PB System™ has default fields to search for Certificates.

          • Entering a multi chooser box.
            • Search box- search list by code, number, description.
            • Select all that apply.
            • Select Show only selected types to see selections.
            • Select Save. 
            • Select Search.

                O. Managing Display Results: 

            • Select the cog icon located at the far right.
            • Check or uncheck an item to hide or add to the search display.
            • Drag the up/down arrow to change the display column order.

               P. Export:             

                   Exports search results to Excel.

               Q. Send Email: 
                     

                    User with appropriate permission setting can send an email to one or more vendors                        located in the search results. Emails will be recorded in Admin, Email History. (See                            Admin manual)

            • Use the search fields to define the email list
            • Select Send Email
            • Complete the form and attach up to 5 documents
              • Select Display in News & Events to post on the Vendor Portal. Message will be viewable by the public. No login required.
            • Select one or more vendors by selecting the individual box in front of each vendor’s name or selecting the master box at the top of the column.
              • If you do not select vendors and have News & Events selected, no email will be generated. The message will be posted to News & Events.

                Note: To remove a message from News & Events or add after an email has been generated go to Admin, Email History. (See Admin manual)



      V. Add Insurance Certificate
            

          Select the certificate icon at the top right of page.

      VI. Insurance Detail Tab

              R. Status:           

                 Status tracking detail.

            • Created on: date the certificate record was initiated in the PB System™.
            • Last Modified by Agency: date the record was last altered.
            • Close Out Date: system will no longer send expiration notices once this date is reached. This date can be altered.
            • Status: current status of the certificate.
              • Draft: draft record, no notices are sent
              • Request Insurance:
                •  If the Agency has My Insurance (Vendor Portal access) the Vendor will receive an email notice requesting the Vendor log in to the Agency Portal and complete the insurance request.
                • If the Agency does not have My Insurance (Vendor Portal access), Agency can use this stage to record that the Agency has reached out to the vendor manually to request insurance.
              • Submitted: Vendor has submitted via the Vendor Portal the insurance information requested. Agency has not yet reviewed the information. Vendor may make changes to the record.
              • Pending:
                • If the Agency has My Insurance, the information submitted by the vendor is under review. Vendor may not make any changes to the record.
                • If the Agency does not have My Insurance, Agency has manually added the information received and is evaluating the record.

              • Deficiency:
                • If the Agency has My Insurance, the Agency has found errors in the record that need correction. Vendor will be notified of the items to be corrected via email. Deficiency reasons will also appear in the Vendor’s insurance record request.
                • If the Agency does not have My Insurance, the Agency may record corrections needed and will need to reach out to the vendor manually.
              • Expired:  at least one insurance coverage type has expired. Vendor is sent a notification email on the day of expiration and X number of days prior to expiration, if configured by the Agency in Admin, Insurance Certificate Management (See Admin manual).
              • Approved: certificate has met all Agency requirements and is valid.
              •  Closed: certificate request no longer needs to be current 

             S. Insured*: 
                 Vendor related to insurance record. This field is mandatory

            • Choose Existing:
              • Select to open Agency Vendor list.
              • Use the search box to find by name.
              • Select only one and then select Done.
            • Create New Vendor:
              • Select to open Add Vendor form.
              • Complete at a min all required fields.
              • Select Done to save the profile. Vendor will receive an email with profile information and a request to review and update their information.

            T. Contracts

      Allows both the Agency and the Vendor to view the contracts related to the request.

            • Add: manually enter in contract detail.
            • Select Existing: select contract from PB System™ Contract Management Module.
              • Use the search box to search by Contract Number, Contract Title, Vendor Name or Contract Administrator. Insurance record will appear in the Contract(s) selected.
            • Select ⱽ or ^ to expand or collapse the individual contract data.
            • Select X to remove the contract data.
            • Select Expand All or Collapse All to expand/collapse all contracts.

           U. Purchase Orders:

            Allows both the Agency and the Vendor to view the purchase order related to the request.

            • Add: manually enter in purchase order detail.
            • Select ⱽ or ^ to expand or collapse the individual contract data.
            • Select X to remove the contract data.
            • Select Expand All or Collapse All to expand/collapse all purchase orders.


        V. Agency Documents

        List of documents the Agency is either providing to the Vendor or is attaching to the insurance record. Documents do not need to be shared with the Vendor.

        NOTE: When selecting an Agency configured Template, files associated with the template will automatically populate. Once populated, user may remove any file. (See Template section under Coverages).

             
            • Document Library File: select Document Library File to add a document from Admin, Insurance Certificate Management. (See Admin manual).
              • Select document. Documents pulled from the library will be shared with the Vendor if the Agency has My Insurance.
              • Select Remove to delete the file from the record.
              • Select ⱽ or ^ to expand or collapse the individual contract data.
              • Select Expand All or Collapse All to expand/collapse all documents.
            • Drag and drop a file here or Browse Files: list of all files to be tied to the record. Files can be shared with the Vendor or hidden from the Vendor if the Agency has My Insurance.
              • Select Drag and drop a file or Browse Files
              • Select files from computer directory
              • By default, the file is not shared with the Vendor in My Insurance, Select Public to share with the Vendor.
              • Select ⱽ or ^ to expand or collapse the individual contract data.
              • Select Expand All or Collapse All to expand/collapse all documents.

          W. Vendor Documents

      •                 If the Agency has My Insurance, the Vendor will upload their requested                                     documents in this area.

      •       X. Notes to Vendor:   

                   Additional notes or instructions from the Agency to the Vendor.

                  NOTE: When selecting an Agency configured Template, Notes to Vendor associated              with the template will automatically populate. Once populated, user may edit the                  note. (See Template section under Coverages).

             Y.  Producer*: 

      •           If entering the certificate on behalf of the Vendor, this field is required. If requesting            the insurance from the Vendor, this field is skipped by the Agency.

          
            •  Name: allows the Agency to manually type in the Producer’s information. This will not add it to the master list 
            • Choose Producer: auto-populates from the Admin, Insurance Certificate Management (See Admin manual).  
              • Select Choose Producer
              • Search for the Producer and select, then select Save.
                • Agency can alter the data pulled. Alterations will not be made to the master list.

      •    Z. Insurers*: if entering the certificate on behalf of the vendor, this field is required. If requesting the insurance from the vendor, this field is skipped by the agency. 
            • Add: allows the Agency to manually add in Insurance Company information. Add may be selected as often as needed.
              • Select Add
              •  Manually type in Insurance Company Name or select Choose Insurer 
                • Search for the Insurer and select, then select Save.
                • Agency can alter the data pulled. Alterations will not be made to the master list.
              • Manually enter in or alter NAICS and Rating. Neither field is required by the Agency or the Vendor.
              • Select Get Rating to connect with AMBEST to review Insurer rating and NAIC number.
      •  AA.  Coverages*:  List of coverage types and the information the Agency is tracking on the Vendor.
            • Add: manually add the coverage types needed
              • Select Add
              • Select Insurance Type
                • Select from Agency defined list. List is defined in Admin, Insurance Certificate Management (See Admin manual).
                • Repeat for all Insurance Types
                •  Select Expand All or select the blank space next to the coverage type 
                • If Agency has My Insurance
                  • Enter Min amount required under Each Occurrence and Aggregate (optional).
                • If Agency does not have My Insurance
                  • Select Insurer and select one from the list.
                  • Enter Effective Date
                  • Enter Expiration Date
                  • Enter Policy Number
                  • Each Occurrence: Enter Min Amount required by the Agency and Actual Amount listed on the Accord.
                  •  Aggregate: optional fields. Enter Min Amount required by the Agency and Actual Amount listed on the Accord. 
                  • Other Details: any additional notes.
                • Select Collapse All to truncate the data.
            • Add from Template: auto-populates predefined Coverage Types, Min Amounts, Notes to Vendor and Document Files from an Agency defined list. Templates are created in Admin, Insurance Certificate Management (See Admin manual).  
              • Select Add from Template
              • Select template name and select Save
              • Select Expand All or select the blank space next to each coverage to individually expand and view the requested data and make any alterations before requesting from the Vendor (My Insurance) or enter in data from the Accord.
                • Select X to remove a type completely from the insurance request.



            BB. Internal Submit Notification List

      •  PB System™ will notify persons listed when an insurance request changes from Request Insurance to Submitted.   This section can be auto-populated from Admin, Settings (See Admin manual).   
            • Add: allows the agency to manage the number of persons to be notified.
              • Enter individual email address per box
              • Select X to remove an email added.

       

      VII. Comments and History Tab

      • Accessible to the Agency only. Agency can enter in private comments as well as track history changes on the insurance record and custom emails sent from within the insurance record.

      VIII. Submit      

             Select Submit to save the insurance record. PB System™ will return Users to the search                 area once save is completed. Min Requirement to save in Draft is Vendor Name.

       

      IX. Cancel

      • Select Cancel to back out of any changes made since the last save.

      X. Editing a Draft Insurance Certificate

              CC. Select the Certificate          

             All certificates will be locked to prevent unwanted edits.  

            • Select Edit to release the form.
            • Users may now edit any field including status.
            • To delete a draft record, select Delete Certificate.
            • Select OK to confirm deletion.

          DD. Send Email

                  Select Send Email next to the Insurer’s name to send a custom email to the vendor.                       Email will be recorded in Comments/History.

            • Select Submit once all edits have been made. If the status has changed to Request Insurance or Deficiency, an email will be generated to the Vendor if the Agency has My Insurance.

      XI. Print

        Select Print to print a pdf record of the certificate.

      XII. Managing the Insurance Record

      Once the insurance has been submitted by the Vendor, the Agency may review and make edits. Agency may correct any entry made by the Vendor.

      XIII. Coverage Statuses
        

      Each coverage can have its own unique status. Changing a coverage type to Expired or Deficient will mark the entire record Expired or Deficient.