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      PB System™ Bid Advertisement 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
      •       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. Bid Management

             Entering Bid Management, users can search for bids to create and edit Bid Advertisements. Ads in Bidding or Planning stage will be posted on the Public Solicitation Portal as well as in VendorLine.

                A. Searching for Bids

                  PB System™ has default fields to search for Bids. Select the "+" to add more fields. Fields with a black square allows 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- search list by code, number, description.
          • Select all that apply.
          • Select Show only selected to see selections.
          • Select Save .
          •  Select Search. 
        • Searching by buyer:   PB System™ default is to search by the current User. To search for all Users, move mouse over the blue circle, which will then change to an X.
          • Select X. 
          • Select Search.


        B. Managing Display Results
      •              Select the cog icon located on 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 the cursor between columns to resize; similar to Excel. 
      • C. Archive
      •       Provides the Agency the ability to Archive or un-Archive multiple projects by batch. Archived projects will no longer be viewable on the Vendor Portal. Agency can search for projects by Archive status by adding the Archive criteria to the list.

      •           Select the Archive icon at the top.
      •           Select projects from the search results. 
      •           Select Archive/Unarchive and choose from the drop-down list. 
      •           Select Save.
      • D. Reports
      •      Provides a list of reports based upon the projects in the search results. Some reports may be incomplete or not applicable due to Bid Ad limitations. 
      •            Bid Activity: A comprehensive report containing a list of projects with bid and buyer information; a breakdown of which template and project type were used; the total number of notified vendors, prospective bidders, bidders and awards and award amounts with breakdown for each classification.
      •            Bid Activity Summary: A report providing statistics on the total number and percentage of notified vendors, prospective bidders, bidders, awards and award amounts for each classification based on the total number of bids.
      •           Awards: This report has two charts illustrating awards. Award Amounts shows the amount awarded per classification, based on the total amount awarded while Number of Awards shows the number of projects awarded to each classification, based on the total number of bids. 
                  Subcontractor Awards: Two charts illustrating awards made to subcontractors. Award Amounts shows the amount subcontractors were awarded per classification, based on the total amount awarded while Number of Awards shows the number of projects awarded to subcontractors per each classification, based on the total number of bids.
      •           Cost Savings:  Analysis of cost savings for projects in Awarded and Award Pending stages. Award amount is compared with the Target Bid Amount/Engineer’s Estimate when provided. The report also provides the lowest, mean, median, and highest bid per project and compares these values with the award amount.
      •           Awarded Bids Search Export: An export of Awarded projects listing vendors that bid for the project, their bid amount, the date the projects were awarded and the amount.
      • E. Export

                    Exports project information as shown in search results, plus the Reference ID field. 

               

               F. Add Bid

                    Select the gavel icon in the top right

                     Select Bid Advertisement template

                     Once selected, the template by default is set to Draft stage. To save as a Draft, at a    minimum, a Project Title is needed. When changing the bid from Draft to Planning or Bidding stage, the PB System™ has only a few mandatory fields.  An* indicates mandatory fields. Several fields are for internal use only and are clearly marked.

                G. Bid Information Tab

                   1. Create a Project Title*: solicitation title.

                    2. Invitation #: solicitation number. May contain alpha, numeric, and symbols. 

                    3. Bid Due on*: date offers must be submitted by. PB System™ will automatically close the bids exactly at the time stated. Ex: 10:00am - PB System™ will close exactly at 10:00:00am.

      Note: Due Date is not required when moving to Planning Stage.

                     4. Project Stage*: project stage options will vary upon the bid's stage and user's permission level. 

                                Draft: draft stage, public has no access. Allows users to save an incomplete form  and finish the posting at a later date. 

                                 Needs Approval: User is configured to request approval before moving forward. Public has no access. Based on configuration, once approved, the User will either push the bid into Planning or Bidding stage or have their Approver take over the bid.

                                                   a. Select Needs Approval

                                                 b. Select Approver's name from the drop-down list below

                                                   c. Select Save Bid, and the approver will be notified via email to review the bid 

                                                     Approver can mark the bid as needing changes and record which changes need to be made in the comments/history tab or make the necessary changes. Approved can also take over the bid based on permission levels. 

                                  Change Request: Approver will place a bid into this status to inform the originator changes are required before the bid can be approved. Public has no access.  The Approver may leave comments in the Comments/History tab.

                                   Publish Approved: Approver has granted the original User the right to place the bid in Planning or Bidding stage. Public has no access.

                                   Publish Denied: Approver has denied the bid posting and cannot be placed in Planning or Bidding stage. Public has no access.

                                    Planning: releases the bid to the Public or By Invite Only Vendors and sends announcement. This stage does not need a due date. Activates Bid Broadcast function.

                                     Bidding: releases the bid to the Public or By Invite Only Vendors and sends an announcement. This stage does need a due date. Activates Bid Broadcast function. 

                                      Canceled: this stage appears when the bid is in either the Planning or Bidding stages. This stage does not send an email to Vendors. Users can issue an email to Vendors before canceling the project on the Prospective Bidder's tab.

                       5. Reference ID: (Internal only) may contain alpha, numeric, and symbols. This field is searchable by the Agency and can help Users tie multiple bids together. Ex: High-level project number, project manager, bond measure, etc.

                        6. Project Type*: type of projects (quotes, bids, information, proposal, qualification). Each template has a different list of types available to use.

                        7. Categories*: select one or more categories to notify Vendors of the bid opportunity. 

                                      a. Select add. 

                                     b. Search: enter in a code or description to find category codes. 

                                      c. Select one or more codes related to the bid.

                                      d. Optional: Select Show only selected categories to see a list of all selected codes. 

                                       e. Select Save. 

                     

                         8. Bid Broadcast: (if purchased)

                                       a. Change bid state from Draft to Bidding. 

                                       b. Select Bid Broadcast box.

                                        c. Select at least one category code and any other criteria

                                        d. Select Search- when you post your bid, up to 500 emails will be issued based on your outreach criteria. 

                          9. Contact Information:

                                        a. Contact Name/Phone: PB System™ will default the User's current information. Users may override this information. 

                                        b. Email: PB System™ will default the User's email. Users may override this information.

                                       c. Bids to: list the location bids can be submitted to 

                                         d. Owner's Agency: additional submit information

                        10. Department and Address*: PB System™ defaults to Users dept and address. 

                         11. Other Bid Details: optional fields

                                         a. Engineer's Estimate/Target Bid Amount: (title varies per template), this field must be a single dollar amount. Public will not see this field. 

                                          b. Estimated Bid Value: User can enter in a single dollar amount, a range, alpha/numeric values. Public will see this field. 

                                          c. Bid Valid: how long submitted offers shall be valid.

                                          d. Liquidated Damages:  enter any liquidated damage value or note. 

                                          e. Start/Delivery Date: if the project has an official start or delivery date, User may enter it here.

                                          f. Project Duration: how long the project should last

                                          g. License Requirements: required licenses Bidder must hold to complete the project or be given the award.

                                           h. Prevailing Wage: flags bid as having prevailing wage (also known as Davis/Bacon) requirement and allows User to search All PB Agency bids by prevailing wage requirement.

                                          i. Cooperative Bid: flags bid as having been conducted as a cooperative bid and allows User to search All PB Agency bids by cooperative flag. 

                                           j. Piggy-Backable: flags bid as having piggy-backable language and allows Users to search All PB Agency bids piggy-backable flag.

                      12. Bid Bond: allows the public to know if there are bonding requirements by bond type.

                                         a. Format: select the drop-down arrow to change from % to $. 

                                         b. Bid Bond: enter amount Vendor must hold.

                                         c. Payment Bond: enter amount Vendor must hold.

                                         d. Performance Bond: enter amount Vendor must hold.

                     13. Pre-Bid Meeting: informs the public if there will be a pre-bid (job walk) meeting. 

                              Select Yes if there will be a meeting. Default is No. 

                                       a. Mandatory: informs the public if the meeting is mandatory or optional. Select Yes, default is No. 

                                        b. Pre-Bid Meeting on*: informs the public of meeting date/time. Click to select Date/Time/AM-PM from Calendar. 

                                       c. Pre-Bid Meeting Location*: enter in meeting location information. Field will expand as needed. 

                        14. Preferences: informs the Public that the Agency will be applying a presence to submitted bids where the Bidder meets preference calculation requirements (Ex: SBE 5%, DVBE 3-10%, Local 1-3%). If set, PB System™ will assist in calculating preference using the Bid Tabulation Report.

                                          a. Select Prefer Local: PB System™ configured local designation based upon zip codes provided to PB by the Agency. 

                                          b. Select Add.

                                         c. Select on or more vendor classifications, ethnicity, or gender. 

                                          d. Select Save. 

                         15. Description and Scope: brief introduction to the bid before Vendors sign up to become a Prospective Bidder and download documents or line items. 

                                          a. Scope of Services: free form area to introduce the project to the potential Bidders. Field will expand as needed. 

                                          b. Other Details: free form area to impart other details of the project to the potential Bidders. Field will expand as needed.

                                          c. Notes: free form area to provide additional notes on the project to the potential Bidders. Field will expand as needed.

                                          d. Special Notices: standard policies and statements used by the Agency when introducing the project to potential Bidders. Library of statements is configured in Admin, Bid Management, Special Notices. 

                                                          1. Select Add.

                                                            2. Select all statements that apply. 

                                                            3. Select Save. 

                                          e. Local Programs and Policies:  free form area to inform potential Bidders of local programs and policies applicable to the project. Field will expand as needed. 

                        16. Bid Administration: administrative area regarding display of the project to Vendors. 

                                          a. Hide from all vendors: available only in Planning or Bidding stages. Hides the project from the Vendor's view without having to close the bid. Allows the clock to run out on its own.

                                          b. Archived: available only in Closed, Award Pending, Awarded, Canceled, and Rejected stages. Hides the bid from the Public and removes it from daily view for the Agency. Agency Users will need to change search criteria to show Archived bids. 

                                         c. Re-issue Bid: allows the user to copy the current solicitation into a new record in Draft stage. User can now modify the new solicitation as needed. 

                                         d. Delete Bid: allows the User to delete any bid that has not been published. This action cannot be undone. 

             H. Comments/History Tab:

                   Tracks last user to make an update and Project Stage changes. Users may also leave notes or comments. Comments/History tab is not viewable by the Public. Approvers may use this area to communicate with Users on needed changes to the bid prior to approval. Field will expand as needed.

            I. Save Bid

                   Select Save Bid to save the bid in the current status. PB System™ will return Users to the search area once save is completed. If in Planning or Bidding stage, User will be asked to Publish. Publish will announce and post the bid.

           J. Editing a Draft Bid

                                           a. Select the bid to open. All bids will be locked to prevent unwanted edits

                                            b. Select Edit to release the form. 

                                            c. Users may now edit any field. 

                                            d. Select Save Bid once all edits have been made

           K. Deleting a Draft Bid

                                           a. Select the bid to open

                                            b. Scroll to the bottom of the Bid Detail tab. 

                                           c. Select Delete Bid.

                                           d. Select Delete (all deletions are final) or select Cancel to back out of the deletion. 

           L. Managing the Approval Process for a Bid

                               Requesting Approval

                                            a. Open the bid and select Edit .

                                            b. Change Project Stage to Needs Approval. 

                                          c. Select the approver

                                            d. Select Save. The selected approver will receive a notice requesting their review. 

                                Managing a Request for Approval

                                         a. Search for the bid and select to open

                                          b. Select Edit. Approver can make any necessary changes OR detail changes to be made under Comments/History.                      

                                   Change Project Status to

                                         a. Change Requested: originator must make necessary changes and request approval again.

                                          b. Request Approved: originator can place bid in Planning or Bidding stage at their discretion.

                                           c. Request Denied: originator cannot place bid in Planning or Bidding stage. 

                                           d. Planning: releases the bid to the Public or By Invite Only Vendors and sends announcement. This stage does not need a due date. Activates Bid Broadcast function.

                                           e. Bidding: releases the bid to the Public or By Invite Only Vendors and sends an announcement. This stage does need a due date. Activates Bid Broadcast function. 

            

      Note: Approver may place bid in Planning or Bidding stage. If requestor is a Draft Only user, the Approver will need to do this step and manage the project moving forward.

            M. Placing a Bid in Planning or Bidding Stage

                                             a. Open the bid and select Edit. 

                                              b. Select Save Bid. 

                                              c. Select Publish to post the bid. Select Cancel to return to the bid and make further edits. 

           N. Re-Issue a Bid

                                             a. Select the bid to open. Bid can be in any stage. 

                                              b. Scroll to the botton of the Bid Detail tab. 

                                              c. Select Re-Issue Bid. 

                                             d. Previous bid has now been copied into a new project. By default, it is now in Draft stage. You may make any necessary edits. Due dates and Documents have not been copied.