City Introduces Electronic Tendering System

The City of St. John’s will introduce a new Bids Opportunities site on September 17.
 
Bids.stjohns.ca is intuitive and responsive and will simplify the procurement process for vendors who wish to view and bid on opportunities, at no additional cost to the vendor.
 
“The new system will allow vendors to submit their bids online in a safe and secure environment,” explained Councillor Danny Breen, Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance and Administration. “Once vendors are registered with us, they will be automatically notified of tender opportunities and they will have online access to all the details, the status of tenders and instant access to bid results.”
 
Bid Opportunities is powered by eSolutionsGroup Limited, a Canadian -based digital solutions firm. The City chose this system because of its simplicity, convenience, transparency and cost efficiency.
 
The new system will be phased in over a period of time; for 2015, tenders will be advertised in the local newspaper, bid packages will still be made available and paper bids will be accepted. However, the intention is to go to a completely online process in January, 2016.
 
“The new system will reduce the amount of effort required from our vendors, allowing them to preview bid documents prior to registering and providing them with the flexibility to modify and withdraw bids in advance of the closing date from the comfort of their own computers, from anywhere in the world,” said Councillor Breen. “Ultimately, we believe that this system will result in better access to our tenders which should increase interest, ensuring that the City is able to purchases goods and services in the most cost effective way possible.”
 
Vendor registration for the new system begins immediately, with the service becoming fully operational in September, 2015. For more information about the service please see backgrounder.
 
Bids.stjohns.ca supports the city’s Corporate Strategic Plan by using resources wisely, improving the effectiveness of the organization and also by being responsive to the needs of the business community using a progressive technological solution.
 
Media Contact:
Kelly Maguire
Media Relations
City of St. John's
709-576-8491
kmaguire@stjohns.ca