Department of the Treasury Division of Purchase and Property QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE: SUBMIT A QUOTE SELLERS

Transcription

1 Department of the Treasury Division of Purchase and Property QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE: SUBMIT A QUOTE SELLERS Rev. Dec 24, :42 PM

2 Table of Contents 1. Purpose Summary Instructions Login to NJSTART Submitting a Quote is F-A-S-T Detailed Instructions Find a Bid Login to NJSTART in the Seller Role Click on the Bids (#) Tab to See Your Opportunities Click on the Selected Bid # to Access that Bid Acknowledge the Bid Seeing a Bid in NJSTART Bid Contents Explained The Bid Q&A Process Submit a Quote The General Tab The Items Tab The Terms & Conditions Tab The Attachments Tab Attaching a File to Your Quote Attaching a Form to Your Quote The Summary Tab Submit Your Quote Track the Quote Verify that Your Quote Has Been Submitted Withdrawing and Resubmitting Your Quote Tracking the Status of Your Quote Request for Revision... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2 of 18

3 1. Purpose This Quick Reference Guide (QRG) entitled Submit a Quote- Sellers, provides vendors with step-by-step instructions for reviewing and submitting a quote in response to a bid in NJSTART. Specifically addressed in this QRG are the following: How to acknowledge a bid in NJSTART so you can receive notifications about the status or changes to a bid. How to submit questions about a bid online during the Question and Answer (Q&A) period. How to see and download bid amendments containing written answers to vendor questions submitted during the Q&A period and updated Bid Solicitation information. How to create a quote using the features of NJSTART, including attaching required files or forms to your quote. Submit your quote online, along with any required files or forms, prior to the quote opening date. Respond to a Request for Revision within NJSTART. Please note that bid is equivalent to Bid Solicitation and Request For Proposal and may be used interchangeably in this QRG. This QRG is advisory in nature and is intended to provide guidance to the bidding community. In the event that there is a discrepancy between this QRG and the Bid Solicitation, the language of the Bid Solicitation will control. 2. Summary Instructions 2.1 Login to NJSTART Vendors must be registered with NJSTART and logged in before performing anything described in this guide. Quick Reference Guides for registration, login, and other topics can be found at: This guide assumes that you have already found a bid and are considering submitting a quote. To learn more about how to find a bid in NJSTART, see the QRG entitled: Sellers Find a Bid. 2.2 Submitting a Quote is F-A-S-T This guide is arranged to present the F-A-S-T way to use NJSTART to do business with the State of New Jersey. The acronym F-A-S-T refers to the four main steps described in this guide, as follows: Find a Bid: Acknowledge the Bid: Submit a Quote: Track the Quote: See and select bids in NJSTART for the goods or services that you supply. Tell NJSTART that you are interested in a bid and want to receive automatic notifications about bid status or changes. Use NJSTART to submit written questions about the bid online, if you wish. Then use NJSTART to create and submit your quote. Use NJSTART to track the status of the bid until the contract is awarded. 3 of 18

4 3. Detailed Instructions 3.1 Find a Bid This section describes how to find a bid in NJSTART, see its details and begin creating a quote Login to NJSTART in the Seller Role After you login to NJSTART your home page, shown below, will be displayed. If you have more than one role in NJSTART, make sure the Seller role Tab (circled in red below) is selected. The area below the Welcome Back message contains tabs with document selection options. The number in parentheses on each Tab indicates how many documents of each type are waiting for you. For best results you can see the bids by clicking on the Bids (#) Tab (circled in orange below) Click on the Bids (#) Tab to See Your Opportunities When the Bids (#) Tab is selected the following screen appears: The Group Headings are: Request for Revision: used to ask specific vendors to revise their quotes; Bids/Bid Amendments (Unacknowledged): If you are on the bid-holder list, new bids or bid amendments for review and acknowledgment will appear in this section until they are acknowledged; Open Bids: these are available for vendors to submit a quote; 4 of 18

5 Closed Bids: quotes can no longer be submitted for these bids Click on the Selected Bid # to Access that Bid If you are on the bid-holder list, new bids and bid amendments first appear on your Bid (#) Tab in the un-acknowledged section, shown below. After you have opened a bid for the first time, it will appear in the Open Bids section instead. After making your selection you can access any bid by clicking its link Bid (#) column (circled in red below). 3.2 Acknowledge the Bid Before a bid can be viewed for the first time, the following dialog box will appear. This dialog provides important information and user options. You can choose whether to automatically receive notices about the bid. You must respond before you can view the bid. If you click No, you will still see the bid, but you will not receive future notifications regarding the bid. If you click, Yes you will receive future notifications regarding the bid via . After you click Yes or No the Bid Solicitation will open. An example of the screen that will appear is shown in Section Note: This would be excellent time to verify that your Vendor Profile is in good standing, that your Business Registration Certificate with the New Jersey Department of Revenue is current and active, and your contact information is up-to-date. Keep in mind the following requirements when submitting your quotes online using NJSTART: Your quotes still must be submitted prior to bid opening date and time; You should not consider your quote submitted until you receive confirmation; and 5 of 18

6 After submitting your quote you should always verify that its status code has changed to Submitted as shown in Section Seeing a Bid in NJSTART This is an example of a Bid Solicitation Summary page. Attached files or forms appear as blue text links (circled in red below). You can click on these links to download, open and save bid attachments. 6 of 18

7 Bid Contents Explained Information displayed on the Bid Solicitation page includes: Bid Number: Automatically generated solicitation identification number in NJSTART; Description: A short description of the goods or services the State intends to procure; Bid Opening Date: Date formal quotes will be opened for evaluation and closed to the submission of quotes; Purchaser: Procurement Specialist who drafted the Bid Solicitation; Organization, Department, Location: Agency information; Fiscal Year: Self-explanatory; Type Code: For State use only; assigned by the Procurement Specialist if applicable; Allow Electronic Quote: Will indicate Yes ; Alternate ID: Reserved for State use. Required Date: Using Agency s requested contract date, if applicable; Available Date: Date bid was publicly posted; Bid Type: - Open: Any vendor can respond; - Closed: Only selected or pre-approved vendors can respond; Informal Bid Flag: - Yes: An informal bid Purchasers can see quotes before Bid Opening date; - No: A formal bid Purchasers must wait until Bid Opening date to review quotes; Purchase Method: - Open Market: One time purchase; - Blanket: Term contract; Pre-bid Conference Details: Included in the Bid Solicitation attached to the bid, if applicable; Ship-to and Bill-to Addresses: Using Agency contact information; File Attachments: Attachments to the bid (be sure to read all attachments, complete and submit files with your quote, as instructed); Form Attachments: Bid-specific forms to be completed by the vendor, if applicable; NJSTART Glossary: Definitions of NJSTART specific terms; Performance Bond: Amount of bond will be listed if required; Item Information: Item description, NIGP code (chosen by the purchaser), quantity, UOM (unit of measure), and any other criteria entered by the purchaser. The bid can be printed using your browser s print feature or click the Print Page button. 7 of 18

8 The Bid Q&A Process The Bid Question & Answer Process Typically, the Bid Question & Answer Period (Bid Q&A) begins immediately after a Bid Solicitation is advertised. The cut-off date for submitting electronic questions/inquiries is indicated on the Bid Solicitation cover sheet and on the Summary Tab of the Bid Solicitation in NJSTART. The Bid Solicitation will contain any special instructions or restrictions concerning the Bid Q&A. Vendors may submit questions about a bid only during the Bid Q&A period specified in the bid. Once the Bid Q&A period is closed, question will no longer be accepted. It is important that you plan accordingly. Read the language of the RFP for any special instructions or restrictions concerning the Bid Q&A. Vendors may submit questions about a bid only during the Bid Q&A period specified in the bid. Questions about a bid may be submitted more than once, both before and after you have begun creating a quote (see section 4.0), provided the Bid Q&A period is still open. Submitting a Question about a Bid Once logged into NJSTART, from the Home page, select the Bid(#) Tab. Under the Select Bid # for the Bid Solicitation you wish to submit a question for. 8 of 18

9 If Questions are permitted during the Bid Solicitation process, the purchaser will enable the Bid Q & A button which will be visible at the bottom of the bid screen. Select the Bid Q & A button. The following screen will appear. The top of the screen may display questions and answers provided by the Procurement Specialist to provide you with information on the Q&A process and/or questions that have been submitted by other bidders. Enter the subject to the Question and the Question in the appropriate field. You are permitted to submit 3 questions at a time. If you have more than 3 questions to submit, click Save & Continue and you will be permitted to submit additional questions. 9 of 18

10 Click Save and Exit when you have finished entering your questions. Where to Find the Answers to Your Questions Answers to your questions will not be provided using the Q&A Tab in NJSTART. All answers to questions submitted by all Vendors will be consolidated into an amendment to the bid and posted as a file attachment on the Bid Solicitation Summary page. Vendors who acknowledged receipt of the original bid from the Bids (#) Tab in NJSTART will receive an notification about this Q&A amendment, and it will appear in the list under the heading entitled Bids/Bid Amendments (Un-Acknowledged). 10 of 18

11 3.3 Submit a Quote The General Tab Click the Create Quote on the bottom of the Bid Tab. The New Quote General Tab opens, as shown below: This page is populated with some information from the bid. Vendors must not alter the Description Field. Fields available (optional) to update include: Delivery Days: Vendor-specified number of days until delivery of goods and/or services from contract award. Note: Vendor should review the RFP for any special delivery terms. Discount Percent: Use only to apply the same percentage discount to every item listed on the Items Tab. Note: This field is not being utilized. Is No Bid : Select if you will not be submitting a quote for this bid. Note: please refer to Section The Items Tab for more information. Alternate Bid: Used if this is the second quote from the vendor (if allowed) Shipping Terms: Always choose F.O.B, Destination Freight Terms: Always use Freight on Board Ship Via Terms: Always leave blank. Note: This field is not being utilized. Payment Terms: Use dropdown Promised Date: Use calendar icon to select date only if required by the RFP Info Contact: 400 character field Comments: 400 character field Please refer to the NJSTART Glossary for further information: Vendor must select dropdown option for the term quote is equivalent to proposal. Note: this field is required to complete the submission of a quote. 11 of 18

12 Update information as needed and then Click Save & Continue Note: The first time you save your changes, the system will generate a unique number to identify your Quote. Be sure to click Save & Continue after changing entries on the screen or your edits will not be saved. After saving, the page refreshes and messages may be displayed. Red messages, Quote Validation Errors, must be resolved before a quote can be submitted. Yellow messages, Quote Validation Warnings, are information messages, no action is required to resolve a warning, and you are able to continue creating the quote The Items Tab Click on the Items Tab, then the General sub-tab will appear, showing information about the items (goods or services) included in the Bid Solicitation. The vendor must submit its pricing as an attachment using the State-supplied price sheet/schedule(s) accompanying the Bid Solicitation and located on the Attachments Tab. The vendor must submit its pricing according to instructions provided in the Bid Solicitation Section The No-Bid check box is checked by default. The vendor must enter a Unit Cost of $1.00 for each price line item on the Items Tab in NJSTART. The vendor is instructed to do so only as a mechanism to comply with Bid Solicitation (RFP) Section 6.8 and prevent all pricing from being publicly displayed in NJSTART. Note: Only numerical characters and periods (.) may be entered. 12 of 18

13 Enter a Unit Cost of $1.00 Once a Unit Cost of $1.00 is entered for each item, click either the Save & Exit button or the Save & Continue button The Terms & Conditions Tab Once the Items Tab is completed, click the Terms & Conditions Tab. The Terms & Conditions page opens, as shown below: Read the text of Terms & Conditions Tab screen very carefully. It contains information about what you must know and do to have your quote be considered responsive to the bid. Also, the bid may contain attachments, which you must also review. These may be downloaded and viewed by clicking on the hyperlink in the File Name field. Indicate your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions by clicking Yes, then click Save & Continue. While you have the option to select Yes with exceptions, any new exception or additional terms submitted through NJSTART, and/or submitted as part of the Vendor's quote, is subject to the provisions of Bid Solicitation Section 4.1. Vendors should not reiterate an exception that was addressed during the Electronic Question and Answer period, as the State's response to such exception is already incorporated via bid amendment and will not be changed. You also have the option to select No, indicating that you do not accept the terms and conditions. Taking this action creates the risk that your quote will be deemed non-responsive. 13 of 18

14 The Attachments Tab Click on the Attachments Tab and the screen opens as shown below. This Tab allows you to upload files and forms, including your Price Sheet/Schedule and written technical proposal, if required. The Bid Solicitation should be carefully reviewed to help you ensure that all files or forms have properly attached to your quote, as required Attaching a File to Your Quote Click on the Choose File button. Windows Explorer will open allowing you to browse your PC for the file that you want to attach. Click to select the desired file and then click Open. Name is the display name for the file that will appear when posted. It can be different from its location name and can contain alphanumeric characters and spaces up to a maximum length of 200 characters, but cannot contain special characters (<, >, &,,?, #, [,], or %). Select Save & Exit to return to the Attachments Tab. 14 of 18

15 The main screen of the Attachments Tab opens, showing the attached file Attaching a Form to Your Quote Click on the Add Form button. NJSTART will open the following screen: From the Attach Form screen you may take one or more of the following actions: In the Search Forms section, you may search for a form using any combination of first name, last name, and form title. If you leave the criteria blank and click Find It, the screen will display all available forms. In the Results section, you may select forms included in the bid by the purchaser by clicking on the button next to the desired form and then clicking Edit & Attach Form. The form will open on the screen allowing you to complete, save and attach the form to your quote. Forms contained in NJSTART are signed by typing your name in the signature box. In the Vendor Results section, you may select a prepared vendor form from your company NJSTART Vendor Profile form library by clicking on the button next to the desired form and then clicking either Attach Form or Edit & Attach Form, if you wish to review or make changes before attaching it. 15 of 18

16 Continue to add each file or form to your quote, one at a time. If you want to remove an attached file or form from the list, select the Delete Box and click Save & Continue. The vendor may select the Confidential option in NJSTART for attachments on the Attachments Tab and click Save and Continue to request that the documents not be displayed publicly through NJSTART. Once you have uploaded all your files and forms click Save & Continue. NOTE: Marking an attachment as "Confidential" in NJSTART shall not constitute the vendor's designation of the attachment as exempt from public disclosure under OPRA and/or the common law as outlined in Bid Solicitation (RFP) Section The Attachments (#) Tab will now display all of the files and forms you have attached, as shown here: The Summary Tab Click on the Summary Tab to review your quote in response to the bid and to update it, if needed Submit Your Quote When all of your reviews and edits are complete, click on the Submit Quote button, shown below: Important Notes: It is the Vendor s responsibility to read and understand the bid, any attachments and amendments in their entirety prior to submitting a quote. 16 of 18

17 If you have questions about the Bid Solicitation itself, you may submit them using the Q&A process described in Section of this guide and Section of the Bid Solicitation. If you have questions about how to use NJSTART to prepare and submit your quote, you may contact the NJSTART Help Desk by at: or by phoning (609) Phones are staffed from Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. Questions about the bid will not be answered by the NJSTART Help Desk. Follow file upload instructions specified in the Bid Solicitation, e.g. naming convention or file size. When the State is ready to award, there may be additional forms or signatures required from you to execute the contract. Click the submit quote button once and the following pop-up window will display asking for confirmation of your quote submission. Click OK to submit the quote. 3.4 Track the Quote Verify that Your Quote Has Been Submitted The Summary Tab re-displays with an updated status of Submitted for the quote status (circled in red below). Only when your quote status indicates Submitted, can you be confident that you have successfully submitted your quote for consideration by the State Withdrawing and Resubmitting Your Quote From this Summary Tab of the bid you can withdraw the quote anytime up until it has been viewed by the buyer or until the bid opening deadline date has been passed. Once a quote has been withdrawn, it is no longer viewable by the State. 17 of 18

18 After your quote has been withdrawn, you can make any additions or edits and submit the quote again just as before, as long as the bid opening date and time are still in the future. A resubmitted quote completely replaces all previous withdrawn quotes Tracking the Status of Your Quote The following additional steps are recommended to track your quote until the contract has been awarded: Monitor your for notifications about the status of the bid or issuing of amendments prior to quote opening (provided you selected Yes on the Acknowledge Receipt and View Solicitation screen described in Section ) Await the notice of intent to award, and the final notice of contract award, and respond accordingly. If your company is awarded the contract you can find step-by-step instructions on how to perform your contract and manage purchase orders and invoices using NJSTART in related Quick Reference Guides All Quick Reference Guides are available at: If you have any other questions, you may contact a Vendor Administrator at: NJSTART support: njstart@treas.nj.gov NJSTART Phone Support (609) ; Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm 18 of 18