OutreachSystems' USABID database consists of bid opportunities from city, county, state, and some federal governments across the United States as well as foreign agencies. To populate this exclusive database, we monitor hundreds of procurement Web sites daily.

To find out which agencies are monitored by the OutreachSystems USABID service, you can go to: http://www.outreachsystems.com/usabid. If you don't see a particular agency listed, please contact the Internet Research Team at irt@outreachsystems.com and we will see if we can add the agency.

Assuming we do not already monitor the site, our Internet research team will evaluate it to make sure that it is a site we are able to include in the USABID database. There are several criteria a site must meet in order for it to be a good candidate for the USABID database:

• The data must be presented in a format that we can work with. For example, we are not always able to work with PDF files.
• The site must not have any copyright or legal restrictions that would prohibit us from distributing the information.
• Some agencies advertise the presence of a Web site but not all state and local agencies necessarily post solicitation data on their site. If there is no procurement-related information on the site, then we cannot include it in our USABID listing. The site must publish at least three bids per month.

Keep in mind that OutreachSystems can only obtain the bid abstract. We do not post the entire bid package. In most cases a link will be provided in the bid opportunity to the complete bid notification.

Why do you sometimes have to pay for the bid package?

In some case, the client may need to purchase the bid package. OutreachSystems simply notifies your client of the potential bid opportunity within their industry. For example, we know that BidNet charges clients to obtain the bid package. BidNet essentially offers a low or no cost service to the state and local agencies to publish their bids, instead they charge contractors to obtain the complete bid package. It is up to the client to make the appropriate business decision as to whether they wish to purchase the bid package.

How can I advertise a bid opportunity not published on any agency website?

If your program works closely with an agency that doesn't post their open bid opportunities on their own hosted website and you would like to submit their bids for inclusion in the daily search then you may use the BidCenter option to enter their open contract information. To find out more about BidCenter, check out this FAQ entitled Can I use BidCenter to enter a new bid opportunity to be submitted to the Bid Match daily search program?.

Want more? Browse our extensive list of Neoserra FAQs.