Overview | Status Flow | Header | Vendors | Items | Advertise | T&C | Attach | Addenda | Send the Solicitation | What's After the Solicitation
For a definition of fields, please see the Help Document "Data Dictionary" from the PRO System.
Overview [Back to Top]
What is a Solicitation?
A solicitation is the request for price quotes from a vendor.
How is a Solicitation created?
A solicitation can be created by a Department, or by the Purchasing office, depending on the estimated cost of the purchase.
A department solicitation can be created from a requisition once the requisition has been approved and is in RAPP status. Click the Create Solicitation button on the Requisition Header screen. The Solicitation Header screen will display.
The purchasing office can create a solicitation once the requisition has been Released to Purchasing. (RPUR status)
What are the Types of Solicitations that can be created?
Solicitations can have different statuses, each of which will determine the print format. The types for solicitation are as follows:
Construction A formal or informal solicitation where price quotes are obtained to perform facility modifications, renovations, or new construction projects. Bids are solicited from a single vendor or multiple vendors by fax or in writing or by sealed bids, depending on dollar value. Such solicitations are limited to use by purchasing departments and offices of facility services at each campus.
Invitation to Bid A formal solicitation where competitive price quotes are obtained from vendors by sealed bids, with public notice given by advertising. Bids are strictly evaluated against the ITB specifications and awarded based on lowest responsive price.
Request for Proposal A formal solicitation where sealed proposals are obtained from vendors to provide a solution to a problem or desired outcome, with public notice given by advertising. Proposals may be judged and awarded based on price as well as other weighted factors.
Request for Quotation An informal solicitation where competitive price quotes are obtained from vendors by fax or in writing, without formal advertising or receipt of sealed bids.
Status Flow[Back to Top]
Solicitation statuses determine where in the process the solicitation is. Statuses also determine if information can be changed. The statuses for solicitation are as follows.
INC (Incomplete) - At this status, the solicitation has been created and users can change any information.
ADV (Advertised) - At this status, an advertisement has been created for the solicitation.
RLV (Released to Vendor) - The solicitation has been released to vendors.
ADD (Addenda)- At least one addendum has been created.
Header[Back to Top]
* This screen is required to add a Solicitation.
The following fields are required on the Solicitation Header screen. Any information available on the requisition will copy forward to the solicitation, once Add is clicked to add the solicitation.
If the solicitation is created by clicking the Create Solicitation button on the Requisition Header screen, the requisition number will automatically populate. If the solicitation is created by using the Procurement - Solicitation - Create link at the top of the screen, the requisition number will be required.
The solicitation type is required. Please see Solicitation Types for an explanation of types.
The Original Bid Due Date and Time is required. Time must be entered in the military format.
The Advertise flag defaults to N. If an advertisement is required for the solicitation, the flag must be changed to Y to access the Advertise screen.
Vendors[Back to Top]
* This screen is required to add a Solicitation.
Vendors to which the solicitation will be sent must be added to the vendor screen. Vendors that were added on the requisition will automatically be added to the solicitation.
Vendors are added to the solicitation in the same manner they are added to the requisition. Vendors can be added by entering the vendor number and location number in the vendor number fields or by searching the vendor database. For detailed instruction please see the vendor section of the Requisition help document.
Items[Back to Top]
* This screen is required to add a Solicitation.
A solicitation must have items.
Items can be added to the solicitation or they can be copied from the requisition.
Items can be added to the solicitation in the same manner they were added to the requisition. For help adding items, please see the Items section of the Requisition help document.
To copy items to the solicitation from the requisition, click the copy button at the bottom of the screen. A window will appear that displays the items on the requisition. Select the items to copy to the solicitation by checking the box to the left of the item ( arrow A in Figure1), or by checking the Copy All box above the list of items ( arrow B in Figure1). Once all desired items are checked, click Copy. This is shown in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1:
Advertise[Back to Top]
This screen is not required to add a solicitation.
Advertisements are created by purchasing offices only.
The Ad type is required. The Ad types are as follows:
Request for Proposal
Title 38 External
Title 38 Internal
Title 39
At least one run date is also required. Up to three run dates can be entered.
Once the Add button is clicked, the Ad Content will populate the solicitation title and allow update. An Add number will also be assigned and the Ad will be added to the Added Advertisements Summary.
Journals to which the ad will be sent must be selected. To select journals, click on the Ad Number in the Added Advertisements Summary. Click the Continue button. Journals are vendors therefore, to add journals, enter the vendor number and location number in the Vendor Nbr field or click Search Journals to Add. The search will allow you to search the vendor database for journals.
This screen is not required to add a solicitation.
Terms and Conditions can be added to the solicitation, or copied from the requisition to the solicitation.
Terms and Conditions are added to the solicitation in the same manner they are added on the requisition. For help adding terms and conditions, please see the T & C section of the Requisition help document.
To copy terms and conditions from the requisition to the solicitation, click on the Copy button at the bottom of the screen. A window will display listing the terms and conditions on the requisition. Click the box to the left of the term and condition to copy one at a time ( arrow A in Figure 2), or click the box at the top of the screen that says "Copy All" ( arrow B in Figure 2). Click Copy and all selected terms and conditions will copy to the solicitation. This is shown below in Figure 2.
Figure 2:
Attach[Back to Top]
This screen is not required to add a solicitation.
Attachments can be added to the solicitation or copied from the requisition. Attachments are added to the solicitation in the same manner attachments were added to the requisition. For help adding attachments, please see the Attach section in the Requisition Help document.
To copy attachments from the requisition to the solicitation, click on the Copy button at the bottom of the screen. A window will display listing the attachments on the requisition. Click the box to the left of the attachment to copy one at a time ( arrow A in Figure 3), or click the box at the top of the screen that says "Copy All" ( arrow B in Figure 3). Click Copy and all selected attachments will copy to the solicitation. This is shown below in Figure 3.
Figure 3:
Once the solicitation has been created and completed, it can be sent to vendors.
In order to send the solicitation to vendors, click on the Action button in the top right corner of the screen. The Action button looks like this :
A submenu will appear. Click on Send.
A list of all documents available to send will display. These documents can be the solicitation, any addenda, and attachments. Click the box to the left of the documents that need to be sent. Click the Add Selected Documents button. The Available Documents list will display with the status as PROCESSED and the date and time next to the documents that were selected to be sent.
Next, click the Add Vendors button to choose which vendors a solicitation should be sent to. A screen will appear that displays vendors. All vendors that were listed on the solicitation will be listed.
The first drop down box at the top of the screen is Correspondence Type. Use this drop down to choose the method of sending for all vendors. Click the Correspond All button to change the Corr code on all vendors.
Click the check box to the left of all vendors the solicitation will be sent to. Use the Corr Code drop down to choose a method of correspondence for each vendor (if different than Correspondence Type chosen at the top of the screen). Click the button Add Selected Vendors. Next click the Send button to send these documents.
The status of the solicitation will change to RLV and a link will appear to the documents. If mail or fax was chosen, print the document and send it accordingly to the vendor.
Addenda[Back to Top]
This screen is not required to create a solicitation.
An addendum can only be created when the status of the solicitation is RLV (Released to Vendor).
An addendum can be created to alter the solicitation. If the addendum will change the due date and time, enter the new due date and time on the Solicitation Header screen.
To add an addendum, go to the Addenda screen. Enter the text of the addendum (explain the changes being made) in the Addenda text field. Click Add.
To send the addendum, go to the send screen and follow the above instructions on sending.
What's After the Solicitation [Back to Top]
Once a solicitation has been released to the vendor, bids will be received. Click on the Create Bid button on the Solicitation Header screen to enter the received bid. For instructions on the Bid screens, see the Bid Help Document.