VBO Buyer User Guide
DRAFT
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 2 Create a SOLICITATION POSTING............................................................................................. 5 Create and Publish Solicitation................................................................................................... 6 Upload Attachments.............................................................................................................. 10 Select Commodity Codes...................................................................................................... 13 Save Solicitation ................................................................................................................... 16 Vendor Notifications............................................................................................................. 16 Update Bid Opening.................................................................................................................. 19 Update Notice of Intent to Award............................................................................................. 19 Update Notice of Award ........................................................................................................... 19 Amend a Solicitation..................................................................................................................... 20 Cancel a Solicitation ..................................................................................................................... 21 ERROR MESSAGES ................................................................................................................... 22 Error Message Behavior............................................................................................................ 22
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INTRODUCTION
The Commonwealth has implemented a new version of the VBO solicitation/award posting system that is called VBO Buyer. VBO Buyer is the official state web site for posting solicitation, addenda and award actions. It is also the official site for posting solicited and unsolicited proposals under the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA). Solicitations created using the eProcurement tool will automatically be posted to the VBO Buyer listing, including the associated Bid Opening, Notice of Intent to Award and Notice of Award. To use the application, users must have an eVA login and be granted access to the VBO Buyer tool. The setup required for a user is quick and can be requested either from the Agency eVA Team Lead or the DPS Account Executive. If you are with a Local Government or a Public Body, you may request access on- line at http://evalite.dgs.state.va.us Users should be familiar with the public posting requirements that govern their organization. For most State Agencies and Institutions, the following references apply: Agency Procurement Surplus Property Manual (APSPM) Chapter/Section 3.18 – Publicly Posted Notices. Chapter/Section 8.5 – Emergency Chapter/Section 9.3b Code of Virginia, 2.2-4360 – Award Notice Posting.
Accessing VBO Buyer
• From the eVA Home Page (www.eva.state.va.us), log in with your User Name and password.
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•
From the portal navigation pane l, select VBO Buyer.
The first page you see in VBO Buyer is the basic search page for VBO Solicitations, displaying your organization’s existing solicitations in the grid (table) at the top of the page. This is filtered by security, such that users see all solicitations for purchasing organizations (department /unit) they are authorized to do enter for.
Click on a column to re-sort
Click to page through the list
Search for VBO Solicitations
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As you click on an entry in the grid (table), it will be highlighted and you can scroll down to view the details for that entry. Navigating and using the Search page: • • • • • The most recent ly entered solicitation postings will be displayed first Re-sort the list by clicking on any underlined column Page through list with the FIRST PREV NEXT LAST buttons To view a specific entry, click on it and then scroll down to the solicitation fields Search using by clicking on the SEARCH link and entering your criteria
Search rules: enter dates as mm/dd/yyyy use an asterisk “*” as a wild card (ex. *smith*)
At this point you may: • • • • • • • Search for and access an existing VBO solicitation Create a new VBO solicitation entry Delete an un-Published solicitation (prior to Publish Date & Time) Post Amend ments/Addenda to a Published solicitation Cancel a Published solicitation (prior to Closing Date & Time) View the Vendor Notifications which lists the vendors that have been “pushed” Post Bid Opening, Notice of Intent to Award, and/or Notice of Award information for a closed solicitation
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CREATE A SOLICITATION POSTING
Use the appropriate button to create the type of solicitation posting that you need: Standard Posting, Sole-Source or Emergency
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WARNING: do not use “STANDARD POSTING” for a Sole-Source or Emergency. The Standard Posting will send emails/faxes to vendors.
Create and Publish Solicitation
Scroll down to view the data entry fields. Enter the solicitation information, noting that fields with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Click to add Attachments
Ø *Number – Solicitation Number (50) – must be unique for each solicitation Ø *Type - Solicitation type of the document - use the FIND button Ø *Category - Category associated with the document, which vendors will be use as a search value. Select using the Dropdown list.
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Categories
Construction – General
Building, altering, repairing, improving or demolishing any structure or building, and any draining, dredging, excavation, grading or similar work upon real property.
Printing
Printing services and products.
Equipment
All equipment excluding Technology.
Real Property
Lease of office space, purchase/sale of land, appraisals/broker services.
Highway Construction
Highway construction, services, supplies, maintenance and repair.
Services Ind/Consulting
Individual or Consulting including counseling, education, management and research, training and general consulting services.
Non-Professional – Services
Repairs, maintenance, buildings, and grounds and all others not included in Construction, Highway Construction, Services Ind/Consulting and Professional categories. PPEA – Public-Private Education and Infrastructure Act Public private partnership projects. Solicited or unsolicited.
Supplies
Food, clothing, textiles, office, medical, hardware supplies and materials, etc.
Surplus
Auction or sealed bid sale of state surplus property.
Professional – Services
Accounting, actuarial services, architecture, land surveying, landscape architecture, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, or professional engineering services.
Technology
Technology related procurements, including word processing, micro and mini-computers, peripherals, software, telecommunications, and support services.
Ø *Department - Department (Agency) that the document is being created for – your department will be the default value. If you are authorized to place advertisements for other agencies, use the FIND button to select the appropriate Department (Agency). Ø *Unit - Unit for which the document is being created. Your Unit will default in this field and will usually be the value “VBO” unless you are with a Local Government or Public Body in which case you may see a description of your organization. If you are authorized to place advertisements for other purchasing shops (Units) within your Agency/Organization, use the FIND button to select the appropriate Unit. Ø *Buyer Name - Name of individual who is the Procurement Professional on the solicitation – will default to your name, but can be changed (61) Ø *Buyer Phone Number - Contact phone number for Procurement Professional - will default to your phone number, but can be changed (30) Ø Buyer Phone Extension - Extension number for Procurement Professional, if applicable (6) Ø Buyer Fax Number - Contact fax number for Procurement Professional (30) Ø *Buyer Email Address - Email address for Procurement Professional - will default to your email address, but can be changed (100) Ø *Requestor Name - Name of individual, other than the Buyer, that you vendors can contact for information. Could be the person requesting the solicitation (on behalf of) or a Technical Contact. This will default to your name, but can be changed (61).
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Ø *Requestor Phone Number - Contact phone number for Requestor - will default to your phone number, but can be changed (30) Ø Requestor Phone Extension - Extension number for Requestor, if applicable (6) Ø Requestor Fax Number - Contact fax number for Requestor (individual requesting the solicitation). Ø *Requestor Email Address - Email address of Requestor - will default, but can be changed (100) Ø Version – System- generated Version number of the solicitation. The solicitation is Version 1 when it is first published. Each amendment or cancellation gets the next version number increment. For example, the first amendment to a solicitation would be Version 2. Ø Sole-Source/Emergency Type – Display only field. Will be blank for a Standard posting and will show “Sole-Source” or “Emergency” if posting is one of these. Ø *Published Date – Date that you want the Solicitation to be published on the eVA Vendor Portal. This date can be a current or future date. For Sole-Source and Emergency postings, this will default to today’s date. Ø *Published Time - Time that you want the Solicitation to be published on the eVA Vendor Portal. Select from the list of allowed ½ hour time increments. For SoleSource and Emergency postings, this will default to the next available publishing time today’s date. WARNING: if the Publish Date/Time passes before entering commodity codes entry or completing your attachments, then you must use “Amend Posting” to finish. Ø Amended Date – Display only showing the date the Solicitation was last amended. If this is Version 1, this field will be blank. (Not used with the initial posting) Ø Cancel Date – Display only showing the date the Solicitation was cancelled. (Not used with the initial posting) Ø *Description - Text field for entering a description of the Solicitation (1500) LOCAL GOVT: always begin this field with the name of your organization. (e.g. Hanover Volunteer Fire Dept: Seeking services for…) Ø *Short Description - Text field for entering a short description of the Solicitation. This field will be displayed as the Description on the Solicitation Search page in the eVA Vendor Portal (60). LOCAL GOVT: always begin this field with the name of your organization. (e.g. Hanover Volunteer Fire Dept: Seeking services for…). Ø Amendment Information - Text field for entering a description of the Amendment/Cancellation to the Solicitation. . (Not used with the initial posting) Ø *Closing Date - Solicitation closing date after which responses will no longer be accepted. For Standard postings, this date must be equal to or greater than the Publish Date. For Sole-Source and Emergency postings this should be the date that the quote was received.
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Ø *Closing Time - Solicitation closing time after which responses will no longer be accepted. For Standard postings, this time, in conjunction with the Closing Date, must be greater than the Publishing Date and Time. For Sole-Source and Emergency postings this should be the time that the quote was received. Ø Public Bid Opening Date – If applicable to the solicitation, the date that all bids will be publically opened. If entered, this date must be equal to or greater than the Closing Date. Ø Public Bid Opening Time - If applicable to the solicitation, the time that all bids will be publically opended. Required if a Public Bid Opening Date is entered. If entered, this time, in conjunction with the Public Bid Opening Date, must be equal to or greater than the Closing Date and Time. Ø Pre-Bid Conference Type - Type of Pre-Bid Conference: Pre-Bid Conference, Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference, Pre-Proposal Conference, or Mandatory PreProposal Conference. Ø Pre-Bid Conference Date - Date for the Pre-Bid Conference. This is a required field if a Pre-Bid Conference Type is chosen. For Standard postings, must be greater than Publishing Date and less than Closing Date. For Sole-Source and Emergency postings this Date must be in the past and less than the Closing Date. Ø Pre-Bid Conference Time - Time for the Pre-Bid Conference. This is a required field if a Pre-Bid Conference Type is chosen. For Standard postings, this time, in conjunction with the Pre-Bid Conference Date, must be greater than Publishing Date/Time and less than Closing Date/Time. For Sole-Source and Emergency postings this must be in the past and less than the Closing Date/Time. Ø Attachments - Click on the Attachments link to view or attach files to the solicitation. Ø Bid Opening, Notice of Intent to Award and Notice of Award sections : For SoleSource and Emergency postings, you must enter text in at least one of the Description fields. You may also add attachments specific to these sections. These sections are discussed in more detail later in this guide. Once you have completed entry of the solicitation fields, click the SAVE link.
Note the popup warning message that reminds you when the system will attempt to publish your solicitation posting and that it will not successfully publish a Standard posting if there are no Commodity Codes. If you do not have enough time to finish your posting, edit the Publish Date/Time fields and SAVE again.
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If the system identifies any errors while doing the SAVE, a yellow message bar will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Click on the yellow bar to open the error message window. NOTE: you must resolve/correct all errors or your solicitation posting will not be saved. For a complete list of errors and the associated corrections, refer to the Appendix of this guide.
Upload Attachments
Use the Attachments button to add the solicitation files.
Click to add attachments
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Click on the Attachments button to open to the Attachments page. Note that the system will do an automatic SAVE when you click this button. If there are any errors then you will not be taken to the Attachment screen and will instead be shown the yellow message bar at the bottom of the screen.
As discussed in the previous section of this guide, you must resolve/correct all errors before you can proceed. Click on the yellow bar to open the error message window. For a complete list of errors and the associated corrections, refer to the Appendix of this guide.
Click to find your files
Click on the Upload link to find the file you want to attach.
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Use the Browse… button to open the “Choose file” window.
Find the file on your computer or your network and click the OPEN button. You will be returned to the Upload Attachment screen. Enter a Description (60) of the attachment and click UPLOAD on this screen to add the attachment to your solicitation posting. NOTE: the recommended file format/type for attachments is Adobe PDF. You will be returned to the Attachments screen and where you will see that the file is now listed.
At this you may: • • • • • continue uploading attachments by following the same sequence of steps view the attachment by first highlighting it (click on it) and then clicking on “ delete the attachment by first highlighting it (click on it) and then clicking on “Delete” review the a log of your attachment activity by clicking on “View Attachment History” finish your attachments by clicking on “Return to Solicitation” Suggestion: You may want to use attachments in PDF format.
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Once you have completed uploading your attachments, click the SAVE link.
As noted earlier in this guide, you will see a popup warning message that reminds you when the system will attempt to publish your solicitation posting. Make sure you still have sufficient time to select Commodity Codes.
Select Commodity Codes
Commodity Codes are required for ALL types of posting (Standard, Sole-Source and Emgency). You may enter as many Commodity Codes as necessary to adequately describe your solicitation. WARNING: Postings will NOT become visible to vendors (i.e. publish) without Commodity Codes. If the Publish Date/Time passes before entering commodity codes, then use “Amend Posting”. Scroll down to the Commodity Code section which is directly below the Solicitation information. Initially the screen shows that you do not have any codes selected.
Click Insert to enter Commodity
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To add Commodity Codes: 1. Click on Insert. You will be taken back to the top of the screen. Scroll down and you will now see a field for entry of your first commodity code. See the screen below.
Type Commodity here, OR
Search/find for a Commodity
Ø *Commodity - The 5 digit NIGP commodity code(s) associated with your solicitation. Ø *Description - The description for the selected NIGP commodity code or class. 2. Enter your Commodity Code in the box or click on the Find button to search for Commodity Codes.
Use wildcards to search: Description: “ * “ before & after (e.g. *PAINT”) Code: “*” after (e.g. 232*) Click the SEARCH button
3. From the Commodities pick list, enter a search term to find all commodity descriptions containing the term or the beginning of a code number to see a series.
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NOTE: be sure to use wildcards (*) before and after your text for description searches and only after on code searches. Then click on the SEARCH button.
Click on Next to see and select more codes
Your search may return multiple pages of codes. Page through the m using the First, Prev, Next, or Last links.
Select your commodities
4. When you find the code (or codes) you want, select them by clicking in the checkboxes. You may pick one or more codes from any of the pages of this search result. Click Select. WARNING: doing a new Search before clicking SELECT will uncheck your choices.
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Review your selections
5. You will be returned to the top of your the solicitation posting. Scroll down to view your selected Commodity codes. You can add other codes by repeating the Insert step as needed. You can also remove a code from the list by selecting the checkbox next to the code and clicking on Delete.
Save Solicitation
When all of the required fields have been entered including commodity codes, and the solicitation attachments uploaded, you can click on the Save link at the bottom of the screen to store the solicitation information. You may access and edit/change this information anytime before the Publish Date/Time. Simply overtype the data. Once the Publish Date/Time have passed, the solicitation will automatically and immediately be visible to vendors. For Standard solicitations, the system will also distribute (push) an email or fax notification to any Premium Vendor location that has registered for any of the Commodity Codes you have selected. Sole-Source and Emergency postings will not be pushed. See the next section in this guide for additional information regarding these notifications.
Vendor Notifications
View vendors that are selected to receive Notifications
For Standard solicitations, once the Publish Date/Time has passed the system will distribute (push) an email or fax notification to any Premium Vendor location that has
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registered for any of the Commodity Codes on the posting. The push will also occur for any posted amend ments to the Standard solicitation or if it is cancelled. REMINDER: You can only Amend or Cancel a solicitation while it is OPEN. Sole-Source and Emergency postings will not be pushed. Once the Standard solicitation is published and pushed, the Notification link becomes active and will list all vendor locations that were notified. The list will also identify any vendor that has indicated that they want solicitations sent to them through the U.S Mail. Click on View Notifications to view the list.
Click on a column to sort
To sort the list of Vendors, click on any of the underlined column titles. The list identifies the Notification Type that they selected in their registration. Vendors with Email or Fax Notification Type will be notified automatically by VBO. Vendors with Postal Service need to be notified by the Buyer. You cannot update any information on this screen. To view only the Postal Service vendors, click on the Update Send Date for Postal Notifications. REMINDER: buyers will continue to receive a confirmation email listing all email and fax vendors that were notified. The following fields are displayed on this screen: Ø Solicitation - Number associated with the document. This number will be displayed as the Solicitation number in Vendor Self Service (Vendor Portal).
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Ø Vendor - The System ID for the Vendor location that has been selected for notification. Ø Legal Name - The location legal name that the vendor has registered in eVA Vendor Portal. Ø VSS User - The User ID of the individual at that location that will receive the notification. Ø Notification Type - The notification method that the vendor has selected. If it is email or fax, the system will automatically notify the vendor and list the Date Sent. If it is postal, the Buyer needs to manually print the solicitation posting and send it to the vendor. The Buyer can then update this list to record the Date Sent. Ø Email/Fax - The email address or fax number used by VBO Buyer for the notification. Ø Date Sent - The date that notification was sent to the vendor. For postal situations, the Buyer enters this date by clicking on Update Send Date for Postal Notifications . The Postal Notification Updates feature allows you to log the date that you sent the solicitatio n information to the Postal Service vendors. After notifying the vendors, click on Update Send Date for Postal Notifications .
Date Sent For each vendor, either enter the date (mm/dd/yyyy format) or usethe popup calendar tool to select a date. Then click Save. If necessary, you can enter corrections to these dates at anytime. When finished entering dates, click the Back button at the bottom of the screen to return to the Notifications page. NOTE: the Sent Date column will not show your entries until you refresh the page either by re-sorting it or by exiting and returning to the list. To return to the solicitation posting screen, click the BACK button at the bottom of the page.
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Update Bid Opening
After the solicitation closes, you can enter the information on the Bid Opening.
Click the triangle to hide or display the Description boxes. Enter your details in the Description box, and upload any attachments using the Attachments button. If you do not see the Description field, click the arrow icon next to the Bid Opening Section title to see the entry fields.
Update Notice of Intent to Award
If the Procurement Professional chooses to post a Notice of Intent to Award, update this section of the solicitation. Click the arrow icon next to the Intent to Award Section title to see the entry fields. Upload any attachments using the Attachments button.
Update Notice of Award
If the Procurement Professional chooses to post a Notice of Award, update this section of the solicitation. Click the arrow icon next to the Award Section title to see the entry fields. Upload any attachments using the Attachments button.
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AMEND A SOLICITATION
Solicitations can only be amended when they are still Open (prior to Closing Date and Time). Once they reach Closed, Bids Opened, Intent Posted, Awarded, or Cancelled status, the y cannot be Amended. (The Amend Entry link is no longer active.) Find the solicitation to be amended using the Search link or by sorting/paging as described earlier in this guide.
Amend Posting
New Version Number
Once you locate and click on your solicitation, click on the Amend Posting link. A new version of the solicitation posting will open with then next Version number. Make all necessary changes. Complete the names, dates, and upload the attachments just as if you were creating the original solicitation. Select the Publish Date/Time as described earlier in this guide. When complete, click Save. Once the Publish Date/Time pass, the system will make the new version of the solicitation posting visible to the vendors and will push notifications to the appropriate Premium registered vendor locations.
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CANCEL A SOLICITATION
Solicitations can only be cancelled when they are still Open (prior to Closing Date and Time). Once they reach Closed, Bids Opened, Intent Posted, Awarded, or Cancelled status, they cannot be Cancelled. (The Cancel link is no longer active.) NOTE: to cancel a solicitation that has already closed, the Buyer should post a “No Award” or similar notice using he Notice of Award section of the posting. Find the solicitation to be cancelled using the Search link or by sorting/paging as described earlier in this guide.
Cancel Posting
New Version Number
Once you locate and click on your solicitation, click on the Cancel Posting link. A new version of the solicitation posting will open with then next Version number. Note that the Publish Date and Time are automatically selected as the next posting time. Enter any explanation or necessary information in the Amendment Information box. When complete, click Save. Once the Publish Date/Time pass, the system will make the cancelled version of the solicitation posting visible to the vendors and will push notifications to the appropriate Premium registered vendor locations.
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ERROR MESSAGES
Error Message Behavior
Any time your solicitation posting is saved the system will do a validation of the information you have entered. This includes not only the required fields but also specific business rules with other fields. The system executes a save when the SAVE link or an Attachment button is selected. It is important to note that your posting will NOT be saved unless all errors are resolved/corrected. When there are errors, the user is presented with a yellow bar at the bottom of the screen.
Error Message Bar
Click on the yellow bar to open the detailed error message window.
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The system does not check for all possible errors at once. You may find that the system will not check the rest of your information until you have corrected the first set of errors that have been identified. Again, it is important that you continue to make corrections until you are able to SAVE and not get this yellow error bar. The following table lists, alphabetically, the error messages that you may see while using the system and the corrective action you should take.
Error Message Action not authorized for the current user. What it Means – Corrective Action § Unit field is blank § or, you entered an invalid value. For all users except eVALite, should enter "VBO" § you did not choose a VBO Category § the Close Date/Time you entered is in the future. This should be the date/time for the solicitation close. § you have chosen a Public Bid opening before the solicitation closes. § you have left either the Close Date or Close Time blank. § the field is blank. You did an INSERT but did not enter a Commodity Code. § or, you tried to delete an empty commodity INSERT. You must enter a value and then use the delete.
Category is required. Closing Date and time cannot be greater than Current Date and time (A2223) Closing Date cannot be greater than Public Bid Opening Date (A2223) Closing Date is required
Commodity is required.
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Department is required. Invalid Dept (A111), Unit (T01), Fiscal Year (2004) combination. Cannot obtain the remaining Org codes. Error while checking security on row data. Missing Bid Description. This entry is required. (V139) Missing Bid Short Description. This entry is required. (V139) Missing Buyer Email. This entry is required. (V139) Missing Buyer Name. This entry is required. (V139) Missing Buyer Phone. This entry is required. (V139)
§ your do not have your Agency Code in the Department field. § you are not completely setup to use the VBO. Contact AMS Customer Care or your Account Executive. § you did not enter a description for the solicitation. § you did not enter a short description. § the Buyer Email field is either blank or does not have an "@" in the email address. § the Buyer Name field is blank. § the field is blank § or, there are too many characters, should be format of 804-123-1234 § the Requestor Email field is either blank or does not have an "@" in the email address. § the Requestor Name field is blank. § the field is blank § or, there are too many characters, should be format of 804-123-1234 § the Unit field is blank, § you left the Solicitation Number field blank § you have left either Solicitation Number, Department or Unit fields blank. § your Pre-Bid conference is scheduled in the past. § or, Pre-Bid conference is scheduled after the solicitation close § Publish Date is blank § your Close Date/Time are before the date you want the solicitation posted. § Publish Time is blank § you have entered something other than a standard phone number, should be format of 804-123-1234 § you have entered something other than a standard phone number, should be format of 804-123-1234 § you entered an invalid value for Unit. For all users except eVALite, should enter "VBO" § you have left the Type field blank § you have the same Commodity Code listed more than once. You must change the extra entry to a different number before the system will let you delete it or save. § you have said that you are having a Pre-Bid Conference, but did not specify a Date and Time. § Sole Source or Emergency ads require you to enter something in one of these three fields.
Missing Requestor Email. This entry is required. (V139) Missing Requestor Name. This entry is required. (V139) Missing Requestor Phone. This entry is required. (V139)
Missing Unit Code. This entry is required. (V139) Number is required Object 'R_NAP_SO' has no valid primary key value, action aborted Pre-Bid Conference Date and Time must be greater than Published Date and Time and less than Close Date and Time. (C011) Published Date is required. Published Date/Time cannot be greater than Closing Date/Time (A2223) Published Time is required. The data entered for Buyer Phone Number is invalid
The data entered for Requestor Phone Number is invalid The Unit Code does not exist on the Unit Table. (A761) Type is required. unique constraint (APPCOMM.PKEY_R_NAP_SO_COMM) violated
Unknown message: c:C010,v:Pre-Bid Conference Type/Date/Time% You are required to enter a description in at least one of the following sections: Bid Opening, Notice of Intent to Award, Notice of Award (V181)
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