by Wendy Crites, Info Tech Inc.

Beginning in September 1999, the Georgia DOT (GADOT) began accepting bids for construction proposals over the Internet using AASHTO’s Trns•port Expedite™ software and Info Tech’s Bid Express™ service. On November 19, 1999 the GADOT had their third production letting for Internet bid submission. Out of the 76 bid submissions received, 32 of those were submitted via the Internet using Bid Express and Expedite.

This is a significant milestone in improving the bid letting process and making it easier and less costly for both contractors and the DOT. Now contractors can receive all the necessary information to prepare their bid over the Internet, prepare their bid submission using Expedite, and submit their completed bid proposal over the Internet using the Bid Express service. The DOT is able to electronically process the bid information and post results to the Bid Express Internet site within minutes of the bid opening.

Info Tech significantly enhanced Bid Express (www.bidx.com) to support the electronic transfer of bids over the Internet reliably and securely. Bid Express is a web-based bidding information service for highway construction project bidding. Bidding information from DOTs is published on the site for contractors (one-way bidding), and bids can also be sent through the site from contractors to DOTs (two-way bidding).

GADOT had been using Expedite (previously EBS/Electronic Bidding System), where contractors would complete and submit their bids on disk with a hard copy. However, contractors would still have to incur the expense and time to travel to Atlanta to submit bids.

"We have been working with our contractors for some time to continue improving our bid submission system," said Lem Dobbs, State Transportation Office Engineer for GADOT. "Our contractors expressed great interest in implementing a system of submitting bids over the Internet."

Other states, such as Michigan, South Carolina, Iowa and New Mexico, are seeing the benefits Georgia is enjoying through electronic bidding via the Internet and will also be doing on-line bidding later this year.

"Each time we’ve had a letting, more and more contractors submit their bids online," Dobbs said. "Contractors are saving time and money by not having to travel to Atlanta to submit bids. It’s just more convenient for them to submit bids over the Internet."

"Receiving bids over the Internet using Bid Express cuts down significantly on bid errors and needing to re-key information," Dobbs said. "So the DOT is saving time and expense as well."

The process of electronic bidding is an easy one. DOTs post their bid documents and addenda on Bid Express. Contractors access the site to obtain the information. Contractors use Expedite (which they download free from the DOT website) to prepare and check their bids. They then submit their bids over the Internet using Expedite to connect to Bid Express.

Security is assured by the use of maximum encryption technology, digital signatures and private and public key codes. Expedite automatically encrypts bid files with the DOTs public key and "signs" the file with the bidder’s secret key. Digital IDs are issued to each bid signer to prove the identity of the contractor signing the bid. During the bid submission process, Expedite encrypts the completed bid with the DOT public key, signs the bid with signer’s Digital ID private key and sends the file to the Bid Express web server, where it is stored for the DOT until bid opening day. The contractor is sent a receipt when the bid is received on the server. Through the system of public and private keys, the bid files are unreadable by anyone except the DOT on bid opening day, even if intercepted. Contractors can withdraw or replace their bids at any time prior to opening.

DOTs pay a one-time fee for the setup and training required for two-way bidding over the Internet. Contractors submitting bids electronically must pay a monthly $25 subscription fee to access the service. All bid signers must also pay a one-time $50 fee to register their individual digital IDs.

For more information about Bid Express or Expedite software, contact Info Tech, Inc. at (352) 381-4400.