As a prime contractor using the Bid Express Small Business Network, you can create requests for subcontractors. Once created, these requests can be published and edited, or withdrawn and then republished. You can set the expiration date for the request and specify if a DBE is preferred.
To access the Bid Express SBN for prime contractors, click the Small Business Network tab. If the heading says Subcontractor View, click the SBN for Prime Contractors link in the upper right corner.
The Prime Contractor View page has two tables. The first displays the sub-quote requests from your agency. The second is unsolicited sub-quote requests sent by subcontractors to your agency.
The Sub-quote Requests table displays sub-quotes created by you. If the requests has been read or replied to by a subcontractor, the Bid Express® service shows this information.
From this table, you can publish or withdraw a sub-quote request, edit a request, hide a request, or make a hidden request visible.
If you create a sub-quote request that you no longer what subcontractors to view, click Hide. The Bid Express service hides the unwanted request. You cannot hide published request or requests that have not yet been published. If you wish to hide a published sub-quote request, you must first withdraw it. You can also hide requests that are past the expiration date.
You cannot edit, publish, or withdraw a hidden request.
To see hidden requests, click View Hidden. Click Show to make the request visible again.
The Bid Express Small Business Network keeps track of how many subcontractors have read or replied to your sub-quote request. Click the Reads and Replies link to see the subcontractors who viewed your sub-quote request and access the replies.
Click on the Letting Date to open the details of the letting on which your sub-quote request is based. Click the Call Order-Proposal to see the proposal details on which your sub-quote request is based.
You can only delete sub-quote requests that is past the expiration date or has no replies. Click the red X in the request's row to delete the request. Once deleted, the information in the sub-quote request is also deleted and cannot be used in report information.
Subcontractors can create quotes for items that have not been requested and send you the unsolicited sub-quote. These quotes are listed in the Unsolicited Sub-quotes table and shows the letting and proposal for which the quote was created, the name of the company that created the quote, when it was sent, and when it expires.
To see an unsolicited sub-quote, click the sub-quote number in the Unsolicited Sub-quote column. The Bid Express service displays the quote details. Click respond if you wish to send a message to the subcontractor who sent the unsolicited sub-quote or click SBN Landing Page in the navigation trail to return to the prime contractor view.
You will receive an email if another contractor publishes a request that contains work types that correspond to ones you've requested.
Click one of the following topics for more information:
Withdraw and Republish a Sub-quote Request
View or Respond to a Sub-quote Reply