Let the (vendor) world know where to find your bid opportunities
It doesn’t take much time for our newest buying organizations to have their own branded page set up on BidNet Direct, along with a quick training on how to publish that first solicitation. This quick onboarding experience leaves many public purchasing professionals wondering, “How are my vendors going to know where to find our open bids?” BidNet Direct has helped hundreds of local government agencies spread the word about utilizing the platform, and the workload is on us!
Vendor communication via email
Many of the vendors that your organization does business with are likely one of the tens of thousands of vendors already registered on BidNet Direct. To alert vendors already on the system and those new to it that your open solicitations and documents will now be available on the platform, BidNet Direct will send out a letter announcing the good news. This letter will also contain information on where to register, for those vendors that have not already done so. Of course, you can always add any specific message to this letter or edit it at will.
Press and social media
Another great way to spread the word is through a press release. BidNet Direct can distribute this press release on your behalf, or if your in-house communications team would prefer, they can handle the distribution themselves. Either way, BidNet Direct takes care of the heavy lifting here too by writing a press release that is created specifically for your organization, but completely customizable if changes are needed. In addition to the release being distributed online, the message is also placed on BidNet Direct’s website and sent out via multiple social media platforms to reach the vendor community.
Notice and link on website
If you have previously used your organization’s website to post your solicitations, vendors are likely still going to visit the website to find out how to do business with your agency. This is why it is important to make note within the purchasing section (or whatever section currently lists bid or purchasing information) that all open solicitations can now be found on BidNet Direct and the associated regional Purchasing Group. The BidNet Direct team will send you a link to place on your website that leads directly to your organization’s branded page. Many of our participating agencies also place a link within the signature lines of their buyers’ emails.
Your open solicitations
Ultimately, one of the best ways to spread the word is simply to send out your first notice and solicitation through BidNet Direct. With the large existing vendor database, and tools such as Courtesy Email to alert non-matching vendors of your open solicitation, your outreach will expand. Registered vendors will receive an email notification the minute you post your first solicitation. In addition, your branded page is set up to be search-engine friendly when vendors are searching on Google or other sites looking for your open solicitations.
It is important to let the vendor community know how to do business with your local government organization. BidNet Direct makes it easy to notify vendors that all of your upcoming solicitations can now be found online, right alongside so many other participating agency bids.
Find out how BidNet Direct can help your government organization today! 
