What Is A Plan Holder List In Government Bidding? And Why Does It Matter?

A plan holders list is a compilation of all vendors who have accessed a solicitation’s specs and documents. It may also be called a document request list or document holder list. The plan holders list is often an important part of the bidding process in the public sector.

Why Is It Important To View The Plan Holder List?

Government buyers often get requests from other suppliers to see the plan holders or document request list, especially with construction bids and other bidding opportunities with a strong sub/prime relationship. The plan holder lists are an important part of the supplier community which can help them build relationships and network with one another. Knowing which suppliers and sub-contractors are interested in a specific project is very useful to other suppliers during the bid response process. To make it easy for the suppliers to find this list, many government buyers will have the plan holder list readily available or use a platform such as Bidnet Direct that allows buyers to make it available as an option per solicitation.

In addition, government buyers often need to show via a public or internal audit the steps taken during the process of publishing a bid solicitation, which suppliers were notified of this open opportunity, who had an interest in bidding, and ultimately, how many companies did submit a bid response. The plan holders list can be used by the government buyer as a sort of receipt to show the number and volume of potential bidders interested and who have downloaded documents.

Can You View The Plan Holder List On Bidnet Direct?

The answer is Yes! On Bidnet Direct, it is up to the participating government agency whether they make the plan holders list (or Document Request List as it is known on Bidnet Direct), accessible to all registered suppliers, or only use the information internally within their buying organization. Please note, that all suppliers who download one or more documents/specifications related to a solicitation will become part of the plan holder list.

The buying organization can see your full Supplier Profile when viewing the list and as well as the documents downloaded, and any addenda viewed. However, if the information is made available to suppliers, only limited information will be viewable, including your Company Name, Main Contact Name, Email, and Phone number this will help companies who may be looking for potential partnerships or collaborations on the bid response or award.

For registered supplier, browse through a participating agency's solicitation to see if they have an available plan holder list or document request list. If you are new to Bidnet Direct, register today to access our participating agencies solicitations.