Prior to the bid eBridge worked with the purchasing organization to create specifications, this allowed for multiple vendors to bid on the contract.  eBridge’s team also advised the client to structure the bid with both line item pricing and lump-sum.

One of the strongest differentiators in a reverse auction bid versus a traditional bid is the pre-qualification of suppliers.  In this case, each supplier submitted samples of the company’s items.  Suppliers were also pre-qualified to ensure they could fulfill the order requirements and meet delivery deadlines.

eBridge sourced multiple vendors and ultimately, the purchasing organization approved four suppliers to participate in the event.  First place changed hands eight times.  First and second place suppliers were separated by 0.33%, indicating that true market value was achieved.

Final low bids came in 17% below the state’s anticipated budget.