We try to reach more contractors with PlanetBids because the system is widely used by the contracting community. We were also trying to minimize the occurrence of bid protest due to clerical errors. PlanetBids has helped us achieve both of our goals.

The online bid submittal process is the most impactful feature of the application. We previously used a system that advertised bids online but received hard copy bid documents. Planetbids helps eliminate the clerical errors in the bid tabulation, which is a major contributing factor in bid protests.

The numbering system in the Q&A response should be more flexible. When issuing batch responses, the user does not know the question number until the system assign them, therefore, make it difficult to reference a similar answer to the question.

I have used PlanetBids in multiple agencies and have found its utility to be an essential part of daily operations. It is easy to use, track, and manage.

I like the ability to consolidate all procurement activities onto one platform so that both staff and the public have access to all purchasing activities in one central location.

I do not like the fact that we are unable to set a release date on the system. For example, if I need a solicitation released on a day that I am unable to post it myself, it would be convenient to have that as an option, especially for our day-to-day smaller solicitations.

Procurement automation.

The price is reasonable and adds value for our department.

Not user friendly / intuitive, Needs hands son training.

Great experience thus far. Had some feedback with staff in regard to electronic evaluations and not wanting to use a sliding scale, staff want to give the exact score instead of having to give a lower/higher score based on a sliding scale. Working off a sliding scale has the potential for causing many proposals having to go through an interview process due to the score given when otherwise it would not have to.

easy to use once you know what to do. I like that the reports can be put into an excel file for easy access to share out with our departments.

improvement on the scoring section allowing users to input their actual score not on a sliding scale. I feel there are so many things our agency are not using since we do not know what all the possibilities are. Id like to see 3-5 minute how-to videos, i have attended some of the monthly trainings and there is so much information for me to retain, smaller chunks would be nice.

Planet Bids is easy to use for both my staff and for suppliers. We have often had suppliers tell us that Planet Bid's customer service is excellent. We too always receive a quick response if we have questions, comments or need assistance. I really like that they ask clients for feedback and use that feedback to make improvements.

I can't think of any cons, I think Planet Bids has potential that I haven't yet learned in the last three years.