City of Brandon Launches Improved Purchasing & Tenders Web Portal

Accessing and submitting bid opportunities has never been easier for those doing business with the City of Brandon, thanks to the recent launch of an updated Purchasing & Tenders web portal on Brandon.ca.

Built in-house by the City of Brandon Information Technology Department and in consultation with City of Brandon Procurement Services, the augmented web portal provides functionality for bidders to easily download bid opportunity documents and directly submit bid packages via a secure online process, rather than the previously-required method of in-person or courier delivery. Posted bids are now listed by category and can also be searched by specific attributes such as an item’s name, file number, posting date or its current status. The updated site also offers a free subscription service that will email auto-notifications to interested bidders when new bid opportunities are posted in categories to which they subscribe.

“Procurement Services is very excited to launch this new and improved purchasing and tenders web service, which is anticipated will make the bidding process much more user-friendly and time-efficient for all involved,” notes City of Brandon Procurement Manager Lindsay Loree. “With this augmented service, the City of Brandon has maintained its commitment to provide free, public access to bid opportunities, and now our publicly-advertised bids have the potential to reach a larger, more varied pool of bidders, which benefits bidders, municipal administration, and the Brandon community at-large.”

Loree adds that implementing an online bid submission process, along with the addition of the email subscription service, aligns with the City of Brandon’s philosophy of integrating green procurement practices into day-to-day operations, as it reduces the need for physical paper printing, faxing and/or delivery.

“One of the City of Brandon Information Technology Department’s guiding goals is to streamline processes that create efficiencies,” adds City of Brandon Manager of Information Technology Colin Craig. “This project was particularly exciting for the department, in that our programmers were able to deliver on the features that Procurement Services desired, without incurring the costs of purchasing additional software.”

General information about conducting business with City of Brandon Procurement Services can be found at https://purchasing.brandon.ca/docs/Conducting_Business_with_Procurement_Services.pdf.

(City of Brandon Media Release)