PLANETBIDS ANNOUNCES NEW, UPDATED EPROCUREMENT PLATFORM

PLANETBIDS ANNOUNCES NEW,
UPDATED EPROCUREMENT PLATFORM

Public unveiling of landmark digital eco-system to take place at
CAPPO conference in Pasadena Jan. 30 to Feb. 2

(Los Angeles, Jan. 10, 2022) – On the anniversary of its founding in February 2000, PlanetBids unveils its new eProcurement platform, encapsulating 22 years of research on what the public, private, education and non-profit sectors need, from purchasing office supplies to bidding out multi-billion-dollar construction and development projects.

To mark this milestone, PlanetBids will present a panel discussion with seasoned purchasing professionals at the CAPPO conference on “The A to Z of eProcurement” for large and small agencies on Feb. 1 at 2:45 pm. PlanetBids also will be presenting live demos of the new platform at Booth 324 during the annual CAPPO conference.

The new digital platform goes well beyond procurement in offering a complete menu of “automated” business services for government, educational and transportation agency capital projects, including modules for procurement of ebonds and insurance certification and internal checking of other compliance requirements.

The new business modules, coupled with proven socio-political filters, allow PlanetBids clients to set diversity and sustainability goals when creating solicitations for their projects, placing PlanetBids in a league of its own.

Further distinguishing PlanetBids among the plethora of eProcurement software purveyors with headquarters and operations around the world, is the company’s unique position in the eProcurement industry. PlanetBids is:

Developed in the USA

Hosted in the USA

Supported in the USA

In an era where confidentiality of government information is paramount, PlanetBids is thoroughly vetted for its cloud-based bid management software, which exists entirely on servers in the U.S.

Based in Los Angeles, PlanetBids has proven its reliability to large and small government agencies, educational institutions, transit authorities, city governments and nonprofits across the United States. Clients include the mammoth 23-campus California State University system, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Port of Long Beach, and Indianapolis International Airport, home to the second-largest FedEx Express hub in the world, as well as municipalities such as Flagstaff, AZ, Hartford, CT, and Pasadena, CA. 

Special guest speakers at the CAPPO session on the A to Z of eProcurement on Feb. 1 at 2:45 pm are: Teri Carr, Construction Programs Administrator of the California State University system, Maria A. Quiroz, SBA manager at the San Diego Regional Airport Authority, Antonio Watson, project manager for the City of Pasadena, Stephanie DeWitt, Procurement and Risk Management for El Camino College, Alisa DeHoyos of the Hollywood Burbank Airport, and Ria Diaz of PlanetBids.

The PlanetBids team began mapping out the complete overhaul of its legacy program five years ago. “We were focused on completely transitioning all of the modules, known as the PB System™, to the new platform. In that process, not only did we provide a ‘facelift’ of each module, but we also introduced enhancements and took functionality that was embedded within a module and added it to the dashboard,” says Arpie Zavian, PlanetBids President and Co-Founder. “With crucial procurement analytics laid out on a dashboard, users can fully understand the flow of the bidding process and avail themselves of the digital eco-system that we have created.”

The updated dashboard features:

• Bid Management
• Bid Spec Library
• Project Evaluation
• Vendor Management
• Contract Management
• Insurance Management
• Emergency Operations
• Business Certification

Diversity has been a component of the PB System™ since its introduction in February of 2000. “Diversity has always been a part of our system. It is in our Business Certification module,” says Arpie Zavian. “Our architectural design for the evaluation and setting of diversity minimums on capital projects is unique.”

What that has meant for the entities that utilize the PB System™, is the ability to set standards for the diversity of staff employed by a vendor, such as a construction company or a supplier of products. “More than ever, agencies are being called upon to report their outreach efforts and contract spend to diverse target groups such as minority-owned, women-owned, Small Business Enterprises and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises,” says Arpie Zavian. “We compile diversity data on all of the vendors in the PB System™.”

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest water purveyor in the U.S. and a PlanetBids client, updated its Good Faith Effort for all construction contracts over $100,000 by mandating the awarded Prime contractor commitment to subcontracting at least 18% with certified SBE’s. Once the MWD moved their certification process online, they required contractors to record monthly payments to their SBE subcontractors. Ultimately, the agency increased its participation goal to 25%.

The San Diego Regional Airport Authority, another PlanetBids client, launched an inclusionary approach in bidding on its Green Build project, and recorded a whopping 25% Small Business and 87% Local Business through awarded contracts valued at $476 million, far exceeding its goals of 15% and 70%, respectively.

PlanetBids’ plans for 2022 include helping small agencies and municipalities that are deluged with paper bids, which they are required to store, plan their entry into the digital world. And once they are integrated, helping those agencies understand how to use the PB System™ to achieve their goals.

“We foresaw what the future would hold in the way of digital transactions back in 1997, when we first began designing the PlanetBids digital platform,” says Alan Zavian, PlanetBids CEO and Co-Founder. “Our mission is to help agencies and businesses small and large put their procurement processes on the internet. Automation is the key to best business practices.”

ABOUT PLANETBIDS

PlanetBids, Inc. is a cloud-based software that provides state-of-the-art bid management and related contract, insurance and business services for procurement professionals in the public, private, educational and non-profit sectors. The PB System™ helps Procurement connect with suppliers and vendors efficiently and cost effectively, setting standards and benchmarks for bidding, and providing A to Z management of a contract. PlanetBids, Inc. is a privately held Certified Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and US Corporation celebrating 22 years of excellence.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Go to Schedule a Demo or call us at 818.992.1771.