Atlantic County will soon start taking bids using a new automated online bidding service during its transition to full paperless bidding.
“This system will improve the process on both ends, for our staff and most importantly, for our vendors,” Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said in a release. “It will eliminate the costs for vendors to hand deliver bids or hire someone to do it for them. It will also provide automated notifications to vendors of bid solicitations and check for errors if information has been omitted prior to submission.”
The county awarded a $103,000 contract to Bid Express late last year and began training staff and notifying vendors of the upcoming transition. According to Purchasing Director Palma Conover, the county will start using the new system this summer with the goal of being fully paperless by the end of the year.
Conover noted that vendors will have secure access to their bids and will also be able to correct or modify their bids prior to each bid submission deadline. They will also be notified if all required documents are not completed rather than facing rejection of a bid for that reason.
Vendors must be registered at www.bidexpress.com to be notified of future Atlantic County bid opportunities.They will then receive notices and be able to review each solicitation they want to bid on electronically.
“We believe this electronic bidding system will help streamline the process and also save a tremendous amount of paper and time needed to prepare hard copy bids,” Levinson said.
While the Bid Express system is used by many organizations with associated fees, the county is waiving any fees for vendors bidding on Atlantic County projects.
In other business, the county announced that the South Jersey Economic Development District has made a final payment on a loan that helped it survive and thrive.
Ten years ago, the SJEDD, representing Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties, was bankrupt with significant debt. Today, the federally-funded agency that coordinates regional economic development initiatives is debt-free after making its final payment on a $275,000 loan to the Atlantic County Improvement Authority, three years earlier than expected. The ACIA had provided the SJEDD with the loan to satisfy a portion of its financial obligations.
Atlantic County Commissioner John Risley, whom Levinson appointed to represent Atlantic County and currently serves as SJEDD chair, acknowledged the efforts of SJEDD Executive Director Lou Joyce, its board members and past chairman, Cape May County Commissioner Will Morey.
“It is gratifying to achieve solvency ahead of schedule,” Risley said. “The entire team is to be commended.”
The SJEDD is currently working with its four county members to provide funding and technical assistance for COVID recovery and resiliency plans. It has also partnered with the Cooperative Business Assistance Corporation to offer business loans through a revolving loan fund. In Atlantic County, SJEDD funding is helping the Atlantic County Economic Alliance identify properties to spur development and job creation.
“The SJEDD has made great strides and is hard at work to support our efforts to strengthen the regional economy,” Levinson said.
