City of Des Moines Utilizing New IonWave eProcurement System

In 2022, the City of Des Moines implemented a new bidding system that gave the City the ability to post their solicitations online and provide an opportunity for suppliers/businesses to submit bids and proposals using the IonWave online bidding system. Upon completing registration within the online bidding system, which provides suppliers with the opportunity to select specific commodities, the supplier receives a notification confirming their registration. In addition, the registered supplier will receive bid notifications via email for those specific goods and services that have been selected by the supplier. The City’s new online bidding system not only simplifies the supplier registration process, but also provides businesses with the resources to submit bids and proposals online. This submittal method saves time, is more secure and reduces the amount of paper used by both the City and the vendor.

Benefits of IonWave

In addition to the ease of the bid submittal process, the new online bidding system has numerous capabilities. For instance, suppliers can ask questions related to a solicitation and have their questions answered online. The questions and responses can also be viewed by other registered suppliers that are interested in the project. Also, if a supplier has started a bid/proposal for a specific project but has not completed the required submittal information, the system will send out an email reminding the supplier that there are items that need to be completed for their bid/proposal to be officially submitted. The system also sends out an email reminder to suppliers of the due date and time for submittals. Once the due date/time for bid submittals has closed, the buyer electronically unseals (opens) the submitted bids and the system automatically compiles a bid tabulation that will be available for online viewing. In this instance, an award will be made to the lowest responsive responsible bidder. For those proposals that are submitted through the Request for Proposal bidding method, proposals are electronically unsealed upon the due date/time, however, the proposals must be evaluated by a committee before an award can be made.

The City’s new online bidding system is a welcome addition to the purchasing process. The system will be a valuable resource that will not only improve the City’s existing relationships with suppliers, but it will create new relationships with the supplier community while encouraging fair and open competition. Companies that are interested in becoming a registered supplier with the City can follow the instructions listed here.

Log in to dsm.ionwave.net to register for IonWave. There is no cost to register or submit bids.

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