First Coast BidsFIRST COASTBIDS

New to bidding?

Where bids are posted around Jacksonville

Federal, city, county, school and authority bids, and the sites they use.

There's no single list of every government bid. Each agency posts its own, and many use an outside website to do it. That's the main reason bids are hard to find at first. Once you know where your local agencies post, it gets much easier.

Federal bids: SAM.gov

Federal agencies, including military bases and the VA, post contract opportunities on SAM.gov. Anyone can search the listings there without an account. You can filter by location and by the kind of work, using industry (NAICS) codes. To actually bid on federal work, your business has to be registered in SAM.gov.

Local agencies and where they post

Around Northeast Florida, these are some of the biggest buyers and where they post. Agencies change systems from time to time, so always check the agency's own purchasing page.

  • City of Jacksonville: its procurement pages on jacksonville.gov.
  • Duval County Public Schools: DemandStar and Public Purchase.
  • Clay County: its OpenGov procurement portal.
  • St. Johns County: DemandStar, or the new system its purchasing page points to.
  • St. Johns County School District: VendorLink.
  • Nassau County: PlanetBids.
  • JEA: its own procurement pages, with sourcing events in its supplier portal.
  • JTA (Jacksonville Transportation Authority): its OpenGov procurement portal.
  • JAXPORT: the active solicitations page on its website.
  • State of Florida agencies: the state's Vendor Bid System, part of MyFloridaMarketPlace.

Why you can't always see the list

Many of these sites only show open bids once you've created a vendor account. For vendors, the accounts on the sites we checked are free. Some also offer paid upgrades, which you don't need to bid. It's worth signing up on the ones your local agencies use.

Let the bids come to you

Checking a dozen websites by hand every week isn't realistic. Many of these systems will email you when a new bid is posted in the categories you pick. When you register, choose the categories that match your trade (for example janitorial services, lawn and grounds maintenance, HVAC maintenance or electrical work) and turn on the email alerts.

Tips for sorting what you find

  • Check the due date first. If it's in a few days, there may not be time to do it well.
  • Look for a pre-bid meeting or site visit date. If it's mandatory and it has already passed, you likely can't bid.
  • Check where the work is. Some bids cover one building; others cover a whole county.
  • Check the size. A small first job is a good way to learn the process.

Once you've found where your agencies post, the next step is getting registered so you can see, and later submit, their bids.

Next step

Not sure what to do first? Four yes-or-no questions point you to it.

Where do I start?Start a pilot bid

Pilot: Free for the first 10 clients.

Sources