USC Procurement Services is now using a new platform for bid events. Over the next few months this new platform will officially replace the university’s former bidding system, BidSync.
The new platform is powered by SciQuest and accessible via the USC Supplier Portal. Therefore, all suppliers invited to participate in university bid events must be part of the USC Supplier Portal. Please note, however, that application to the portal and participation in bid events is by invitation only.
If you are a current USC supplier, we encourage you to review and/or update your USC Supplier Portal profile so that we can easily invite your sales and corporate contacts to participate in bid events. Go to the Updating the Supplier Registration page for instructions on how to request access to the portal.
Note: Suppliers invited to participate in bid events must ensure their profile time zone is set to Pacific Standard Time (PST). If the profile is defaulting to another time zone, important bid event deadlines will be missed. Refer to the Set Profile Time Zone Quick Reference Guide on the Filling Out the Supplier Registration page for instructions.
The brief video tutorial below provides an overview of how to respond to a bid event. Both current and new suppliers are encouraged to watch it to familiarize themselves with the bid management process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxktCKaNa6k&rel=0
We will continue to provide information and updates here as they become available, so we recommend that you bookmark this page for future reference.
Formal bidding practices
The university conducts formal competitive bidding in order to get the best value for the expenditure of funds, follow best business practices, and comply with funding source requirements.
Suppliers interested in submitting proposals to the university are subject to specific requirements documented in the university’s solicitations (e.g. Request For Proposals, Request For Information, and Request For Quotations). All solicitations conducted by university personnel must contain these requirements. Companies or individuals that develop or draft project specifications or bid invitations must be excluded from competing for such procurements. An exception to this policy is granted to capital construction projects that are not funded directly by a federal contract or grant.
Competitive bidding for capital construction projects
Per university policy competitive bidding must be conducted on capital construction projects when the total project cost is $50,000 or greater. Competitive bidding is required for the following construction delivery methods:
- Guaranteed maximum price (GMP);
- Stipulated sum (lump sum); or
- Design build.
The Becoming a Supplier page provides information about the requirements and criteria for suppliers.