Bid Solicitations

To create a new bid solicitation, complete the following steps:

1. Review the header to ensure that you are in the correct project or partition.

2. Navigate to the Bid Management > Solicitation app (Apps > All Apps > Bid Management > Solicitation).

3. Click New in the action bar. The following tabs appear for the Bid Solicitation:

   • Details - Basic information about the bid is added here and shared with bidders.

   • Bid Team - Members of the project team including external designers and consultants are listed here. A Bid Manager is required.

   • Bid Form - Line items that bidders will be required to enter their bids against are listed here.

   • Documents & Drawings - Documents and drawing files for bidders to review are added here.

   • Bidders - This is a list of companies bidding and those invited to bid.

   • Proposals - Proposals submitted by bidders appear here.

4. Complete each tab as appropriate.

   Details tab

   Click on the Details tab. Information that you enter here appears on the Overview tab of the Bid Invitation sent to bidders.

   Complete the following fields as appropriate:

   Note Depending on how this app is configured for your domain, there may be fields or sections listed here that do not appear for you, fields and sections that appear for you which are not listed here, or fields and sections which appear in a different order. If you have any questions, check with your domain administrator.

   Field	Description
   Details
   Number	Allow Kahua to auto-number the record, or enter a different value. Note The number format can be configured by your domain administrator. Refer to Application configuration.
   Description	Enter a description of the bid solicitation
   Allow Bidder to Change Will/Will Not Bid	Select this option to allow bidders to change the "Will Bid" or "Will Not Bid" selection on a bid invitation in their bid room application. Note This option only appears if configured to do so. Refer to Allow Bidder to Change Will/Will Not Bid.
   Allow 'Undecided' as 'Intent to Bid' Response	Select this option to allow bidders to select "Undecided" as their Intent to Bid response. Undecided bidders will continue to see all communication and any associated changes to the Solicitation and then have the option to change their ‘Undecided’ bid intent to either “Will Bid” or “Will Not Bid”. Note This option only appears if configured to do so. Refer to Allow 'Undecided' as 'Intent to Bid' Response.
   Hide 'Submit Proposal' Action in Bid Room	Select this option to disable the Submit Proposal action in the Bid Room. Bidders will not be able to submit their proposals in Kahua. This may be necessary if you require bidders to submit only hard copies. Note This option only appears if configured to do so. Refer to Hide 'Submit Proposal' Action in Bid Room.
   Hide 'Bid Form' tab on the Bid Solicitation and in the Bid Room	Select this option if you do not want to use the Kahua bid form and instead want to provide your own documents for bidders to complete and submit. This option will hide the Bid Form tab on this solicitation in your app and in the Bid Room that bidders use. Bid documents can be provided to bidders on the Documents & Drawings tab. Refer to Documents & Drawings tab. Note This option only appears if configured to do so. Refer to Hide 'Bid Form' tab on the Bid Solicitation and in the Bid Room field.
   Sealed Bid	Select this option to have submitted bid proposals remain sealed until after the Bid Due date.
   Minimum Required Bid Proposals	Enter a minimum number of Bid Proposals required. Leave blank if there is no minimum.
   Bid Type / Contract Type	Make the appropriate selections. Note Bid Type is a lookup list that is managed in the Configuration app. Refer to Lookups.
   Liquidated Damages / Cost per day
   Work Retainage Rate / Stored Material Retainage Rate	Enter the appropriate retainage percent.
   Union Contract / Bid Bond / Performance and Payment Bond
   Response Due	Enter the date and time the "Will Bid", "Will Not Bid", "Undecided" responses are due. Note Once this date and time has passed, the Bid Response feature will be disabled for bidders.
   Questions Due	Enter the date and time the questions are due. Note Once this date and time has passed, bidders will no longer be able to submit questions through the Q&A feature.
   Bid Due	Enter the date and time the bids are due. Note Once this date and time has passed, the Submit Proposal feature will be disabled for bidders. Important You must enter a Bid Due date to be able to select Send Invitation to send an invitation to bidders.
   Additional date fields	Enter values in the remaining date fields as appropriate.
   Scope / Schedule / Site Access / Exclusions / Notes	Complete these fields as appropriate.
   Public Bid Details
   Kahua can be used to manage a public bidding process. For information on completing this section, refer to Prepare a public bid below.
   Internal Files Only
   Upload any relevant files or documents that you want to be available for internal use. For more information on how to use this section, refer to References section. Important These files are for internal use. Files you want to share with bidders should be added to the Documents & Drawings tab.

   Bid Team tab

   The Bid Team tab contains members of the project team, including external designers and consultants. A Bid Manager is required. Some team member fields will automatically populate from the Project Roster on the Project Information page. For more information, refer to Project Information.

   Complete the following fields as appropriate:

   Field	Description
   Details
   Bid Manager	A Bid Manager is required. This user will receive notifications when various actions are performed by bidders, such as submitting a bid response or proposal.
   Q&A Manager	The Q&A Manager will receive notifications when questions are submitted regarding the solicitation.
   Complete the remaining Bid Team fields as appropriate. Note The selection list for each can be narrowed down to contacts from the Project Directory. For more information, refer to Project Directory.

   Bid Form tab

   On the Bid Form tab, enter the information to present to the bidding companies. This information will appear on the Bid Form tab of the Bid Invitation presented to bidders.

   Note If you do not want to use the Kahua bid form and instead want to provide your own documents for bidders to complete and submit, you can hide the Bid Form tab from the Solicitation app and the Bid Room that bidders use. Refer to Hide 'Bid Form' tab on the Bid Solicitation and in the Bid Room field.
   
   Bid documents can be provided to bidders on the Documents & Drawings tab. Refer to Documents & Drawings tab.

   Complete the following fields as appropriate:

   Field	Description
   General
   Minimum Requirements / Bid Form Instructions	Enter this information as appropriate. This appears on the Bid Form used by bidders.
   Bid Sheet
   Enter a number and click Insert to add that number of rows to the grid . For more information on working with grids, refer to Item Grids. Note To ease data entry, you can import a list of items to the Bid Sheet. To complete an import, you must first select Export to create an import template file. Enter in the record values as appropriate, then select Import. For more general information on the import process, refer to Importing records. Note that you can also select Import Budget Items.
   Number	An item number is required for each bid item.
   Description	Enter a description.
   Activity Code	Select an activity code.
   Required	Select this option to make this line item required. If selected, bidders will not be able to submit a proposal if they have not included a bid value for this item.
   Alternate	Select this option to have this item be an alternate. When awarding the bid, you will be able to choose whether or not to include this item.
   Input Type	Select the appropriate option for this item from the following choices: Total Only Total with Qty Unit Pricing Quantity Only - This option is typically used when there is an established Unit Rate for certain work tasks, and you expect the Bidders to only provide their assessment of the associated quantities for those items.
   Quantity / UOM / Unit Price / Total	Pre-fill these items on the Bid Form as needed.
   Additional Input
   Enter a number and click Insert to add that number of rows to the grid . For more information on working with grids, refer to Item Grids.
   Number	An item number is required for each Additional Input item.
   Description	Enter a description.
   Activity Code	Select an activity code.
   Required	Select this option to make this line item required on the bid. If selected, bidders will not be able to submit a proposal if they have not included a bid value for this item.
   Input Type	Select the appropriate option for this item from the following choices: Date Text Yes-No Integer Amount

   Documents & Drawings tab

   The Documents & Drawings tab contains any documents and drawing files that you want to share with bidders.

   Files can be added to the following sections as appropriate:

   • Documents - Files can be added directly to the Documents section or added from other apps in Kahua.

     • To upload a document directly, select Upload from the grid header.

     • To add a document from another Kahua app, select Add Kahua Doc.

     • For more information on uploading and working with files in this section, refer to References section.

   • Drawings - Drawings can be imported from the File Manager app or added directly here.

     • To add drawing files to the bid solicitation from the File Manager app, select Import from File Manager. For more information on the File Manager app, refer to File Manager.

     • To add drawing files directly, click Insert to add a line. In the Drawing File column, select the ellipses icon and click on Select File to add the file.

       

       Note To delete an line item, select the check box in the first column and then select Delete from the grid header.

   Bidders tab

   Potential bidders are listed and managed here. To send an invitation to a bidding company, the company must have an associated contact with an email address.

   Bidding companies and the associated contacts who will be sent an invitation to bid must be listed in the Contacts app. When you add a contact, their associated company is automatically added to the Companies sub-app. For information on adding a contact to the Contacts app, refer to Using the People application.

   Note Once the company has been invited to bid on the solicitation, any contact with access to the bid room in the bidder’s domain can manage and submit the bid.

   Once the potential bidders have been added to the Contacts app, they can be added to the Bidders tab by completing the following steps:

   1. To add multiple bidders at once, click on Search Companies.

      

      A list of all companies in your Contacts app appears. To search the list, click the search icon in the grid header. Select the check box next to the appropriate companies, then click Select to add them to the bidders list.

      

      Note The Search Companies list is a log view. For information on using the search in a log view, refer to Search in a log view.

   2. To add bidders one at a time, next to Insert, enter a number and select Insert to add that number of lines to the grid. Select the company name from the list, then select the appropriate contact. You must be able to select an associated contact with an email address to add the company to the list.

      For more information on working with grids, refer to Item Grids.

      

   3. To remove a bidding company from the list before the invitations have been sent, select the check box in the first column, then select Delete in the grid header.

      

   4. To remove a bidding company from the list after invitations have been sent but before they've submitted a proposal, select the check box in the first column, then select Remove Bidder(s) in the grid header.

      Note Only the user selected as the Bid Manager on the Bid Team tab and domain administrators have the ability to remove bidders.

      

5. To save your work, click Save. When you are ready to send the invitation to bidders, select Send Invitation.

Kahua can be used to manage a public bidding process. Bids appear on a public webpage hosted by Kahua, grouped by status.

Potential bidders can view Bid Announcements (where provided) and bid documents. Bidders then submit their contact information to request additional information and instructions. The bidder receives an email confirmation of their request. The bid manager receives a notification informing them of the new potential bidder and can then send them a formal bid invitation.

To manage a public bid, complete the Public Bid Details section on the Bid Solicitation > Details tab.

To create a public bid, complete the following fields on the Public Bid Details section of the Details tab of the Bid Solicitation.

When using the public bidding process, interested parties can request information on the bid. Once they have confirmed their email address, these interested parties appear on the Bidders tab in the Interested Bidders section.

If the Auto-Convert Interested Party To Bidder setting is enabled, interested bidders who are already members of the Kahua Community are automatically converted to a bidder and move to the Bidders section of the Bidders tab. If solicitations have already been sent, a solicitation will be sent to this interested bidder.

If the interested bidder's email address is not recognized, select Convert Interested Party to Bidder to move the interested bidder to the Bidder section of the Bidders tab.

Once you have finished entering in all the appropriate information, including adding bidders to the Bidders tab, you can send the invitations by selecting Send Invitation on the Solicitation. Invitations will be sent to the contacts listed on the Bidders tab and the Status of the solicitation will be updated to "Sent".

The bidders will receive the invitation and can respond through the Bid Room. For information on how Bid Room works, refer to Using Bid Room.

During the bid process, bidders can submit questions about the bid. The question appears in the Q&A sub-application and a notice is sent to the Q&A Manager identified on the Bid Team tab. The Q&A Manager can respond from the app. If needed, the Q&A Manager can create a task for the architect contact or other appropriate consultant to respond to the question.

For more information, refer to Bid Q&A.

A solicitation can be updated during the bidding period. If the solicitation is updated, the Bid Manager has the option of forcing bidders to resubmit their proposal based on the nature of the changes. Changes such as adding bidders, changing due dates and other minor changes may not require bidders to submit new proposals. Other changes such as additional new bid items may require bidders to change their proposals.

To make updates to the Bid during the bidding period, complete the following steps:

1. Review the header to ensure that you are in the correct project or partition and navigate to the Bid Management app (Apps > All Apps > Bid Management > Solicitations).

2. Select the appropriate solicitation from the log view.

3. Click Edit and make changes as needed. You can save your work at any time and return to continue updates later.

   Note To remove items from the Bid Sheet section grid or Additional Input section grid, select the check box for the line item then select Delete from the grid header. For more information on working with grids, refer to Item Grids.

4. Once the changes are complete, select Send Update.

5. A dialog box appears. Enter a reason for the update in the dialog box. The text entered here will appear in the email notification to bidders about the solicitation update.

   Note The email message states that an update was made but does not indicate any detail about what changed. Any specific information regarding the change that you want to communicate to bidders should be entered here.

   

6. To require bidders to re-submit their bid due to the update, select This update required bidders to review and resubmit their bid.

   Important When this option is selected, all proposals previously submitted by bidders are deleted.

7. Click Continue to send the update to contacts on the Bidders tab. Each bidder will receive an email message informing them the solicitation was updated with the reason for the update that was entered above.

After the bid invitations have been sent out, you may need to remove one or more bidders from the list, or extend the bid due time for one or more bidders.

To make these changes, complete the following steps:

1. Review the header to ensure that you are in the correct project or partition and navigate to the Bid Management app (Apps > All Apps > Bid Management > Solicitations).

2. Select the appropriate solicitation from the log view.

3. Click on the Bidders tab and select Edit from the action bar.

4. To remove a bidding company from the list after invitations have been sent but before they've submitted a proposal, select the check box in the first column, then select Remove Bidder(s) in the grid header.

   Note Only the user selected as the Bid Manager on the Bid Team tab and domain administrators have the ability to remove bidders.

   

5. To extend the bid due date or time for one or more bidders, select the check box in the first column for those companies, then select Extend Bid Due Date/Time in the grid header.

When the invitation to bidders is sent, the status of the bidders' responses appear on the Bidders tab of the solicitation. This tab will inform you of their intent to bid or not bid, and if a proposal or update to a proposal has been submitted. Proposal details, including Submitted On dates and other information, appear in the Proposals sub-application. For more information, refer to Bid Proposals.

To review the responses from the bidders, complete the following steps:

1. Review the header to ensure that you are in the correct project or partition and navigate to the Bid Management app (Apps > All Apps > Bid Management > Solicitations).

2. Select the appropriate solicitation from the log view.

3. Click on the Bidders tab.

4. The bidders responses appear in the Status column, with the latest update date in the Response Received column. The status will be one of the following:

   • Invitation Sent - The Bid Invitation has been sent, but the bidder has not responded to the invitation with a “Will Bid”, “Will Not Bid”, or "Undecided" response. The Response Received column is blank.

   • Undecided - The Bidder selected “Undecided” as their response. The Response Received is the date this response was received by Kahua.

     Note This option only appears for bidders if the Allow 'Undecided' as 'Intent to Bid' Response option is available and selected on the Solicitation > Details tab.

   • Will Not Bid - The Bidder selected “Will Not Bid” as their response. The Response Received is the date this response was received by Kahua.

   • Will Bid - The Bidder selected “Will Bid” as their response, but the proposal has not yet been received. The Response Received is the date this response was received by Kahua.

   • Proposal Submitted - The Bidder submitted a proposal. The Response Received is the date the proposal was submitted.

   • Update Submitted – The Bidder updated their proposal. The Response Received is the date the updated proposal was submitted. The bidder can update their proposal up until the Bid Due date and time expires.

Prior to the Bid Due date and time, a solicitation can be withdrawn from bidding by the Bid Manager.

Important . Withdrawals cannot be undone. When a solicitation is withdrawn, any submitted proposals are canceled. To re-open the bidding, you will have to create a new solicitation.

To withdraw a solicitation, complete the following steps:

1. Review the header to ensure that you are in the correct project or partition and navigate to the Bid Management app (Apps > All Apps > Bid Management > Solicitations).

2. Select the appropriate solicitation from the log view to open the detail pane.

3. Select Withdraw Invitation from the action bar.

4. The confirmation dialog appears. Enter a reson for the withdrawal. This reason will be included in the notification to the bidders about the withdrawal.

5. Click Continue.

6. A notification is sent to the bidders. The status of the solicitation is set to "Canceled". The solicitation can no longer be edited.

You can generate a report from a selected log view, or use one of the built-in reports available by default in each application. For more information on creating your own reports, including how to set up scheduled reports, refer to Creating ad hoc reports.

Note For information on modifying the logo that appears on reports in your project, refer to Managing report logos.

To generate a report from a log view with up to 10,000 records, select the report icon . If your log view contains more than 10,000 records, the report icon will be disabled and you can select to download the records to a CSV file instead. For more information, refer to Generate a report from a log view.

To generate an application report, complete the following steps:

1. Navigate to the application.

2. Select Reports in the application title bar.

   

3. Select the report you want to run.

4. Apply any desired filters.

5. Select View or Download as appropriate. For more information, refer to Viewing Reports.

   

6. Click the Close icon when you are done.

To delete a record, complete the following steps:

1. Review the header to ensure that you are in the correct project or partition.

2. Navigate to the application.

3. In the log view, select the check box next to the record or multiple records that you want to delete. Select Delete from the action bar.

   

4. Alternatively, right-click on the record in the log view and select Delete, or open it in the detail view and select the Delete icon in the action bar.

   

5. Click OK on the confirmation message. The record or records will be deleted.

Note If a record was deleted in error, it can be recovered from the Recycle Bin application by an administrator. For more information, refer to Using the Recycle Bin.

Your domain administrator or another user with the appropriate permissions can configure the app in the Configuration application.

Important When working in the Configuration app, it is important to review the header and ensure that you are working at the correct level in the hierarchy, either the root domain or at a partition or project level.

Settings that you establish at the root domain or lower levels will inherit down the hierarchy until they are overridden. For more information on the hierarchical structure of Kahua, refer to Understanding the hierarchical structure of Kahua.

The Configuration app can be accessed directly through the apps list (Apps > Administration > Configuration), or by right-clicking on an application in the launch bar and selecting Configure. When you select Configure for an app from the launch bar, the detail view of the configuration page for that application opens automatically.

For general information on configuring this app in Configuration, refer to Application configuration.

The following items are specific to this application: