Across the United States, state and federal government agencies are providing significant funding for infrastructure repair and construction. By investing heavily in things like highway repair and maintenance, bridge construction and water and sewage system upgrades, governments are creating billions of dollars’ worth of opportunities for business across the nation.
In Indiana, government agencies are constantly evaluating state infrastructure while developing new projects to better serve communities. In order to complete these projects, state and local governments issue bids for services and materials that private vendors can then compete for.
Bids for any Business
When the topic of infrastructure investment comes up in the world of government bidding, the first thoughts of many vendors are of construction opportunities - but many other industries are involved in infrastructure projects. Before any kind of construction work can begin, extensive planning is required, necessitating the hiring of professional consultants and industry experts. Project sites need to be evaluated and environmental and community impact assessments need to be conducted before construction can commence.
Once planning is completed, construction work can begin and a wide variety of bids will be issued, encompassing everything from site prep to materials to physical construction. The requirements of every infrastructure project are different and can generate opportunities for businesses in numerous building trades including plumbing, electrical, HVAC-R, and masonry.
The process of evaluating, planning, developing and implementing improvements to public infrastructure can be long and require many revisions before construction actually begins. From the earliest stages of any infrastructure project, related bids are posted by state and local government offices, which can lead to new opportunities for businesses specializing in nearly any trade.
Finding the Right Bid
Construction and infrastructure related bids for the State of Indiana are not all posted in one place; each county, municipality and government agency is responsible for posting and administering their own bid processes. While many agencies post opportunities on their own individual websites, some agencies still post bids in newspapers and other print media, which can sometimes make it difficult to find new opportunities in a timely fashion.
Visiting government websites is generally the first place most vendors start the process of locating new bid. A few good government sites to start with in Indiana are:
As you can see from the above sites, no two are the same: each has a unique layout and design, which can make it difficult to locate and track relevant bids. Some government sites provide search filters to help vendors narrow down their search for relevant bids and some even offer free email notifications that arrive when a new bid matching a vendor’s interests is published. However, these proactive notifications tend to be the exception to the rule.
Submitting Your Bid
Once you’ve found a bid that interests you, pay close attention to all the listed requirements and make sure that you can meet each one. If you have questions about any specific details, most bids provide contact information where you can reach out for clarification.
Price is often a major factor when an agency selects a bid winner, but it is not the only one. Experience, references and MWBE statuses can all play an important part in determining whether or not you win a bid. With that said, you have to ensure that the price you submit on a bid will generate enough revenue to benefit your business while also being attractive to the agency that posted the bid. If your submission is selected as the winner the agency will reach out to you to finalize the contract for the goods and services you bid on.
Partnering to Find Bids
State agencies post thousands of opportunities every year for businesses to bid on, but they are spread across hundreds of websites, newspapers and other media. Manually searching for all the bids relevant for your business is a job in itself, which is why most businesses choose to work with a third party who can help locate and track bids for them.
Bid intelligence companies find, research and track the thousands of bids that government agency post online and in print each year. Once you have signed on with a bid intelligence company you can create a customized business profile that specifies what types of bids you are interested in, and in what states you are looking for opportunities.
After setting up you profile you will start receiving daily emails notifying when a new bid appears matching the criteria you are searching for. This means no more scouring dozens of websites for relevant bids: they will now be delivered directly to you, removing one of the largest hurdles in the government bidding process.
With so many agencies posting construction-related bids across Indiana, it is important to be able to quickly and easily find the ones that are right for you. No matter if you choose to find bids on your own or work with a bid intelligence company, there are opportunities out there for any business looking for government bids in Indiana.
Kevin McClintock | BidNet.com