Local Service and Supply Opportunities
New Bedford’s Purchasing Department
The City’s Purchasing Department serves as the central clearing house to develop Invitation for Bids, Requests for Proposals, and other solicitations, enabling departments to receive the goods and services they need at the best quality and price while ensuring compliance with all Massachusetts General Laws. Approximately 170 contracts and 8,000 purchase orders are processed annually.
The City’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) resides within the Purchasing Department. The contract compliance team monitors contractor participation towards the City’s EEO goals and ensures that laborers working on public works construction projects within the City are being paid prevailing wage rates in accordance with state and federal law.
Information on Requests for Proposals, Invitations to Bid, and bid results can be found here at the Purchasing Department’s home page. This site also offers helpful FAQs for local participation and contact information for department staff. The general email for inquiries is purchasing@newbedford-ma.gov.
BidNet Direct
State and local government agencies throughout the State of Massachusetts, including the City of New Bedford, utilize BidNet Direct for distribution of solicitations – including documents and addenda, vendor management and award management.
BidNet is one of many e-procurement websites that municipalities use, and it’s recommended that vendors sign up to get listings of available opportunities for whatever geographical area they may be interested in working in.
Many participating agencies also utilize the electronic bid submission option for vendors to submit responses directly online through the platform. Registration on Bidnet Direct is done online, and is free to vendors. To receive notifications of matching the City of New Bedford’s business opportunities, simply register here.
CommBuys
This is the Commonwealth’s bidding platform and a great resource for New Bedford-based vendors. All municipalities are required to post their bids on CommBuys in addition to other required advertisements, including the Central Register for construction (building and public works) projects and the Goods and Services Bulletin for goods and professional services solicitations.
CommBuys is free to vendors, but there are annual subscription fees for the Central Register and the Goods and Services Bulletin. It’s important to note that vendors can register for specific categories of work on CommBuys so they’re receiving targeted email blasts when projects are available to bid on.