How to do Business with the City and Successfully Compete

City of New Orlean Purchasing Portal

The purpose of this section is to provide a general overview for successfully competing and conducting business with the City of New Orleans. All open bid and proposal opportunities are available in real-time on our website.

The Purchasing Bureau is committed to providing customer support and improvements by streamlining the procurement process based upon “best practices”, expanding online capabilities, enhancing communications and maintaining transparency in all transactions. The Purchasing Bureau communicates via email through an online procurement system, BuySpeed, that operates on a windows-based platform with access using Internet Explorer. BuySpeed online provides enhanced vendor services, ability to track individual Vendor purchase orders, change orders, quotes and bids, submit bids, quotes and questions online.

To compete successfully, make sure you are registered as a Vendor with the City of New Orleans and be sure to keep your registration information current, particularly your email address, and check weekly for open bids, proposals, purchase orders, change orders and other communications online. New bids and proposals are sent automatically to registered Vendors via email through BuySpeed. Read and follow instructions carefully.

The most common reason that bids are rejected result from a lack of submitting required information or documentation requested in the Invitation to Bid or instructions to bidders and adding information or exceptions to a bid that is not requested. When submitting a bid, carefully read all instructions and provide only the information requested. Failure to submit all information requested in an Invitation to Bid and/or adding information not requested on a Bid Form may render a bid rejected and non-responsive.

WANT A COMPETITIVE EDGE?

1. Check your Vendor registration online to ensure that ALL commodities and services related to your business are identified.
2. Make sure your bid is responsive before submitting by reading all instructions to bid and attachments required.
3. A responsible bidder is a bidder capable in the specified work.
4. A Purchase Order is a written authority issued by the Purchasing Bureau required prior to ordering and obtaining goods and services and issuance of notice to proceed. It encumbers funds in the City’s financial purchasing system.

Vendors are encouraged to contact (504) 658-1550 for questions regarding Vendor Registration or your account information, or email purchasing@cityofno.com or fax: (504) 658-1570.

How to Bid Online

1. You must be a registered vendor in order to submit a bid online. Go to the web address http://purchasing.cityofno.com/bso/login.jsp  to register.
2. Once registered, login with your vendor login and password.
3. For assistance, call (504) 658-1550 or email purchasing@cityofno.com 
4. Select the “”bid number” that you wish to submit a quote for and you will be brought to the general bid information tab.
5. Complete all information requested on each tab at the top of the bid.
6. Attach all required documentation.
7. Check the bid before submitting.
8. Submit your quote. 

Bid Bonds

A bid bond is a type of surety bond wherein the surety or bonding company guarantees the bidder will enter into a contract with the City of New Orleans.

If submitting a bid online, electronic bid bond submission is enabled through two participating surety agencies or clearinghouses, InSure Vision Technologies and Surety2000. Contact your bonding agent for information about obtaining a Bond Validation Number to submit with any bid requiring a bid bond.

Enter the Bond Validation Number in the online bid quote where prompted.

If submitting a bid via sealed envelope, the City will accept a cashier’s check, certified check or satisfactory bid bond payable to the City of New Orleans.

The City will retain bid securities of the three lowest bidders until the Contract is executed or until final bid disposition. The City will return other bid securities after the bid canvass. At contract execution, the City will return bid securities not forfeit for failure to execute a contract with the City.

City of New Orleans Purchasing Portal