E-Bidding Saves Time and Money for Businesses

Government recently launched procurement e-bidding, which will save time and money for suppliers interested in doing business with the Government of Nova Scotia.

E-bidding is a safe and secure cloud-based solution, accessible anywhere the internet is available. This solution allows potential suppliers to submit bids online, replacing the paper-based process used for the majority of tender opportunities.

"This new service modernizes the way we do business and eliminates the need for suppliers to drop off a paper copy of their submissions to the procurement office in Halifax," said Patricia Arab, Minister of Internal Services. "This approach saves suppliers time and money in terms of travel, printing and courier costs, and directly supports government's efforts to reduce red tape for businesses."

Procurement e-bidding offers many other benefits to the suppliers including:

• creating and saving submissions online, from the time of posting to the time of closing
• submitting bids from anywhere a supplier has an internet connection
• registering and accessing opportunities for government, the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the IWK Health Centre remain free-of-charge
• improved access to e-bidding opportunities outside Nova Scotia that are posted using this e-bidding solution
• being notified automatically when addendums are issued, competitions are extended or cancelled, and for other related information

Shorter processing times are expected as suppliers and staff become more proficient in using the procurement e-bidding tool.

This initiative supports government’s target of cutting red tape by $25 million by the end of 2018.