The Bid Express service is an online information service for bidding provided by Infotech, Inc. The Bid Express service is available on the Internet at www.bidx.com. It is a two-way service, publishing bid-related information from agencies to the bidding community, and allowing online, secure bid submission from the bidding community to the agency. The Bid Express service also enables electronic bid bond verification, provides automatic email notification of projects, and, where available, provides online access to plan sheets and to bid tab data.
The Bid Express service offers several subscription options on the Bid Express website. Each subscription option is available for a monthly fee. The services provided are as follows: Basic Service, Online Plan Sheets service, Analysis Suite service, and Internet Bidding service. All fees are charged monthly on a non-prorated basis. The fees are posted on the fee schedule page.
When you subscribe to the Analysis Suite service, you can view statistical information from all agencies that post them to the Bid Express service. The agencies, not the Bid Express service, are responsible for posting the bid tab data. Participation varies. Please call Bid Express service customer support at (888) 352-BIDX (2439) or send an email to customer.support@bidx.com to request information about the participation of a particular agency.
You can view the list of participating agencies during the subscription process to help you decide whether to subscribe to the Online Plan Sheets service.
For more information about Online Plan Sheets, please visit https://www.bidx.com/site/services#plansheet
To order plan sheets from the Bid Express service, you will first need a Bid Express account. Log in to the Bid Express service and follow these instructions:
You will now be able to select and save plan sheets as PDF files and print them, or order all plan sheets as printed pages through a third party vendor.
The Bid Express Advantage is a pricing service. It lets you perform an analysis of your bid and compare it to the past bids of other bidders for a specified letting, even down to the item level. With this service, you set and manipulate data such as quantity ranges, locations and dates to help determine prices.
The Bid Express Advantage is not available at this time for the following agencies: ADOT, CALTRANS, CTDOT, NDDOT, and NSDPW.
The Bid Express services fees are paid monthly by credit card. The Bid Express service accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
The Basic Service allows you to view and download proposals posted to the website by all agencies for past, present, and future bids. You are also able to view the Apparent Bid Results and Bid Tabulations as soon as the agency posts them. You gain access to automatic email notification of postings by agencies. You can also use the Bid Express Small Business Network for exchanging sub-quotes between prime contractors and subcontractors.
To subscribe to the Bid Express service, go to www.bidx.com select the Order tab, then click Subscribe Now. You will be asked to enter an email address (which will serve as your login ID) and to create a password. Accept the terms and conditions, then click Submit. This will generate an email that will be sent to the email address you provided. Open the email and click on the link provided, then enter your chosen password and continue to sign up for services. After you finish entering your credit card and contact information, your credit card will be charged and you will be automatically logged in to the Bid Express service.
If you no longer have access to the email address you used to register for the Bid Express service or cannot log in using the steps below, please contact customer support by phone at (888) 352-BIDX (2439).
To receive your login information:
Customer support for the Bid Express service is available from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday-Friday, except for legal holidays. After these business hours, support requests will be answered the next business day. You can call our customer support line at (888) 352-BIDX (2439), send an email to customer.support@bidx.com or fax a support request to (888) 971-4191.
You need these items to bid via the Bid Express service:
Messages and Notifications are part of the Basic Service for subscribers to the Bid Express service. You can register for and use this feature to receive alerts from agencies about newly posted bid files, amendments, letting updates, proposal updates, plan sheet postings, notices to bidders and general alerts, and when proposals are withdrawn or postponed. You can sign up to receive any or all of the above types of alerts from any number of agencies.
To sign up for Messages and Notifications, log in to the Bid Express website and click on the Messages icon in the upper right corner. Click Manage Messages and Notifications. Select the agency, then select the notifications you wish to receive, and click Save. You can select additional agencies to receive notifications from.
To change the messages and notifications you receive, log in to the Bid Express website and click on the Messages icon in the upper right corner. Click Manage Messages and Notifications, select the agency you wish to update, change your subscriptions, and click Save.
When you sign up for a Bid Express account, you are under no subscription contract. Your account is not pro-rated, so you may cancel anytime. Your Bid Express account can be used by your company to conduct business (Internet bidding using Digital IDs or through the Small Business Network). When you cancel your account, you will lose access to the account immediately, as well as to any additional features or Digital IDs associated with the account.
You may cancel your Bid Express account through one of two approved methods:
We do not accept cancellations via phone or emails. To ensure the security of your account, you must cancel your account through one of the two approved methods above.
Yes. To reactivate a canceled account, go to www.bidx.com and log in. Upon logging in, the system will prompt you to add a credit card and select your additional services. Once this step is completed, the account will be reactivated. If you previously had Digital IDs, they will not be reactivated. You will need to create and purchase new IDs for Internet bidding. If you no longer remember your login information, please contact customer support for further assistance.
Guests can view basic project data posted by agencies without logging in. If you like the service, you can sign up online and gain full access to all that the Bid Express service offers.
Yes. The Bid Express service has been in operation since 1997 with better than 99.95 percent uptime. The Bid Express servers are configured with multiple automatic redundancies and backups as protection against service interruption. Also, Bid Express servers and backup servers are located in multiple geographical locations, using multiple Internet providers, for even greater redundancy.
Microsoft Edge is necessary for all site functionality along with .NET 4.6.2 Framework in order to launch click-once applications for the purposes of Digital ID creation. Google Chrome and Firefox may not be used to create Digital IDs as .NET 4 framework is not supported by those browsers.
The Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ software is used to prepare your electronic bid. The Bid Express service is used by an agency and its contracting community to communicate with each other. You download the proposal files from the Bid Express service, then use the AASHTOWare Project Bids™ Bid component to enter your bid information and submit your bid.
You can use the AASHTOWare Project Bids™ Bid component without the Bid Express service (if you do not intend to bid via the Internet) or the Bid Express service without the AASHTOWare Project Bids™ Bid component. However, most of our subscribers choose to use both. You must also have a Digital ID if you plan to submit your bid over the Internet (see Infotech Digital IDs for more information).
To download the Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ software, please follow these steps:
Yes. The AASHTOWare Project Bid™ Bid component can be downloaded to any number of computers.
Every agency using the Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ software uses the same version. The component is updated automatically when a new version is released.
The Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ software requires Windows 7 or later and the latest .NET Framework. A modem or network connection with Internet availability is required for Internet bid submission functionality.
The Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ software is configured to connect directly to the Internet when it is first installed. While this setting works with most computers, there are other settings that can be configured. These include using Windows settings or manual proxy configuration. The configuration should be done only by a network administrator.
Open the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ Bid component and select Options, or select Options from the Tools menu if the component is already open. Choose the Proxy tab. Enable the proxy and select the new configuration, then click the Save icon.
It is highly recommended that you test the component in advance to ensure the setting works. Click the Test Proxy Settings icon on the Proxy tab. If the information entered is correct, the Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ software displays a confirmation message. If it is incorrect, you will see a message stating the connection could not be initialized.
An Infotech Digital ID is a unique electronic encryption key that allows contractors to digitally sign bids submitted via the Bid Express service. A Digital ID is required to use the Internet bid submission functionality of the Bid Express service, and may be generated within the Bid Express service.
A Digital ID can be created through the Bidding tab on the Settings page of your account. For a full list of steps you will need to complete to start bidding please visit the Prepare to bid at Bidx.com article in our Knowledge Center.
No. By contract, a Digital ID must be in the exclusive possession and is for the exclusive use of the Digital ID holder. Each Digital ID identifies a particular person as an agent of a particular company, and by contract with that person, an act made by the use of a Digital ID is attributed to the Digital ID holder. However, any number of people authorized to bind your company can have their own Digital ID, and anyone holding a Digital ID can digitally sign bids.
You must create a replacement ID and pay the current processing fee. Any Digital ID you create is kept in a file on your local computer and secured by a password of your selection. The Bid Express team never has any access or backup copy whatsoever for your Digital ID. Please maintain a backup copy of your ID in a secure location and do not forget your password, as it is non-recoverable by the Bid Express team.
To backup your Digital ID in the Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bids™ software, please follow these instructions:
A replacement Digital ID is a new Digital ID that replaces a Digital ID that has been lost or destroyed. If you lose or cannot access your Digital ID file, or if you lose or forget your password, you will need to generate a replacement Digital ID at the current fee Therefore, it is highly recommended that you back up your Digital ID on media not connected to your computer in case your computer stops working. You should also regularly ensure that the backup media you chose is working properly, as this backup can also become corrupted.
A replacement Digital ID can be created from the Bidding tab on the Settings page of your account. For a full explanation of replacement Digital IDs and steps to complete this process please visit the Prepare to bid at Bidx.com article in our Knowledge Center.
Progress made in software, security, and other technology has allowed us to update and strengthen our method of maintaining the security of Digital IDs. This includes adding an expiration date to any Digital ID used with the AASHTOWare Project Bids™ software.
When you receive the 90-day expiration email, click the link provided. You may also regenerate your Digital ID through your Bid Express account. Please use a computer or device that contains the Digital ID.
Notification emails are sent to the account holder’s registered email address starting 90 days before the expiration date. Thirty days before the expiration date, you will be notified when you log in to the Bid Express service that your Digital ID for the Bid component is expiring and must be renewed.
Your Infotech Digital ID for AASHTOWare Project Bids™ software will no longer be valid and cannot be used after the expiration date. You will need to create a new Digital ID and pay the associated fees in order to continue bidding with the Bid component.
A Joint Venture is a single entity formed when multiple entities join together for a business purpose, such as to bid on an agency project.
Yes. A Digital ID is needed for a joint venture because once you have been prequalified by the agency to bid jointly, the agency will assign the venture a new vendor/bidder number.
You will need the new vendor/bidder number assigned by the agency to the joint venture company, the authorized signer for the joint venture, and the company name under the joint venture.
To submit a bid, you must first download the proposal (.EBSX file):
Yes You are able to submit updated versions of the bid before the bid's deadline . The agency will only receive the last successful bid submission.
Using the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ Bid component:
At this point you will be able to view the bid(s) (you'll see multiple entries if you are bidding on more than one proposal) that you have submitted or withdraw the bid by highlighting the desired bid and clicking the Withdraw Bid button.
We do not recommend that you rename the EBSX file. Instead, create a new folder on your computer and place the EBSX file inside it. You may name the folder whatever you wish.
No one but you can read your bid until the public bid opening. When you do submit a bid, the AASHTOWare Project Bid™ Bid component uses your Infotech Digital ID and encrypts the bid before sending it. The Bid Express service cannot read your bid and will not pass it to the agency until the official bid opening.
The Bid Express service has designed the system to avoid this from happening, including keeping multiple copies of submitted. In addition, you will receive electronic bid receipts whenever you submit a bid, which can be used to prove when the bid was submitted. These bid receipts will be digitally signed by the Bid Express service, using the same technology you use to sign your bid.
When submitting a bid over the Internet, you may continue to provide a paper bid bond (if accepted by the agency you are bidding with) or you may use the electronic bid bond verification feature. You must have an enabled Infotech Digital ID before completing an electronic bid bond verification.
To use the verification feature, you and your local bonding agent must first create an account with a participating surety agency (please see below for agency contact information). The surety agency will then provide your local bonding agent with a bid bond verification number. Your bonding agent will most likely require your bidder ID, otherwise referred to as a contractor ID or vendor number, and the proposal number or contract ID for the proposal you are bidding on.
Once you receive the bid bond verification number, enter the number in the Bid component of the AASHTOWare Project Bids™ software, and complete the additional bid bond fields. Then click the Verify button. The Verify Bond wizard opens to help you through the verification process. Follow the wizard's instructions, and enter your Digital ID password when prompted to do so. When you are finished, the wizard sends your bid bond information to the bonding company through the Bid Express service, retrieves your bond verification information, and brings it back to your bid file. When you submit your bid over the Internet, the bond verification information is included.
Click the Check Bid icon in the Bid component. If the Bid Bond tab is complete, you will see a check mark next to the tab name.
Surety 2000: Tel: (800) 660-3263 Email: help@surety2000.com
InSure Vision: Tel: (800) 989-6417 Email: support@insurevision.com
The Bid Express Small Business Network™? is a business center that facilitates the interaction between prime contractors and subcontractors, especially DBEs and other under-utilized businesses. It is part of the Bid Express Basic Service.
All quotes, whether via a reply or an unsolicited quote, are sent to the Bid Express account of the prime contractor. While subcontractors' replies are not available for public viewing, the Bid Express Small Business Network does not use the same encryption technology that the Bid Express service uses to send bids to agencies, nor does the Bid Express Small Business Network employ lock box technology.
Yes. Through the Bid Express Small Business Network, subcontractors and DBEs who have replied to your sub-quote request will be able to see whether you have viewed their reply, and the date and time at which you viewed it if applicable. Similarly, any subcontractor that sends you an unsolicited quote will see the status of that quote (Viewed or Not Opened) and the date and time at which it was viewed.
Agencies have certain reporting capabilities which allows them to see different postings and responses both from the primes and the sub-contractors and DBEs (no prices are ever visible by the agency). When proposals have expired (after the bid opening date), agencies have the ability to run reports showing the Bid Express Small Business Network activity of all firms that used this tool as an avenue to obtain and post quotes. These reports include the sub-quote requests that the DBE viewed and responded to, as well as any unsolicited quotes that the DBE sent to the Bid Express Small Business Network of the prime contractor. They are also able to view the sub-quote requests posted by the primes and the responses received, if any. These reports include time and date. However, prices are not shared with the agency.
Prime contractors that post sub-quote requests to the Bid Express Small Business Network will be able to see whether those requests have been viewed by subcontractors or DBEs. They will also be able to know who viewed the sub-quote request and the date and time.
Review the Plan Holders and Eligible Bidders List for each proposal. Unsolicited quotes should only be sent to prime contractors who have acquired plan sheets and are eligible to bid - this is the common practice among the bidding community. Sending unsolicited quotes to vendors who do not have acquired plan sheets may be considered spam and, therefore, is not allowed. If an eligible bidder list is not provided by the agency, you may need to call them directly as this may be available elsewhere.
The Bid Express team will not tolerate any misuse of the Bid Express service, which includes the Bid Express Small Business Network. Wrongful use of the service can lead to discontinued service as stated in the Bid Express subscriber agreement under Section 8. If you are receiving unsolicited quotes and you are not an eligible bidder for the proposal/project, please contact the Bid Express team so that we can address the issue.
Prices and information in this FAQ are subject to change without notice. Bid Express and Infotech are registered trademarks of Infotech, Inc. Digital ID is a trademark of Info Tech, Inc.
Bid Express: New Roads is a series of updates aimed at creating a more personalized experience that better caters to individual needs, jobs, and responsibilities.
Over the coming months, we'll be rolling out redesigned experiences to you across the entire service. Learn more.
Don't worry, if you don't love it, you can switch back to classic Bid Express for a limited time while you get used to the new look.
Easy on the eyes A cleaner look and simplified layout makes it easier to locate the things you need and get more work done.
Find opportunities faster Streamlined navigation and powerful new search and filtering tools to speed up your workflow.
Plan for some lane changes Some links will send you back to classic Bid Express. Learn more.