The move to online posting of contract information is expected to save taxpayers at least $300,000 a year through reduced costs for copying, mailing and legal notices.
The state's contract portal, located on the Department of Administrative Services' (DAS) Web site at www.das.state.ct.us, was created in December by Governor Rell's Executive Order No. 3.
"We are making steady, solid progress toward transparency and fairness," Governor Rell said. "Having contract details out in the open is critical if we truly want universal availability and accessibility. What we are striving for is an even playing field for everyone. The bottom line: More bidders mean more competition and that means better prices for Connecticut taxpayers.
"The purpose of my Executive Order was to eliminate corruption and favoritism in the awarding of state contracts, and I am pleased to see state agencies posting their contract information for everyone to see," Governor Rell said. "Over 200,000 e-mail notices are sent monthly to the 17,000 suppliers registered to receive bid notifications. The previous process, which could take up to two weeks, is now accomplished in a mere 30 minutes."
To date, DAS has trained employees at all state agencies to post contract information online, including employees of the Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, Department of Public Health and the Department of Social Services.
"We now automatically send e-alerts to registered bidders as soon as bid opportunities are posted," Governor Rell said. "Bids remain accessible on the site from the day they are posted until the bids open -- typically three to four weeks -- resulting in a completely open and public procurement process. This compares to the previous method of publishing a legal notice in newspapers for each contract for just one day."
Another feature, believed to be unique to Connecticut, is the promotion of the state's Supplier Diversity Program to newly registered bidders. "As new Connecticut-based firms register, they receive an online message describing the Supplier Diversity Program and inviting them to certify," Governor Rell said. "Since the Supplier Diversity Program feature was introduced in January 2005, more than 275 suppliers have requested application materials and many are in the process of becoming certified."
More than 200 entities, including state government agencies, municipalities, schools and not-for-profits, are currently using the portal for bid posting and notification.
"We in the Department of Environmental Protection have been using the DAS bid portal from its inception and have found it to be an invaluable tool," state employee Vic Massi said. "We are able to post bids immediately, it is very user-friendly and we are receiving a greater response than using other forms of advertising. In the future, we anticipate using this portal for all contracts and personal service agreements in the agency rather than just for procurements as we do now."
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