City of Syracuse launches new digital procurement platform

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh on Tuesday announced the launch of a new digital procurement platform, OpenGov. The effort is part of the city’s efforts to make its procurement process “more accessible, navigable, and transparent for vendors,” per the city’s announcement. OpenGov is an online portal that consolidates the city’s open bids and requests for proposals (RFPs) in one central location. It allows vendors to get notifications of new bids and RFPs; view open projects; access project plans and specifications free of charge; ask questions in an open forum; and submit proposals directly in the portal. “The City is committed to making our procurement process more accessible and transparent to all,” Walsh said in the announcement. “OpenGov is already demonstrating an increase in vendor responses on bids and is supplementing our overall effort at streamlining and modernizing our process of purchasing goods and services. These changes are making it easier for vendors to engage with us and do business with the City.” Prior to the launch of OpenGov, vendors were required to purchase physical project plans and specifications in packets known as “bid books” from Syracuse. With the launch of OpenGov, vendors are now able to access bid books free of charge and ask project questions directly in the online portal, making the City’s procurement process “more accessible to all vendors looking to do business with the City.” Physical copies of bid books are still available upon request and payment to the division of purchase, the City of Syracuse noted. Vendors can also track the status of bids and RFPs in OpenGov, “creating a more transparent procurement process.” “I encourage all vendors interested in working with the City to register for an account on OpenGov and subscribe to our page to be the first to know when there are new project opportunities,” Evan Loving, city budget director, said. “These changes are happening because our vendors asked for more accessible ways to do business with the City. We heard them and we’re here to support them in making the transition to an online tool.” To date, nearly 1,600 vendors have subscribed to the city’s page in OpenGov. Those vendors receive notifications every time a new bid or RFP is posted. One open project is currently available in OpenGov — an RFP for medical exam and testing provider for the Syracuse Police Department (closes Dec. 30). Vendors interested in doing business with the city should register for an account on OpenGov and subscribe to the City of Syracuse to receive notifications when new projects are posted. Instructions on how to register can be found at: https://www.syr.gov/Departments/Purchase/OpenGov-Registration. For more information on how to do business with the city, visit: https://www.syr.gov/Departments/Purchase.