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Seller Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Welcome to the Seller FAQs section. This section is intended to provide quick answers to the most commonly asked questions and is not intended to provide a complete online tutorial. Should you desire a detailed demonstration or additional information that is not contained in this section, please contact us directly at ClientServices@FedBid.com. The questions addressed are:

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What is FedBid?

FedBid, Inc. provides FedBid® online procurement services, including Reverse Auction and associated support services, through The Buyer-Driven Online Marketplace® at www.FedBid.com. Focusing primarily on federal, state and local government agencies and associated prime contractors, FedBid is the leading online marketplace for public sector acquisition of commodities, from computer products, security gear and office supplies to tools, laboratory supplies and equipment. To date, thousands of procurement professionals at dozens of federal organizations and commercial organizations have used FedBid to procure $billions worth of commodities and simple services.

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What is FedBid's role in the market?

As the online marketplace where government buys commodities, FedBid satisfies a growing niche within the public sector procurement community, while complementing existing tools such as GSAAdvantage!, GSA e-Buy, DOD EMALL, and GWAC vehicles such as GSA Schedules, NASA SEWP III and NIH ECS III. The $100 billion niche consists of public sector purchases that are over $3,000 in value, are available from multiple sources of supply, and are for commercial items (commodities). FedBid is designed specifically for the public sector environment and interfaces with mandatory systems such as www.FedBizOpps.gov and the Central Contractor Registration www.CCR.gov. FedBid enables users to compete and document their purchases under any of the following procurement scenarios:

  • Competition among members of an existing multiple-award contract supplier community (e.g., GSA Schedules, Blanket Purchasing Agreements, government-wide acquisition contracts, AbilityOne, etc.);
  • Competition for set-aside purchases among suppliers within a particular socio-economic classification (e.g., Small Business, HUB Zone, Small Disadvantaged Business, 8(a) Business, and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business); or
  • Competition among interested registered suppliers utilizing automated data feeds to FedBizOpps.gov for synopses, as required.

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Is FedBid the same as FedBizOpps?

No. FedBid is a privately held company that provides an online marketplace where government buys commodities. FedBizOpps (FBO), at www.FedBizOpps.gov, is a government-run, online bulletin board. However, FedBid does maintain automated feeds to FBO in order to enable federal government Buyers to meet FAR requirements regarding opportunity notification.

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What is a Reverse Auction?

A Reverse Auction is competitive process in which a Buyer solicits Bids from Sellers during a period of time set by the Buyer. During the Reverse Auction, Sellers have the opportunity to submit a single Bid or multiple Bids that decrease in price. On FedBid, Sellers do NOT see competitors' names or prices but do see a Bid Status of either LEAD or LAG, depending on their Bid Price.

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Are Reverse Auctions legal?

Yes. Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) no longer prohibit auctions and, in fact, encourage innovative procurement techniques such as Reverse Auctions. In addition, within the last few years, the federal government has explicitly embraced e-commerce initiatives through legislation, such as the E-Government Act of 2002 (PL 107-347), and policy memoranda, such as a May 12, 2004 memo, issued by Office of Procurement Policy and linked on FedBid's website, which encourages agencies to utilize commercially available online procurement tools, including reverse auctions. In 2005, both GAO (MTB Group, Inc., B-295463) and the Court of Federal Claims (MTB Group, Inc. v. United States) upheld the validity of reverse auctions in federal procurement.

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What is a Buy?

A Buy is a procurement made through FedBid using FedBid's Reverse Auction functionality.

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How long does a Buy last?

The Buyer determines the duration of the Buy, but the competition process typically last three to four calendar days, depending on the availability of the items sought. Timeframes have a tendency to shorten throughout the Federal Government's last fiscal quarter (July-September).

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Does FedBid sell or resell our items to the government?

No. FedBid does NOT sell or resell to the government any items competed through the FedBid system. FedBid is simply an independent, Seller-neutral venue where government (Buyer) buys from industry (Seller). The Buyer contracts directly with the Selected Seller and issues a purchase order or purchase card order directly to the Seller.

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How do I register as a Seller?

Seller registration is a two-part process that requires certain confirmations and approvals.

Part 1 involves offline completion of FedBid's online registration form for the Seller Organization.

  1. Go to www.FedBid.com and click on the 'Register' button.
  2. On the FedBid Registration page, click the 'Register As Seller' button.
  3. On the FedBid Seller Registration page, click on the first letter of your company name in the Company Name Index, and review the dropdown list to see if your company is already registered with FedBid. If so, continue to Part 2.
  4. If your company is not already registered, submit the online FedBid Seller Registration Form by clicking on the Form link.
  5. FedBid will review the information and compare it with data posted on both the federal government's Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at www.CCR.gov and the Excluded Parties List (EPLS). Once FedBid has confirmed the company is not included in the EPLS, FedBid will add the company's information to the FedBid database, and FedBid will contact the specified Seller POC within one business day to complete Part 2. Please note that, although CCR registration is not required to register with FedBid, your company must be registered in CCR in order to be awarded contracts by the Federal Government.

Part 2 involves registration of individual Seller Representatives under a company that has previously registered on FedBid.

  1. Go to www.FedBid.com and click the 'Register' button.
  2. On the FedBid Registration page, click the 'Register As Seller' button.
  3. On the FedBid Seller Registration page, click on the first letter of your company name in the Company Name Index, select your company name from the dropdown box and click the 'Continue' button.
  4. Complete the Seller Representative Registration form and click the 'Continue' button.
  5. On the Confirm Registration page review all information entered. If changes need to be made, click the 'Edit' button. If the information is complete and correct as entered, click the 'Submit Registration' button.
  6. FedBid will then activate the Seller Representative account and send to the Seller Representative an email with a link for creating a password and security question. After creating these two items, the Seller Representative can begin using FedBid.

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What is the CCR? (answer copied from ccr.gov)

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary vendor database for the U.S. Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions. Both current and potential federal government vendors are required to register in CCR in order to be awarded contracts by the federal government. Vendors are required to complete a one-time registration to provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. Vendors must update or renew their registration at least once per year to maintain an active status. CCR validates the vendor information and electronically shares the secure and encrypted data with the federal agencies finance offices to facilitate paperless payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT). Additionally, CCR shares the data with federal government procurement and electronic business systems. Please note that any information provided during registration may be shared with authorized federal government offices. However, registration does not guarantee business with the federal government.

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What is a CAGE CODE?

This is an identification number issued by the CCR at www.CCR.gov. Sellers interested in obtaining a Cage Code must have a DUNS # in order to register with CCR.

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What is a DUNS Number?

A DUNS Number is an identification number issued by Dunn & Bradstreet (D&B). To obtain a DUNS Number go to www.dnb.com/US/index.asp.

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How do I sign in?

Go to www.FedBid.com and click the 'Log In' button. In order to sign in to FedBid, all users are required to enter their email addresses and passwords in the corresponding fields on the Login page and indicate their acceptance of the FedBid Terms of Use. Please remember that email addresses and passwords are case sensitive; therefore, information must be entered exactly as it was entered during registration. Users may click the 'Forgot password?' link, located under the Login fields, for automated assistance.

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How do I submit a Bid?

Submitting a Bid is fast and easy. The process takes approximately 5 minutes to enter the data, assuming pricing has been prepared. (Please note that it may take longer based on the number of line items in the Buyer's request.) The process consists of a few simple steps:

  1. Review Buys on the Opportunities page.
  2. Click on the 5-digit 'Buy #' link to the left of each Buy Description.
  3. After reviewing Buy Details, click the 'Place Bid' button. Please note that some Buys may include bad specs (e.g., discontinued, end of life, wrong part number). If you are unable to deliver the line item as requested due to a bad spec, DO NOT BID, unless the Buy terms instruct otherwise. Instead, notify us by clicking the 'Submit Question' link at the top of the page.
  4. Complete the Terms page of the Bid process, which includes Bid Description, Seller Reference No., acknowledgement of compliance with Buyer's contract request and Buy Terms, and click the 'Continue' button.
  5. Complete the Line Items page of the Bid process, which contains all pricing, line item description responses, and Seller Attachments, and click the 'Continue' button. Use extreme care in this phase as you are committing to provide the specific item(s) at your stated price. All opportunities on the FedBid system are 'all or nothing' (unless otherwise stated within the specification), so you MUST bid all of the requested items; no partial bidding is allowed.
  6. Review your Bid Information on the Review and Submit page and click the 'Submit Bid' button. Please note that your Bid will not be received unless the 'Submit Bid' button is clicked.
  7. View immediate Bid Status of 'LEAD' or 'LAG'. (LEAD means that a Bid is in the lead position at a specific moment in time during the Buy process; LAG means that a Bid is not in the lead position at a specific moment in time during the Buy process and that it may be lagging to competitor Bids and/or an Active Target Price.)

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How do I decline to bid on an opportunity?

Sellers may decline to bid by submitting a 'No Bid'. Submitting a No Bid is fast, easy, and useful. Simply review the Buy in the Opportunities section, select the checkbox to the right of the End Date, then select 'No Bid' from the Action drop down menu.  To decline to bid from the Buy Details page, just click the 'No Bid' button at the bottom of the page. A No Bid allows you to quickly document that you have viewed the opportunity but have determined not to submit a Bid. It also informs the Buyer that you are active in the market and assists the Buyer in documenting competition. If you later decide to bid on a Buy after submitting a No Bid, go to the 'No Bids' tab of the 'My Bids' section, and click on the Buy Number to begin the bidding process. The Buy will be removed from the No Bids list when you click the 'Place Bid' button on the Buy Details page.

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Do I have to bid on all the line items?

Yes. Due to the reverse auction functionality Partial Bids are NOT allowed and will be removed.

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What does "GSA Schedule Bids Only" mean?

This means that Sellers bidding on this opportunity MUST have the items requested on an existing GSA Schedule. The Schedule must either be in the seller's name or the seller must be able to document its ability to act as an agent of a partner's Schedule. Sellers may offer Open Market items only in accordance with the approved Terms and Conditions of their respective GSA Schedule AND upon approval from the soliciting Contracting Officer. Information regarding GSA Schedules can be found at www.gsa.gov.

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What is the 'Stop Auto Rebid At' field?

FedBid enables Sellers to automatically rebid multiple line items, thereby saving time and effort for Sellers who wish to compete more actively. This feature enables Sellers to bid simultaneously on multiple opportunities without the need to monitor and manually rebid each opportunity — a great benefit as the number of opportunities available through FedBid continues to grow. To use the Auto Rebid function, set the 'Stop Auto Rebid At' field to your lowest allowable Bid for that line item. Based on that range, the FedBid system will automatically rebid for the Seller until the Seller's Bid Status reaches 'LEAD' or until the Seller's Bid equals the 'Stop Auto Rebid At' amount, whichever occurs first. If you do not want the system to automatically rebid for you on any line item, you should leave the 'Stop Auto Rebid At' field blank for that line item.

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Can I see my competitors and their Bids?

No. While a Buy is active and open for bidding, Sellers cannot view the identities or Bids of other Sellers. The only indication of your Bid Status is LEAD or LAG once you have submitted a Bid. Once a Buy has closed, and the Buyer has chosen a Selected Seller, all participating bidders may view the Selected Seller's total Bid price and the Selected Seller's identity.

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What does "reposted" mean?

If a Buyer has reposted a solicitation, or Buy, it means that a previously posted Buy has been posted anew due to a change in specifications, duration, or other term or condition. Any time the Buyer makes a material change to the Buy, the competition will be reposted or started again, and either the Buy number will be appended from XXXXX to XXXXX_01 (if it is reposted a second time, it would change to XXXXX_02) or the Buy will be given a new ID number. To protect the Seller from unintentionally bidding on changed requirements, FedBid cancels all Bids submitted during a Buy prior to the reposting, and Sellers must submit new Bids for the reposted Buy.

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Can I add an attachment to my Bid?

Sellers are able to attach files to their Bids as requested or required by the Buyer. In addition, for Buys that contain 'Brand Name or Equal' or 'Meet or Exceed' requirements but do not require Seller attachments, it may nevertheless be helpful to the Buyer for you to submit documentation evidencing that the items you are offering are equal to, or exceed, as applicable, the items specified in the solicitation. If the solicitation does not specifically require submission of attachments, submit all documentation to ClientServices@FedBid.com, and certain restrictions apply (see below).

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Are there restrictions on documentation submitted for the Buyer?

Yes. Buyers may require documentation as part of or to support a Bid (e.g., to support equal items or exceed items under 'Brand Name or Equal' or 'Meet or Exceed' solicitations). Emails, emailed attachments or any attachments provided online for submission to the Buyer must not include pricing information, which may be considered an offline bid. FedBid's prohibition of offline bids helps Buyers maintain the integrity, fairness and openness of the competitive process by enabling Buyers to conduct all procurements pursuant to uniform ground rules that treat all Sellers impartially, fairly, and equitably. In turn, Sellers have confidence that they are able to compete on a level playing field that truly rewards best value bidding.

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Why is my Bid showing LAG?

Once a Bid is received by the FedBid system, the Seller submitting that Bid will see either LEAD or LAG. LEAD means that a Bid is in the lead position at a specific moment in time during the Buy process; LAG means that a Bid is not in the lead position at a specific moment in time during the Buy process and that it may be lagging to competitor Bids and/or an Active Target Price (ATP). ATP is the mechanism available to the Buyer that enables the Buyer to establish a price-point that must be underbid before a Bid will receive a LEAD Bid Status. ATP is usually based on a GSA Schedule catalog price, a previous purchase price, or a funding threshold.

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How do I update my company's information?

All registered Seller Representatives may view their Organization's information on the 'Seller Org. Profile' page of the 'My Account' section. The information can be updated by contacting the Client Services team. Updates will be confirmed by comparing data with the CCR.

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How do I update my personal profile information?

All registered Seller Representatives may update their account information by logging into the FedBid system. Once logged in, click on the 'My Profile' page of the 'My Account' section to update Name, Address, Title, Division, Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number. Adjustments of email addresses must be done through notification of FedBid Client Services.

Note: Sellers should review their Socio-Economic Classifications on the Seller Org Profile page as well as their individual Category/Subcategory selections on a regular basis in order to ensure they are viewing the most appropriate opportunities possible. Example: A Seller will not be able to view a procurement that is restricted to small businesses if that Seller is not registered as a small business.

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How do I change the email address that is used for email notifications and my login?

Contact FedBid Client Services directly to change the email address associated with an account.

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Does FedBid comply with Federal Acquisition Regulations, Subpart 9.5, relating to Conflicts of Interest?

Yes. FedBid provides procurement services to Buyers and Sellers through a simple and extremely effective online Reverse Auction marketplace. FedBid does not provide any other type of service, nor does FedBid engage in any formal or informal relationship with any Seller outside of the limited contractual relationship required to provide such Seller with access to FedBid's procurement services. Moreover, any subcontractor from which FedBid procures operational support services is prohibited from bidding in any Buy on FedBid.

FedBid warrants to the best of its knowledge and belief, that no person associated with FedBid, including any individual, subcontractor, team member, consultant, corporation, partnership, joint venture, or other business entity, has any conflict of interest that would cause FedBid to be unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance or advice to the government, impair FedBid's objectivity in providing services, give FedBid an unfair competitive advantage, or otherwise affect FedBid's ability to perform the online procurement and payment services required by the government. As part of FedBid's independent audit and review, FedBid's independent auditor evaluates for accuracy the foregoing statement, and FedBid will report any changes and/or updates to this information based upon the findings of said auditor.

Should you require any additional information or certifications, you may contact FedBid at ClientServices@FedBid.com.

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Does FedBid safeguard sensitive government information?

Yes. FedBid does not disclose unclassified but sensitive government information or data to any party other than those personnel specifically authorized to receive such information or data. In addition, to ensure that the security and confidentiality of sensitive information and data is properly protected, FedBid performs background checks on all of its employees, requires all managers and employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, and employs a state of the art, secure infrastructure that prevents electronic theft or misappropriation of sensitive information. When no longer required, FedBid will return all sensitive information and data to the government's control, or we will destroy or hold it, as directed by the government.

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What if I have a question regarding a FedBid invoice?

See the Seller Procedures page for a detailed explanation of invoicing the Buyer and submitting payment to FedBid, or contact FedBid's invoicing department at Invoicing@FedBid.com.

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What if a Buyer contacts me to confirm pricing?

Although a Seller's Bid may result in an order without any further contact from the Buyer, FedBid encourages Buyers to confirm pricing prior to award. If this occurs, it is important that the Seller provide the FedBid price which includes both the Seller's original Bid AND the FedBid Fee. This is the price that the Buyer sees within FedBid and is continuously displayed to the Seller at login. If the Seller has any questions regarding the pricing, the Seller should contact FedBid at ClientServices@FedBid.com prior to confirming with the Buyer. This will insure that the Seller is not held responsible for FedBid Fees that have not been included in payment to the Seller from the Buyer.

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How do I navigate through the FedBid system?

When using the FedBid system, you can use the FedBid system's navigation buttons and progress bars as well as your Internet browser navigation buttons. For example:

If you need to go back to a prior screen, you can use the FedBid button Back

If you need to continue, you can use Continue
If you need to refresh your time on the bid page, you can use Refresh Time

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When should I submit a Bid?

All Bids must be submitted before the FedBid closing time of a Buy. The last page in the Bid submission process is a Review and Submit page. Sellers MUST click the 'Submit Bid' button on the Review and Submit page prior to the end time in order to have the Bid considered. You will know that your Bid has been submitted when the Bid Status is displayed as 'Lead' or 'Lag' on the 'Active Bids' page. For more information about the bidding process, please see Getting Started or contact FedBid Client Services at ClientServices@FedBid.com. FedBid cannot be held responsible if the Seller provides insufficient time for issue resolution.

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Who pays the Industrial Funding Fee on the FedBid Fee amount?

Pursuant to the General Payment Terms in the FedBid Terms of Use, FedBid assumes responsibility for payment of any IFF amounts applicable to FedBid Fees; therefore, those Selected Sellers that receive payment from Buyers under government contracts subject to the Industrial Funding Fee (IFF) should not pay the IFF amounts on the FedBid Fee.

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What if the FedBid Fee causes my Selected Bid to exceed my applicable published government contract pricing?

If FedBid receives notice that, due to inclusion of the FedBid Fee, the Selected Bid’s line item pricing is higher than the pricing for the same item in the Selected Seller’s applicable (i.e., matching the Contract Type specified by the Buyer in the IFB) published government contract, the FedBid Fee will be adjusted to ensure the Selected Bid’s line item pricing does not exceed the Selected Seller’s applicable published government contract pricing. Such notice from the Selected Seller must include either an active link to the applicable published government contract and pricing (e.g. GSA Advantage, etc.) or a copy of the applicable portion of the contract and pricing and should be submitted to ClientServices@FedBid.com at or before expiration of the Buy process as specified in the IFB and as determined by the Web Site system clock.

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We were contacted by a Seller that claimed to be assisting, helping or working with FedBid to source items to a Buyer. Does FedBid work with Sellers in this capacity?

No. Although FedBid has entered into strategic business relationships with certain other companies in order to improve the experience of Buyers and Sellers using the FedBid online marketplace, in the interests of maintaining absolute competitive neutrality and avoiding even the appearance of a potential conflict of interest, FedBid does not enter into strategic relationships with any party that bids through FedBid. The current list of FedBid strategic alliances is at Strategic Alliances or contact FedBid Client Services at ClientServices@FedBid.com.

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What does FedBid charge Sellers to use FedBid?

The FedBid value-added service is based on an Application Service Provider (ASP) model, in which Buyers and Sellers need only Internet access and a browser to participate. FedBid charges no subscription fees. Interested Sellers simply register, login and submit Bids for Buys that correspond with their offerings. The system adds an equal percentage transaction fee to all Seller Bids prior to submission to the Buyer. When the Buyer makes an award to the Selected Seller, FedBid will collect the included fee from that Seller. FedBid's model eliminates out-of-pocket fees for all Sellers.

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What if I have a question or comment regarding a Buy?

For questions and comments regarding an active Buy, please utilize the 'Submit Question' functionality on any page of the Place Bid process. If the Buyer determines that an amendment to the solicitation is required, the Buyer will repost the Buy. As with any Buy posting, the system will automatically notify you if your account selections match the reposted solicitation. Answers not requiring reposting may be answered offline through email by the appropriate responder (i.e., FedBid, if the question or comment is FedBid process/system related, or the Buyer, if the question or comment is related to the solicitation). Please be aware that the Buyer may choose either to respond or not to respond at their discretion. Accordingly, although we have submitted your information to the Buyer for consideration, you may not receive a response prior the close of the Buy.

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