GLWA’s 2023 Vendor Outreach Event

On September 25, 2023, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) will host an in-person Vendor Outreach Event at the Laurel Manor Conference Center in Livonia, Michigan. This event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The agenda will include presentations by GLWA leadership for both new and existing vendors, breakout sessions featuring GLWA Team Members involved in the procurement process, and dedicated resource rooms where vendors can speak one-on-one with GLWA Team Members as well as network with other vendor attendees and GLWA Partners.

This year, GLWA is using the Whova website and app for registration and event materials. To preview the full agenda for GLWA’s 2023 Vendor Outreach Event and to register as an attendee, please see the Whova links included below. We look forwarding to see you there!

Event Agenda

Event Registration Page

Doing Business with GLWA

As GLWA continues to improve our water and wastewater systems, we rely on a network of skilled and efficient vendors.

To log into your Bonfire Vendor Profile, or to view Open Public Opportunities, Past Public Opportunities, and Public Contracts, please click View Solicitations. For Instructions to Vendors, please see the section below entitled Procurement Policy, Terms, Conditions, and Forms.

All vendors must be registered on Bonfire in order to provide goods and services to GLWA. 

VENDOR BENEFITS OF REGISTERING ON BONFIRE

As a vendor, you will receive:

• Solicitation alerts customized to products or services provided
• Reliable and timely delivery of notifications, addendums and documents
• Advanced notification of term-contracts
• E-bid and e-quote submission
• Immediate and on-demand access to local government opportunities

PLEASE NOTE:

When registering in Bonfire, please provide the full and unabbreviated name of your company and keep your profile information up-to-date to ensure that you receive all GLWA Vendor Communications.

The GLWA Buyer of Record, noted in the advertised Solicitation, is the only GLWA point of contact throughout the procurement process. This helps to ensure that the bidding process is fair and transparent for all.

No bid submissions will be accepted by email for items posted on Bonfire. To register for Bonfire, click here.

If you encounter problems while registering, please call the support department at Bonfire, 1-800-354-8010.

Transparency in Procurement

GLWA is committed to transparency in public procurement. We demonstrate that transparency by providing a searchable database of all contracts on the Procurement Portal, an annual report of all procurement activity presented to the Audit Committee, and through the access to open procurements through Bonfire.

STANDARD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Providing proof of the required levels of insurance coverage is a mandatory requirement for all GLWA contracts. Key points about GLWA’s requirements and how to fulfill them are listed below.

• Contractors should proactively engage with the correct individuals within their organizations as well as insurance agents to secure the appropriate coverages in advance of contract award. This helps to ensure that work may proceed in a timely and efficient manner.
• Insurance requirements are always identified in the solicitation request. It is presumed that the insurance criteria can be met when bids/proposals are submitted. Concerns about insurance requirements may be raised during the Question and Answer phase.
• The key document that contractors must provide is a “certificate of insurance” (COI). This standard document, issued by an insurance company, provides proof of an insurance policy and coverage levels.
• Required insurance coverage and amounts must be maintained for the entire term of the PO or contract.
• Renewal COIs must be provided on an annual basis until all work is completed and the contract can be closed out.

VENDOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT (VPA) PROGRAM

In 2022, GLWA Procurement launched the Vendor Performance Assessment (VPA) Program. A VPA is a scored survey that documents a vendor’s performance in fulfilling the contract requirements for projects awarded at $1million or more. Collecting this data will enable GLWA Team Members to provide important feedback to both GLWA and vendors for future contract awards. GLWA’s VPA Program helps improve future solicitations, provides important data for future sourcing decisions, and gives vendors collaborative feedback on future projects.

• VPA data will be collected from GLWA Project Managers within 30 days of the contract end-date via an online survey collection tool.
• One VPAs are submitted by the Project Manager and validated by GLWA’s Vendor Management Team, they will be shared with Vendors as well as GLWA stakeholders.
• VPA scores will count toward a Vendor’s aggregate performance score and will remain valid for a period of three years after the contract’s end-date. During this time, VPA scores will be used by GLWA during the contract evaluation process.
• Vendors with an aggregate VPA score of 70% or less will be classified as “at risk.”
• Vendors will have the opportunity to appeal VPA scores within 30 days of receipt.

About the GLWA Procurement Team

The GLWA Procurement Team’s goal is to provide effective procurement processes and procedures for the acquisition of quality goods and services for the Great Lakes Water Authority. We achieve this by creating a transparent environment that provides qualified vendors with open and fair access to Great Lakes Water Authority business opportunities.

The GLWA Procurement Team is composed of three highly collaborative groups:

1. Strategic Sourcing, including the Water & Field Services and Wastewater Services buying teams;

2. Contract Administration, overseeing contract management and approval, and

3. Administration, overseeing vendor performance and outreach, reporting and analytics, as well as GLWA’s Business Inclusion and Diversity (B.I.D.) Program.

Business Inclusion and Diversity (B.I.D.) Program

On February 1, 2021, GLWA launched the Business Inclusion and Diversity (B.I.D.) Program to encourage participation by small, woman-owned, minority-owned, and economically disadvantaged businesses in the GLWA procurement process.

The B.I.D. Program provides business opportunities to vendors who support the values of inclusion and diversity in selecting their business partners. For solicitations budgeted at $1 million or more, vendors will be required to submit a Business Inclusion and Diversity Plan that addresses their efforts to include small, woman-owned, minority-owned, and economically disadvantaged subcontractors. Over the long-term, this allows GLWA to support economic development throughout the region and to expand its pool of skilled resources.

Vendor Introduction Meetings

Are you interested to learn more about doing business with GLWA? GLWA hosts Vendor Introduction meetings for interested vendors to learn more about doing business with GLWA and to ask GLWA procurement representatives any questions they may have about the procurement process in a one-on-one virtual setting. During a vendor introduction meeting, GLWA representatives deliver a presentation on how to do business with GLWA that reviews information about the GLWA procurement process and how vendors can submit a complete, competitive, and responsive bid or proposal response to any GLWA solicitation.

If you are interested to schedule a Vendor Introduction meeting, please contact us at GLWAVendorOutreach@glwater.org to schedule. Please note: GLWA Vendor Introduction meetings are not an opportunity to pitch or win business with the Great Lakes Water Authority. Procurement representatives are unable to answer questions about any pending or active solicitations or projects.