STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
VENDOR INFORMATION PROGRAM (VIP)
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Please print these instructions by selecting File; Print from the toolbar at the top of the page.

GENERAL INFORMATION

NOTE:  You can navigate through the Division of Purchases website by single clicking on any of the options that appear in the menu located on the left-hand side of every window.

1.       You must register as a vendor on the RIVIP system to submit a Bid/RFP response.

2.       You must download and install/activated Adobe Acrobat Reader.   A link to the free download is available from our website by double clicking on the yellow “Get Acrobat Reader” box that appears at the bottom of the Menu options.  Follow the instructions to download/install the Reader.

3.       You must sign in as a RIVIP registered vendor (see “Sign In” option in the menu, on the left-hand side) before downloading a bid to create the cover form.

4.       You can view any bid without signing in, however, the cover form will not automatically be generated until you “Sign In” and request the bid document again.

5.       You can sign in at anytime by single clicking the “Sign in” option from the menu on the left –hand side.

6.       You must submit a RIVIP Generated Bidder Certification Cover Form along with your Bid/RFP response.

7.       The RIVIP Help Desk can be reached Monday through Friday 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM, Eastern Standard Time, at 401-222-3766.

REGISTERING

NOTE:  If you think your company is already a registered vendor, you can search for the Vendor ID# and Password by selecting the “Vendor Center” option from the menu, and single clicking on “RIVIP Search” link. If you need assistance, see the instructions below “Search for Vendor ID# and Password.”

1.       Select “Vendor Center” option from the menu.

2.       Select “RIVIP Registration” and read the instructions.  You will be asked to provide basic information about your company.  All fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory and must be completed.  Leave any fields that are NOT applicable to you company blank, i.e. if your mailing address is NOT different from the Business Address, do not input any data in the Mailing Address Fields, LEAVE THEM BLANK.

3.       Review all of the information carefully, click on the “Finish Button” when you are through. 

NOTE:  If the SSN/FEIN number you have entered is already registered, you will be given the option to proceed with the registration, or you can search for the Vendor ID # and password through the “RIVIP Search” link. If you need assistance, see the instructions below “Search for Vendor ID# and  Password”.  To proceed with the registration click the “Continue Registration” button and single click the “Finish” button.  If you would like to change the SSN/FEIN for your registration single click “Continue Registration” and change the SSN/FEIN before single clicking the “Finish” button.

4.       You will be assigned a Vendor Id Number.  You will be asked to choose a password.  Remember that your password is case sensitive and must always be entered as it was registered.  Please write this information down and keep it in a safe place for future reference.

5.       You are now logged in to the site. (Look to the Menu on the left-hand side and you will see your company name.)

6.       You may proceed to select your commodity codes, or, select one of the options from the Menu to navigate around the site.

COMMODITY CODES (Optional)

NOTE:  You can select your Commodity Codes now or you can add them later. To add Commodity Codes at a later date, single click on the “Vendor Center” Menu option then single click on “Vendor Maintenance.”   You must “Sign In” first before you can add Commodity Codes through the “Vendor Maintenance” option.   Follow the instructions 2-8.

To add your Commodity Codes immediately after you complete the registration process follow the instructions below.

1.       Single click on the “Add Vendor Commodity Codes” link.  A screen will open informing you that there are “No commodity codes records found.

2.       If adding commodity codes through Vendor Maintenance single click “Vendor Commodity Codes”. A screen will open informing you that there are “No commodity codes records found”.

3.       To add commodity codes, single click on the “Add” button.  A new window will open that will allow you to search for the codes by  “Keyword”, “Search All Categories”, or search by selecting “Individual categories.”

4.       To search by “keyword” type in a short description (i.e. office equipment).  Highlight the appropriate “Category” in the “Commodity Code Categories” box.  Single click on the “Search” button, a new window will open with the search results.

5.       To search all categories, be sure the “Search all Categories” option is highlighted in the “Commodity Code Categories” box.  Single click on the “Search” button, a new window will open with the search results. Single click on the description of the category you wish to review.

6.       To search by individual categories, highlight the category you wish to search by single clicking on the corresponding letter and description.  Single click on the “Search” button, new window will open with a list of subcategories.  Single click on the description of the category you wish to review.

7.       Check off the boxes to the left of the codes that you want to add to your registration.  When finished, single click the “Add” button.  A new window will open with the list of commodity codes you have added.

8.       Review your choices carefully, if you want to Delete a code, simply put a check in the box titled  “Check to Delete” and click the Delete button, an updated list will appear.  Review the choices again, if they are correct, you can click the add button and return to the first page of the Commodity Code option to continue to add additional codes.  Or to leave the “Commodity Code” option, select any item that appears in the menu in left-hand side of the window.

SEARCH FOR ACTIVE  (SCHEDULED) BIDS, AWARDED BIDS, BIDS THAT ARE UNDER EVALUATION AND CANCELLED BIDS

If you are a registered vendor, please sign in by clicking the “Sign In” link from the Menu located on the left-hand side.  You must “Sign In” to create the Cover Form for bids.

If you need to register your company as a vendor, please click on the “Vendor Center” link and select the “RIVIP Registration” link.

If you are not sure if you company is registered, please click on the “Vendor Center” link and proceed to the “RIVIP Search” link to search for your vendor number and password. (See the instructions below titled “Search for Vendor ID# and Password”)

1.       To view/search for active/awarded bids please single click on the “Public Bid Opportunities” link from the Menu.

2.       Click on the link titled “State Agency Bids” and the Bid Search page will open.

3.       To search for a bid by bid number input the entire bid number in the “Bid Number” field, select the appropriate bid status from the “Bid Status” field and single click on “Search.” 

4.       To search for bid by “Bid Status” only, (active bids, awarded bids, bids that are under evaluation or canceled bids), single click on the appropriate status in the “Bid Status” window, single click on the “Search” button, and the search results window will open.

5.       To search for a bid by keyword, first single click on the appropriate “Bid Status” option for your search, next, input your search word (i.e. Office Equipment), in the “Keyword” field and singe click on the “Search” button.

NOTE:  You must have the correct  “Bid Status” highlighted for the bid you are searching for, i.e. if the bid has been cancelled and you have the “Awarded” status selected in the “Bid Status” field, the bid will not be found.

6.       To search for a bid by opening date, first single click on the appropriate “Bid Status” option for your search, input the date as follows mm/dd/yyyy, or single click on the calendar and select the date.   To change the month, use the arrows that appear to the left and right of the title of the month.  To select the date, single click on the appropriate number.

NOTE:  You can refine your search by using any combination of the options shown.  I.e. you can search for all  “Active (Scheduled), and On or after” a certain date, or “Bid Number and Canceled bids”, by selecting multiple criteria and then single clicking on the “Search” button

7.       To remove the data you have entered in any of the fields, simply click the “Clear Fields” button.

VIEWING AND DOWNLOADING BIDS FROM SEARCH RESULTS

1.       To view any bid, single click on the bid number.

IMPORTANT:  If you have “signed in”, the first three pages you will see will be your cover form, the bid document will follow.  If you have not signed in, the bid document ONLY, will appear in the window.

YOU MUST “SIGN IN” WITH YOUR VENDOR NUMBER AND PASSWORD TO CREATE THE COVER FORM WITH THE BID.

You can “Sign In” as a vendor at any time by simply clicking the “Sign In” Link from the Menu.

PRINTING COVER FORMS AND BIDS

1.       To print the Cover Form and Bid Documents, or the Bid Document alone, click on the printer icon that appears on the Adobe Toolbar at the top of the page.

SUBMITTING A BID RESPONSE

1.       Print a hard copy of the Bid and RIVIP Cover Form.

2.       Complete the Bid with your responses(s)and complete the RIVIP Cover Form.

3.       Mail the completed Bid and RIVIP Cover Form to:

Department of Administration
Division of Purchases
P.O. Box 6528
Providence, RI 02940-6528

4.       Indicate the Bid Number and Opening Date and Time on the envelope. The Division of Purchases must receive your Bid and completed RIVIP Cover Form prior to the opening date and time of the bid.

SEARCH FOR VENDOR ID# AND PASSWORD

1.       Single click on the “Vendor Center” option from the Menu in the upper left-hand corner.

2.       Single click on “RIVIP Search”

3.       Input your first and last name in the “First and Last Name Field”

Input the Company’s name in the “Company Name Field”

NOTE:  You must match at least 5 characters of the company name.  If the company name is less than 5 characters, you must enter the entire company name. 

4.       Input the Social Security or Federal Tax Identification number your company registered with in the “SSN/FIN” field.  DO NOT input any dashes (-) or spaces. Single click on “Search”

5.       The Search Result window will open.

6.       If the company is registered at multiple locations, with the SAME SSN/FED number, the Search Result Window will list the multiple locations.  The list will appear in Vendor Id # order and shown the Company Name, City, State, Zip Code and Country.  Single click on the company name of the location you are looking for to obtain the password..

SEARCH/VIEW QUASI-PUBLIC BIDS

1.       Select the “Public Bid Opportunities” option from the menu.

2.       Single click on the “Quasi-Public Bid” option.

3.       Select by highlighting a single “Quasi-Public agency”, or search “All Quasi-Public Agencies”, single click on the “Search” button.

4.       You can refine the search by entering a Keyword in the “Keyword” field.

5.       To view information about a bid, single click on the bid number.

SEARCH/VIEW MUNICIPALITY BIDS

1.       Select the “Public Bid Opportunities” option from the menu.

2.       Single click on the “Municipality Bids” option.

3.       Select by highlighting a single “Municipality”, or search “All Municipalities”, single click on the “Search” button.

4.       You can refine the search by entering a Keyword in the “Keyword” field.

5.       To view information about a bid, single click on the bid number.