Vendor 100 program, with five 90-minute classes, plus ‘meet-and-greet’ discussions, to begin later this month
The City of Sarasota’s Procurement Division will offer two distinct opportunities for vendors to learn detailed information about how to do business with the city, city staff has announced.
The first event will be Vendor 100, which is a series of educational courses for vendors, the release adds.
The second will consist of “meet-and-greet” sessions, which will enable persons to talk one-on-one with a Procurement Division team member, the release explains.
“Vendor 100 is a series of five 90-minute classes,” the release continues. “Each class focuses on a specific topic to help boost understanding of the City’s procurement process,” it adds.
Vendor 100 will begin March 19 and run through May 21, with each class offered twice, as follows, the release notes:
- Vendor 101 — “Basics of Doing Business with Public Entities.”
- Vendor 102 — “Consultant Requirements (Engineer Architect).”
- Vendor 103 — “To Bid or Not to Bid.”
- Vendor 104 — “The RFP (Proposal Tips).”
- Vendor 105 — “Walking Through Bidsync, Using the City’s Solicitation Software.”
All classes will be virtual, the release points out. Registration is available online.
“Each course in the Vendor 100 series is stand-alone and designed to offer helpful guidance on doing business with the City,” said David Boswell, general manager of the city’s Purchasing Division, in the release. “Vendors can attend one, all or a combination at no cost,” Boswell added.
Additionally, the Procurement Division will offer virtual meet-and-greet sessions the fourth Wednesday of each month, starting March 24 and continuing through July. “Procurement team members will talk with vendors one-on-one about processes and answer questions,” the release says. Appointments are available in 30-minute blocks and can be scheduled online.