Armed with a CAGE code and registration, the supplier is ready to use the bid boards. Most DLA agencies now have Internet access to their bid boards as well. Vendors can access these agencies simply by using telnet software from the DLA website. Among the DLA agencies, however, the method of access varies from bid board to bid board. Additionally, by accessing the website of a particular agency, the supplier is capable of viewing solicitations according to its particular Federal Supply Class, Standard Industrial Classification, or National Stock Number.
Vendors can respond to RFQs right on the website any time of the day or night.
For a supplier just entering the electronic commerce era, electronic bid boards offer a simple, low-cost means of conducting business. Suppliers can receive bids faster, and thus respond much more quickly. Forty percent of companies currently use electronic commerce, and an additional 23 percent say they will start in the next year. Companies moving to electronic commerce are counting on quick payoffs, with 64 percent of current and future users expecting to at least recoup their investments within a year.