Burlington County is moving to an electronic procurement system that is expected to make its contracting and purchasing processes more efficient and yield savings that will benefit county taxpayers.
The county plans to switch to an e-procurement system from Ion Wave Technologies starting next month, making it one of the first counties in New Jersey to move to a paperless system. Starting in November, companies will be given the option to submit bids electronically or by the traditional paper format before transitioning to only paperless bids starting Dec. 1.
County officials said the change is expected to save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars annually thanks to the increased efficiency, and improved bidding process for goods and services.
“Burlington County already has a stellar credit rating and the lowest average county tax in New Jersey, but the switch from paper-based procurement to an electronic system will help us achieve even greater efficiencies and cost savings,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Dan O’Connell. “We expect this new system will be a huge time-saver for staff and that the vendors and contractors who do business with the county will also enjoy the cost-saving benefits.”
More than 3,700 businesses are currently registered with the Burlington County Department of Finance to be notified of available contracts and bid opportunities. Those businesses have been notified of the impending switch to the new electronic system and are encouraged to register in the new portal.
The system will be used for all county transactions that involve bids or submissions for goods or services. Companies can register at https://burlcobids.ionwave.net/ There is no cost to the vendor to register.
Under the new system, vendors will receive emails about available contracts and other bid opportunities and will be asked to log onto the county’s new electronic system to submit proposals.
The county will also continue to advertise opportunities via newspaper legal notices, which is required by state law.
Among the benefits of the new system, submissions can be updated and amended until the designated time the proposals will be opened. The system also alerts suppliers of errors in their submissions, such as missed signatures or data fields. This should result in fewer bid rejections due to technicalities and the potential for more savings.
“The more qualified bids the county receives, the more potential for cost-savings, so we expect this to become a big money-saver for us,” said O’Connell. “We see this as a big win for our county and our taxpayers and another example of how Burlington County is leading the way on affordability and fiscal management.”
