Electronic Sourcing (E-Sourcing) Solution

Vendors to provide an enterprise Electronic Sourcing ("E-Sourcing") and Supplier Management Solution (the "Solution"). The Solution will support the University's strategic procurement objectives by modernizing and standardizing sourcing activities, enhancing supplier participation, improving operational efficiency, strengthening procurement controls, and providing robust reporting and audit capabilities.
- University seeks a cloud-based, configurable, and scalable Solution capable of supporting the complete sourcing lifecycle, including supplier registration and management, solicitation development and issuance, vendor communications, electronic bid and proposal submission, evaluation and award workflows, reporting, and supplier diversity tracking. The proposed Solution must support the decentralized nature of CUNY's procurement environment while enabling systemwide visibility, consistency, and oversight.
- Solution to:
o Modernize and streamline sourcing and solicitation processes;
o Increase supplier participation and competition;
o Enhance transparency, consistency, and accountability in procurement activities;
o Improve compliance with applicable procurement regulations and University policies;
o Support Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise ("MWBE"), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business ("SDVOB"), and other supplier diversity initiatives;
o Establish comprehensive audit trails and procurement reporting capabilities;
o Reduce manual and paper-based procurement activities;
o Improve collaboration among University procurement professionals, business stakeholders, and suppliers; and
o Provide a scalable platform capable of supporting the diverse procurement needs of all CUNY colleges and administrative offices.
- Solicitation Management
The Solution shall provide functionality to create, administer, manage, and track sourcing events throughout the solicitation lifecycle. At a minimum, the Solution shall:
• Support the creation and management of Requests for Quotations (RFQs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Invitations for Bids (IFBs), and other solicitation types utilized by CUNY;
• Provide configurable solicitation templatesthat may be created,stored, modified, and reused;
• Support the issuance, distribution, and tracking ofsolicitation addenda;
• Establish and track solicitation schedules, deadlines, milestones, and key procurement activities;
• Support the electronic distribution and publication ofsolicitation documents and related materials;
• Support solicitation advertisement and publication requirements, including the ability to provide or generate information
necessary for external advertisement, where applicable;
• Provide configurable workflows, approvals, routing, and permissions based on solicitation type, procurement process, or
user role; and
• Maintain a complete history ofsolicitation activities, modifications, approvals, and related documentation.
1.3.2 Vendor Management
The Solution shall provide functionality to support vendor participation throughout the sourcing process. At a minimum, the
Solution shall:
• Support vendor registration and onboarding;
• Maintain vendor profiles and related information;
• Provide toolsfor communications between CUNY and participating vendors;
• Generate vendor notifications and alerts regarding solicitation activities, deadlines, addenda, and other applicable events;
• Permit vendorsto electronically acknowledge receipt of addenda and other required notices;
• Maintain records of vendor participation in sourcing events; and
• Support the identification and tracking of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) and ServiceDisabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB) status, where applicable.
- Question and Answer Management
The Solution shall provide centralized functionality for managing questions and communications associated with sourcing events. At a minimum, the Solution shall:
• Permit vendorsto electronically submit questions within established solicitation periods;
• Allow authorized CUNY usersto receive, organize, review, assign, and respond to vendor questions;
• Support the consolidation and publication of questions and responses;
• Support the issuance of responsesthrough addenda or other formalsolicitation communications;
• Maintain an auditable history of questions, responses, communications, modifications, and publication activities; and
• Restrict vendor accessto information or communicationsthat are not authorized for publication.