Alaska RFPs: The Ultimate Guide to Alaska Bids

Alaska’s beautiful landscape is home to 17 of the tallest mountains in the United States. Viewing the Northern Lights is one of the most breathtaking scenes, and watching the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an iconic Alaskan event. Alaska’s serving up plenty of unique opportunities for businesses ready to chill! If you look closely, you can grow your Alaska small business into something extraordinary. How? Through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process! So let’s discover Alaska RFPs!

Alaska RFPs and You

The first step in uncovering Alaska RFPs? Knowing where to look. A good place to start is the Alaska Online Public Notice System. Alaska requires solicitors post any solicitations for goods/services (with estimated values greater than $100,000.00) on the Alaska Online Public Notice System. Alaska’s Vendor Self-Service provides vendors the ability to manage their accounts, track payments, and respond electronically to procurement. Vendors can register their business with the Alaska Vendor Self-Service (https://iris-vss.alaska.gov/). They’ll start to be notified of great business opportunities.

Alaska’s Procurement Academy 

Once you have decided that the procurement process is the next step for your business, you need to follow all the requirements set forth by the State of Alaska to start bidding on RFPs in Alaska. To help businesses wanting to dive into the procurement business, Alaska has created the Procurement Academy. The Procurement Academy is a training created to provide an overview of the procurement process for businesses new to competitive bidding. There are three classes to obtain certification that build upon each other: 

• Level I certification is a three-hour class that is an introduction to procurement. The competitive process is discussed along with the basics of contract administration. Once you have completed Level I, you will be able to conduct small procurements in Alaska for contracts totaling $5,000.00 to $25,000.00. 
• Level II certification is also a three-hour class that provides information on procurements from $25,000.01 to $100,000.00. The RFP process is reviewed as well as procurement ethics. 
• Level III certification is a six-hour class that discusses competitive sealed bids and proposals as well as protests and violations. Level III certification is needed to perform procurements greater than $100,000.00.

The Procurement Academy is a great way to learn about Alaska RFPs and allows you to then have the proper certifications in AspireAlaska. Classes are offered on a monthly basis. To learn more about the Procurement Academy, visit https://oppm.doa.alaska.gov/training/procurement-academy/.

Alaska’s Business License Requirement 

Alaska law requires bidders to possess a valid Alaska business license. Businesses must obtain licenses by the contract award date. They must also possess licenses prior to the deadline for receipt of bids for Alaska RFPs. 

To prove that you possess a valid Alaska business license, you must have one of the following:

1. Copy of your Alaska business license;
2. Certification on the bid/proposal that you have a valid Alaska business license, with the license number written on the bid. 
3. A canceled check that shows you have paid the Alaska business license fee; 
4. A copy of your Alaska business license application with a receipt stamp from the State’s business license office; 
5.  A sworn, notarized Affidavit that you applied for and paid for the Alaska business license; or 
6. Other forms of evidence are accepted by the Department of Law. 

Alaska Bidder Preference

The Alaska Bidder Preference is when a contract award is made to the lowest responsive bidder after applying a 5% bidder preference to Alaska bidders.

An Alaska bidder must hold a current Alaska business license as well as maintain a place of business within Alaska staffed by the bidder (or an employee of the bidder) for at least six months immediately preceding the bid date.

The Alaska Bidder Preference may also apply to the following:

• Corporations incorporated in Alaska or corporations otherwise qualified to do business under the laws of Alaska
• Sole proprietorships held by a resident of Alaska
• Limited liability companies where all members are residents of Alaska residents
• Partnerships where all partners are residents of Alaska
• Joint ventures composed entirely of Alaska bidder ventures

For small procurements, a valid Alaska business license is not necessary if the vendor is located out of state and ships a product to Alaska or performs a service out of state. 

Learning More About Alaska RFPs and Bids

The Last Frontier provides a lot of resources to help you prepare to enter the procurement process. Now that you know where to start, what are you waiting for? You can start learning all about the procurement process and get ready to make your first bid! Ready to move on to the next step and start building your response? We can help. Read up on how to create RFP response templates in our Learning Center. Or, if you’re looking to find the perfect RFP in the state of Alaska, check out Bid Banana, our user-friendly RFP database. The Bid Banana Blog can help you find bids in all 50 states, including Alaska. So, reach out to schedule a free consultation with us today by calling 1-844-4BIDLAB or emailing respond@thebidlab.com.