DBW: University of Nebraska Medical Center

Small businesses may offer great products or services, but lack the know-how of doing business with a state or federal agency, let alone who to contact. Many state agencies want to work with small businesses to get what they need. The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) contracts with many small businesses around the state and wants to do business with you.

UNMC purchases everything from lab equipment to video tapes and most purchases are made with purchase cards or “p-cards” carried by purchasing agents. However, purchases that exceed $40,000 require competitive bids. Preparing a bid is one of the first major steps in receiving a contract. While preparing, be sure your bid clearly states the nature of your business and its products. Also make sure to provide good information on how your product will benefit the Med Center. If purchasers can’t understand why your product or service is useful, your bid will be overlooked, even if you have the best product to offer.

After careful preparation, submitting your bid is probably the most important aspect of starting to do business with UNMC. Your bid is how you get recognized by the agency as a potential buyer of your product. It is vital that you are on time. Late bids cannot be accepted. Many good products have been overlooked because bids were received too late.

If your business provides a product or service that UNMC can use, contact an NBDC Procurement consultant or visit the UNMC purchasing page to learn more about doing business with the Nebraska Medical Center.