OcuBid.com Assists Vision Impairment Agencies Challenged by Budget Cuts with Free Online Bid Management Service
OcuSource.com, LLC announces the expansion of its online services to the vision impairment industry to include online bid management. A free service to organizations and corporate purchasers who utilize the bidding process, OcuBid (www.ocubid.com) is an essential tool created specifically for budget-strapped government buyers.
Walnut Creek, CA (PRWEB) June 17, 2004 -- Many Departments of Rehabilitation
require staff to obtain bids for purchases of products and services for
individuals with vision impairment when the cost is above a certain threshold.
Typically, counselors prepare a paper document, fax or mail the document to
several vendors, and then wait for the return of the paper document with the
response from each vendor. This paper process is time consuming, costly, and
often not effective in obtaining the best pricing due to low competition.
OcuBid, specifically designed for the low vision and blindness industry, is free
to agencies, organizations, and corporate buyers posting bid opportunities.
OcuBid increases the number of bids obtained, eliminates paperwork, and due to
increased competition, provides the purchaser the lowest price.
"OcuBid
has changed the way vision impairment bidding opportunities are managed," states
Dr. Lou Lipschultz, founder and CEO of OcuSource.com, LLC, the parent company of
several websites dedicated to the vision impairment industry. "Due to budget
cutbacks, many states are looking for ways to purchase at the best price
possible," states Lipschultz. "We've been advised that counselors in some states
are now mandated to obtain bids for purchases as small as $100. Given the large
number of rehabilitation clients in a state, this is a huge increase in workload
for counselors already burdened by heavy caseloads. We've created OcuBid
specifically for this situation. OcuBid is the exact tool counselors need. With
just a few clicks, dozens of vendors are notified that a potential sale is
available," states Lipschultz.
A free service to those creating the
request for bids (also called RFB's), OcuBid uses the power of the internet to
seamlessly communicate with hundreds of vendors of vision impairment-related
products and services across North America. Vendors subscribe to OcuBid's
notification service for each state in which they sell products. Once a
submitter publishes the RFB on OcuBid, vendors servicing that geographic area
are notified by OcuBid via email that there is an RFB to be reviewed. Vendors
simply log in to OcuBid, view the specifics of the RFB from a list, and enter
the price for which they will sell each item. Of course, bidders are aware that
other vendors are competing for this sale, so it is in their best interest to
supply the items at the best price possible.
The award process is also
an easy task for the submitter of the RFB. Once the pre-established bidding
timeframe has ended, the bids can be reviewed, allowing the purchaser to simply
click on the vendor chosen to supply the items, who is then automatically
notified they are the winning vendor. The two then contact each other outside of
the OcuBid system to arrange details such as purchase orders.
OcuBid is
available for use by agencies, organizations, or corporations. An online
demonstration of the site is available at www.ocubid.com .
About OcuSource
OcuSource, LLC, the
parent company of a family of websites dedicated to assisting the low vision and
blindness industry with essential online services. OcuSource's mission is to
enhance access to products, information, and services to individuals with vision
impairment as well as the professionals who assist them through a set of
integrated websites. OcuSource maintains a product and information website (www.ocusource.com), auction
website for used low vision and blindness equipment (www.ocutrade.com), a bid
management website (www.ocubid.com), and a visual acuity tracking website (www.ocutrack.com) (fall-04).
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/6/prweb134128.htm