Doing Business
Thank you for your interest in doing business with the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA). We are committed to an open, competitive process that provides equal opportunity for all businesses to participate.
TCA's Procurement Policies and Procedures
- TCA’s procurement process typically begins with the issuance of a bid or proposal solicitation.
- TCA issues its solicitations under the requirements of local, county, state and federal laws and guidelines.
- TCA uses commonly known acquisition processes and conducts fair, full, and open competitions.
PlanetBids
TCA conducts most of its procurements via PlanetBids® (an online bidding system). If you have not already done so, register your company with PlanetBids using TCA's Vendor Portal.
There is no cost associated and TCA and PlanetBids have made every effort to make vendor registration and bidding as easy, secure and reliable as possible. If, however, you need help or have questions concerning the features available please use online assistance. Firms must contact PlanetBids directly for technical assistance.
PlanetBids Tips — Registration and Usage
To help ensure your firm receives procurement opportunity notices, you should provide the following information when registering (and periodically updating) your firm’s PlanetBids information under the following Vendor Profile tabs:
Be sure your website and contact information are up to date.
Indicate whether your company is classified as a business enterprise listed under the Classifications tab.
Enter all contractor licenses your firm holds under the Contractor Licenses tab.
Enter all services or products your firm provides in the Business Description box. Use plain, but pertinent language. This will enable TCA to find your firm using the PlanetBids word search function. List all goods and services your firm provides under the Categories tab. Note that you must provide at least one five-digit category number (e.g. 91039 for Janitorial/Custodial Services) in order to complete your PlanetBids registration. Also, PlanetBids will notify you of procurement opportunities only if you select matching categories.
TCA makes every effort to post its procurement opportunities on PlanetBids for viewing and downloading. PlanetBids, in turn, will provide automatic notification to all registered vendors. However it is the responsibility of each potential bidder/proposer to:
- Provide all pertinent information about their company when registering with PlanetBids
- Regularly update their firm’s information on PlanetBids
- Select all relevant categories pertaining to the goods and services their firm provides
- Periodically visit PlanetBids to check for new procurement opportunities
More Information
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) firms are strongly encouraged to participate in TCA’s contract opportunities. Some TCA projects are funded in whole or in part with federal funding sources and are subject to federally-mandated DBE requirements. For these projects, specific DBE requirements and project goals are detailed in the project’s bid specifications.
TCA is subject to prevailing wage requirements for public works projects and maintenance and repair work exceeding $1,000. Generally, TCA is subject to the State of California is prevailing wage laws as set forth in California Labor Code Section 1770 et seq. It is important to review TCA's bid specifications and agreements carefully to determine the specific requirements for the project or service.
The vendor is responsible for determining the appropriate Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) classification for the various employees and subcontractors used for a particular project or service. The rates for each classification are posted on the DIR website at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRdatabases.html.
All vendors performing work for TCA are responsible for complying with all applicable prevailing wage laws and must furnish TCA with Certified Payroll Records upon request.
In accordance with Labor Code 1725.5, all contractors interested in bidding on public works contracts in California must register and meet requirements using the State of California's online application before bidding. Effective March 1, 2015, only registered contractors and subcontractors may be included in bids for a public works project. Effective April 1, 2015, and for contracts awarded or executed on or after that date, only registered contractors and subcontractors may be used on a public works project. For further information please visit http://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/PublicWorks.html
All business entities (corporations, limited liability companies and/or limited partnerships) must be registered and in good standing with the California Secretary of State in order to do business in California. TCA requires evidence of such registration for all of its contractors doing business in California. For more information go to http://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities
If you have questions, please email the Contracts team.
