Locating and Responding to Grant Postings in COMMBUYS

This Job Aid shows how to search for grants, access the Request for Response (RFR), and submit a response when logged in to COMMBUYS.

Overview 

This Job Aid is for potential grantees that want to locate grant opportunities and intend to submit a response online through the COMMBUYS system. This Job Aid will guide a potential grantee through the process of creating a Quote Response for a Bid/Grant Opportunity in COMMBUYS.  

It is the potential grantee’s responsibility to read the Bid/Grant application and all attachments in its entirety prior to creating a Quote and submitting a response. 

All state agencies are subject to 815 CMR 2.00, State Grants, Federal Grant Awards, Federal Sub-grants and Subsidies and the Office of the Comptroller’s policy on State Grants, Federal Sub-Grants, and Subsidies. Departments must use COMMBUYS to publicly post the availability of a discretionary Grant or Grant Program and publish the results of grantee selections.   

To respond to a Grant Opportunity in COMMBUYS, buying entities must create a COMMBUYS Vendor Profile. Consult your organization or legal department with questions about setting up a COMMBUYS Vendor Profile.   

Launching COMMBUYS  

1. Launch COMMBUYS  
2. Select Sign In 
3. Type User ID and Password 
   1. Use COMMBUYS Vendor account credentials 
4. Select Sign In 

Using Advanced Search 

1. Navigate to Settings  
2. Select Advanced Search 
3. Choose Bid Solicitation from the Document Type dropdown 

Searching for Grants 

There are multiple ways to search for Grant Opportunities using search fields.   

Search fields may be used individually or in combination with each other. Select Clear between searches.  

Field Name	Action Needed
Bid Number	Type the last five to six digits of the Bid number to bring you to the Grant Opportunity
Bid Description	Type the word “Grant” to search for Bids that include “Grant” in their description. Use with another search criteria to narrow results.
Opening Date From and Opening Date To	Select the Calendar to display Grant Opportunities by Bid Opening Date timeframe
Organization/Department	Choose an Organization or Department
NIGP Class	Choose the Grant Opportunity Code 00-00 from the ‘NIGP Class’ dropdown

Acknowledging Receipt and Accessing the Grant  

1. Select Yes to acknowledge receipt and access the Grant  
   1. By selecting Yes, you agree to receive any future correspondence regarding this Bid 
   2. By selecting No, you may view the Grant, but will not receive notifications regarding updates or amendments 

Reviewing the Grant Posting 

1. Review the Grant Posting in its entirety  
   1. Different Grants may have different submission specifications. Follow the instructions listed in the Grant posting.   

Creating a Quote Response 

1. Select Create Quote 
   1. A New Quote page opens to the General tab 
   2. Type details in the ‘Info Contact’ and ‘Comment’ fields as needed 
2. Select Save and Continue 
   1. A Quote Number is generated 
   2. A Validation Error stating Terms and Conditions are not acknowledged and a Validation Warning stating “Your Quote has not been submitted” displays 
3. Select the Items tab 
4. Type a Unit Cost/ dollar value or attach a Quote if needed  
5. Select Save and Continue 

Accepting Terms and Conditions

1. Select the Terms and Conditions tab  
   1. Review files uploaded by the grantor if available 
2. Select Yes to accept the Terms and Conditions 
3. Select Save and Continue 

Attaching a Quote 

1. Select the Attachment tab  
2. Select Add File to attach relevant Grant documents  
3. Select Choose File or Browse 
4. Select the document and executed forms related to the Grant application 
5. Select Save and Exit 
6. Repeat until all required documents are attached 

Submitting the Quote 

1. Select the Summary tab 
2. Review the Quote  
3. Select Submit Quote  
4. Select OK  
   1. The Quote status now shows Submitted