How to bid on DIBBS

What DIBBS is and what appears there

DIBBS stands for DLA Internet Bid Board System. DLA says vendors use it to search for and respond to requests for quotation (RFQs), requests for proposal (RFPs), invitations for bid (IFBs) and awards. Requests for quotation can be searched by NSN.

DIBBS is not the only place DLA posts. DLA says most DoD and federal procurements above $25,000, including its own, are posted on SAM.gov. It also advises checking that a requirement is still open before preparing a quote, because a solicitation can be awarded or canceled after it is published.

The prerequisites, in order

1. An active SAM.gov registration. Registration is free and also creates your Unique Entity ID. DIBBS pulls your company name and business address from SAM.gov and does not let you change them, so a wrong address has to be fixed in SAM.gov first. Start with SAM.gov's registration page and DLA's SAM registration guidance.
2. A CAGE code. A U.S. company that does not have one receives it through the SAM registration. See what a CAGE code is.
3. A DIBBS account. You register from DIBBS itself, starting with the vendor registration option and your CAGE code. DLA's published steps include confirming the address from SAM.gov, naming one administrator for the CAGE (DLA calls this person the Super User), verifying the physical address by mail, accepting the user agreement, and choosing your supplier preferences, including which notification emails you want. Follow DLA's current DIBBS vendor registration instructions, because the individual steps change.

The DIBBS help desk and log-on support contacts are listed on DLA's registration page.

Finding a solicitation

In DIBBS you can search requests for quotation by:

• Federal Supply Class, the first four digits of the NSN (see FSC explained)
• NSN
• Solicitation number
• Purchase request number
• Nomenclature, the item's common name
• Approved part number or approved CAGE

Listings can carry flags, such as small business set-asides, qualified products list items and available technical documents. DLA warns that a listing may not show all relevant data, so read the full solicitation. The AMC and AMSC codes on an item record tell you how the item has been acquired. They do not replace reading the solicitation.

Where quotes are submitted

Quotes go through DIBBS. DLA's guide describes the flow: log in, find the solicitation, select the quote button, complete the quote form, review the summary and submit. You then see a message saying whether the submission succeeded. Quotes can also be prepared offline in a prescribed comma-delimited format and uploaded in a batch.

Larger purchases are handled differently. A DLA briefing says RFPs appear on DIBBS but are answered with an uploaded proposal rather than the quote form. The price, product and contract representations you give are explained in the FAR, DFARS and DLA acquisition directive resources that DLA links from its guide.

What happens after you submit

• You can view your submitted quote until the contract is awarded or canceled.
• A revised quote for the same requirement replaces the earlier one.
• Awards are visible in DIBBS, and the registration process lets you choose to receive award and solicitation emails.
• Past awards from DIBBS and USAspending feed the price history on this site.

The supplier guide covers how the pieces fit together, and the glossary defines the terms you will meet on a solicitation.

On NSN Explorer

Open demand lists solicitations that are open for bid now, organized by supply class, and each links to its DIBBS record. NSN pages show past awards and prices for the same item. You still submit quotes in DIBBS, not here.

Keep reading

• What is a CAGE code?
• Federal Supply Class (FSC) codes explained
• Glossary of government parts purchasing terms