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Purchasing & Contracting

Glossary

The terms in the City of San Diego's third-party vendor portal (PlanetBids) may differ from those used internally and in official documents during business operations. The following glossary offers the City's interpretation of terms used in the vendor portal, addressing any differences. 

PlanetBidsTMCity of San Diego
BidBid, Proposal, Statement of Qualifications, or Quote
Bid ToPaper Bid Submittal Location
BuyerThe City of San Diego
CategoryNAICS or NIGP
ContactContract Specialist or Procurement Contracting Officer
DepartmentBuyer Department
Engineer EstimateCity's Budgeted Amount
Estimated Bid ValueEngineer's Estimate, City's Estimated Contract Price
Owner's AgentProject Manager
Pre-Bid MeetingPre-submittal Meeting
Project CoordinatorProject Manager
Project StageBid/Award Stage
Project TypeSolicitation Type
Prospective BidderPlan Holder
Target Bid AmountCity's Budgeted Amount, Project Estimated Budget, etc.
Type of Award - LumpAll Awarded Lines To One Vendor Or More Vendors
Type of Award - SplitEach Individual Line Awarded To One Or More Vendors
VendorContractor, Subcontractor, Supplier, Manufacturer, Dealer, Broker, Design-Builder, Construction Manager, Consultant, Service Provider, etc.