pennbio

What pennbio does

PennBid operates a web-based e-procurement and online bid management platform serving Pennsylvania public agencies, architecture and engineering firms, K-12 school districts, colleges and higher-education institutions, municipal utilities and authorities, and non-profit organizations. The platform is hosted at pennbid.bonfirehub.com and provides sealed-bid submission with confidentiality and audit logs, automatic bid-tabulation calculations, vendor notification by service type and geography, public Q&A and addenda management with tracked acknowledgments, DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) notification and reporting for funding-agency compliance, multi-prime contract support, project templates, and a contract lifecycle management module. The platform requires no software installation and is used for construction projects, professional services RFPs, and commodity purchases of all sizes and complexities.

Founded in 2009 through a public-private collaboration between the Bucks County Consortium — a group of 38 public entities in southeastern Pennsylvania — and a small Pennsylvania-based firm, PennBid was made possible by the Commonwealth's 2006 Local Government Unit Electronic Bidding Act (Act 88). Over 28,000 sealed bids and RFPs have been processed on the platform, used by more than 2,500 public agencies and A&E firms, with reported customer outcomes including an 80%+ reduction in bid management time and 3–6% savings on total bid value relative to paper-based processes.

PennBid's commercial model is freemium for posting entities and bidders: public agencies, design firms, and vendors use the platform at no cost, with revenue generated solely through a capped transaction fee assessed only to vendors who are awarded contracts (1/3 of 1% of contract value for fixed-fee contracts; 1/6 of 1% for term contracts; $150 minimum, $6,000 maximum, plus tax). Go-to-market is sales-led, anchored by endorsement and trusted-partner relationships with Pennsylvania's principal municipal associations — PMAA, PSATS, PML, and PSATC — and reinforced through conference presence (PSACC, CCAP, PASBO, etc.), an educational e-newsletter, and direct demo requests. Recent strategic activity includes a technology partnership with EUNA, presentation and award recognition at Eunaverse 2025, and expansion of service geography into Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Ohio beyond the Pennsylvania core.

Name

pennbio

Legal name

PennBid

Website

https://pennbid.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PennBid provides a web-based e-procurement and sealed-bid management platform for Pennsylvania public agencies, A&E firms, schools, and municipalities, monetizing through capped transaction fees on awarded contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector E-Procurement / Online Bid Management

akta.pro primary industry

Procurement Platforms, Catalogs & Contract Purchasing (Co-ops, GPOs, eProcurement) (EDAEAIAO)

Keywords

• Online bid management
• Public sector e-procurement
• Sealed bid platform
• Government procurement software
• Electronic bidding system

Headquarters

HQ city

Robesonia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fee on Awards: PennBid charges a modest, capped fee only to vendors who are awarded contracts. For fixed fee contracts, the fee is 1/3 of 1% of contract value. For term contracts, the fee is 1/6 of 1% of contract value. There is a minimum fee of $150 and a maximum of $6,000 (+ tax). Bidders who are not awarded contracts pay nothing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PennBid is an online bid management and e-procurement platform that enables Pennsylvania public agencies, architecture and engineering firms, school districts, colleges, and municipal authorities to conduct competitive sealed bidding electronically. The platform supports document distribution, vendor notification, bid submission, public Q&A, addenda management, DBE notifications, and contract awarding. It is offered at no cost to posting agencies and design firms, with a capped percentage fee charged only to vendors who receive contract awards.

Product overview

PennBid is a single, unified e-procurement platform providing online bid management services. The core PennBid platform enables electronic competitive bidding and solicitation management for public agencies and design firms. Add-on services include a DBE Notification & Reporting Service for Pennsylvania funding compliance, a Contract Management module for lifecycle tracking of awarded contracts, and educational resources through the PennBid Pointers e-newsletter. The platform is provided at no cost to public agencies and posting entities; vendors who receive contract awards pay a capped fee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PennBid Online Bid Management Platform Web-based e-procurement platform that enables Pennsylvania public agencies, A&E firms, colleges, school districts, and authorities to conduct competitive sealed bidding electronically. Supports document distribution, vendor notification, bid submission, public Q&A, addenda management, and contract awarding. Provided at no cost to public agencies and design firms; capped percentage fee assessed only to vendors who receive contract awards.
• DBE Notification & Reporting Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Bid management time reduced by over 80% compared to paper-based processes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EUNA (Eunaverse)coreTechnology or Integration · 8 September 2025EUNA is a technology partner with PennBid. PennBid participated as both presenter and award recipient at Eunaverse 2025, a GovTech conference focused on product training, best practices, and public sector technology trends.
• Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association (PMAA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPennBid is an officially endorsed program of PMAA. The association promotes PennBid to its member authorities and features PennBid content in The Authority magazine publication. PMAA leadership has recognized PennBid's significant savings and benefits for members for over a decade.
• PA State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPennBid is a trusted partner of PSATS, which represents township supervisors across Pennsylvania. PSATS promotes PennBid through its Township News publication and member communications.
• The Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPennBid is a trusted partner of PML, which represents municipalities across Pennsylvania. The partnership helps drive adoption among municipal members.
• PA State Association of Township Commissioners (PSATC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPennBid is a trusted partner of PSATC, helping promote electronic bid management to Pennsylvania township commissioners.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BuildingConnected (Autodesk): BuildingConnected is a construction-bid management platform (owned by Autodesk) used to distribute bid invitations and manage subcontractor networks — comparable to PennBid's sealed-bid distribution and addenda management capabilities for public construction.
• Periscope Holdings: Periscope Holdings provides source-to-pay and e-procurement solutions purpose-built for the public sector, directly competing with PennBid in vendor notification, sealed bid management, and contract award workflows.
• PlanetBids: PlanetBids is a direct competitor offering e-procurement and bid management services to public agencies across multiple U.S. states, including construction, goods, and services solicitations — the same core workflow PennBid serves in Pennsylvania.
• Bonfire Interactive (EUNA): Bonfire (now under EUNA) is the underlying e-procurement platform on which PennBid is hosted, and also offers its own branded bid management solution to public agencies — making it both a technology partner and a direct competitor.
• BidNet (DemandStar): BidNet operates the DemandStar network for government procurement, connecting public agencies with suppliers for bids and RFPs — directly overlapping with PennBid's vendor notification and bid distribution model.
• Vendorline: Vendorline provides public-sector bid notification and procurement services, overlapping with PennBid's vendor notification, sealed bid, and document distribution features for municipal and government clients.

Broad incumbents

• Procore: Procore is a broad construction-management platform that includes bid management capabilities; while primarily serving general contractors and owners, its bidding module overlaps with PennBid's construction procurement use cases.
• GovOS: GovOS (formerly known as Socrata-related GovTech) provides government-focused workflow software including procurement and licensing — broader than PennBid but with overlapping public-agency bid and RFP workflows.
• OpenGov: OpenGov is a broader GovTech platform serving state and local governments with procurement, budgeting, and permitting workflows — overlapping with PennBid at the procurement module level as a larger incumbent entering adjacent states.

Emerging players

• IonWave (EUNA): IonWave, now part of EUNA, provides e-procurement and purchasing software for government agencies — adjacent to PennBid's sealed-bid focus and a fellow member of the EUNA ecosystem that PennBid engaged with at Euniverse 2025.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/manage/folders/18112751
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennbid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about pennbio