(Washington, DC) Today, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and acting Chief Procurement Officer David P. Gragan officially launched the District’s first ever live webcast of public bid openings.  The bid openings are broadcast on the Office of Contracting and Procurement’s (OCP) website.

"The public bid opening process is one of the most important functions of public procurement," said Mayor Fenty.  "By broadcasting bid openings on our website, we provide District residents with greater transparency and a view into the way that their public procurement process works."

A bid opening is the public reading and recording of responses received to a competitive solicitation.  The process gives the public an opportunity to witness the opening of sealed bids; list of vendors competing for the business opportunity; and the vendor’s proposed price.  

"Today marks a major step towards greater accountability and efficiency in the Office of Contracting and Procurement," said Gragan.  "My highest priority is to open our procurement process up and make it more visible for examination by our residents and businesses."          

Internet broadcasts of the bid openings will be held on Mondays and Fridays at 10:00 am and continues until the last bid is read.  The webcast is being supported by a multi-agency partnership that includes the Office of Zoning and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer.