Public Notices

Public Notices are messages that are visible to anyone who can view the opportunity. All vendors related to the project will be notified via email when you send a new Public Notice. 

To create a new Public Notice, click the Messages section in the left sidebar, then select the Public Notices button and then Create a new Public Notice: 

When you click Create a new Public Notice, the following appears:

• a Search bar where you can input keywords to search through existing Public Notices;
• a list of existing Public Notices which will appear under the Search bar;
• a list of vendors that will be notified of the Public Notice (note this is only visible to internal users);
• the Subject line and Message box -- this is where you will input the information for your Public Notice;
• the Attach File button, which allows you to include a file along with your Public Notice; and
• the Send button -- this will post the Public Notice on the opportunity page and trigger an email notification sent to the applicable vendors.

Note that if you attach a file to your Public Notice using the Attach File button, the file will be automatically uploaded as a Public File.

Public Notices can also be created when you make a change to a project while in the Open Stage (i.e., accepting submissions). Bonfire will determine whether or not the change might impact existing Vendor submissions. If Bonfire detects an impact, a red warning banner will show up at the top of the project page with the following message:

Project Details Have Changed. You may want to distribute updated Submission Instructions and 'Notify Suppliers via Public Notices' to review the Project Details and Requested Information listed on the portal. Notify Suppliers via Public Notices or click the 'x' to permanently dismiss this message.

Some common examples of changes that trigger the Notify Suppliers button:

• changing a Public File
• changing the Open/Close Dates of a project
• modifying Requested Information (including BidTables or Questionnaires)

Clicking on the Notify Suppliers via Public Notices button takes you directly to the Public Notices section where a pre-populated message will appear. You can modify and edit the existing subject and body of the message.

In the example above, we have modified our project by extending the Close Date. The subject line and body of the message have been pre-populated accordingly. Keep in mind you can always modify and change any pre-populated message. You can also attach a file to this Public Notice if necessary.

When you click the Send button, any Vendors that have interacted with your project will be sent an email with a preview of the Public Notice. Anyone who can view the opportunity will also be able to see the notice on the Project Page.

*Please note: Internal submissions where the vendor record contains an incorrect email, missing email, or if the vendor has not registered and has not interacted with the project will not be sent the Public Notice.

Public Notice emails are automatically queued and sent once every half hour (30 minutes). Please note that once you have sent your Public Notice, it cannot be edited.