ST. CROIX — The government of the Virgin Islands is continuing its multiyear rollout of a centralized digital procurement system known as GVIBUY, an initiative that is reshaping how public contracts are awarded by improving efficiency and increasing transparency.
GVIBUY functions as a centralized online marketplace and bidding system, allowing government agencies to post solicitations, evaluate bids, execute contracts, and track payments within a single platform designed to replace manual and paper-based processes. Suppliers, in turn, can register, receive automatic notifications of opportunities, and monitor the status of bids in real time.
“The whole purpose of the system is to create greater efficiency as well as transparency and complete fairness in the process to all of our clients that utilize the system,” Property and Procurement Commissioner Lisa Alejandro said.
According to the Department of Property and Procurement, the platform streamlines procure-to-pay operations across executive branch agencies while improving oversight and access.
“It’s not just an improvement, but it’s actually changing the entire architect of how we have been doing business throughout the territory with procurements,” Alejandro said.
In addition to accelerating procurement cycles, GVIBUY makes it easier for vendors to monitor bids and identify opportunities.
“They are empowered within the system to be able to track bids to receive notifications of government opportunities that may be available for them,” the commissioner said.
The system also tracks territory-wide spending, offering greater visibility into how public funds are used.
“It means that the public becomes more aware of how public funds are expended,” Alejandro said.
The platform is powered through a partnership with Periscope Holdings and has been rolled out in phases beginning in 2021. Early stages focused on vendor registration and onboarding, followed by the implementation of solicitation and bidding tools. Later phases introduced contract lifecycle management, including electronic signatures and execution.
The final stage is now underway and will transition requisition processes and payment functions fully into the system, completing the procure-to-pay model.
“Here is where we are actually going to be able to roll out the sections of GVIBUY where it’s in the requisition phase,” Alejandro said.
Under the previous system, vendors had to actively search for government opportunities through websites or newspapers. GVIBUY replaces that process with automated notifications.
Vendors register on the platform by selecting commodity types and service categories that match their business. From there, they receive alerts when relevant opportunities are posted.
“What that means is that they would get automatic notifications that the government has an opportunity pending that their company may be interested in,” Alejandro said. “That will come automatically to the vendor.”
The commissioner said her team has helped more than 1,000 vendors navigate the related requirement of obtaining a SAM.gov federal registration, a prerequisite for doing business with government entities.
GVIBUY increases transparency in government spending by allowing the public to view solicitation outcomes and track how contracts are awarded, while vendors can see who else bid on projects and how decisions were made. Alejandro said that level of visibility has helped address longstanding concerns among contractors about fairness in the procurement process.
“For some time, vendors may have felt that their bids were not considered fairly — there was bias in the process,” Alejandro said. “But now because of GVIBUY, the bidders have full access to see their competitors’ solicitations. They have access to see who bid on a project.”
Under GVIBUY, all submissions are sealed electronically until the bidding deadline passes. Alejandro said not even her or her procurement team can see any of the bidders’ information before that cutoff. Once bids close, the results are accessible to all participants, allowing vendors to compare submissions.
“No one has access; it’s completely electronic,” Alejandro said. “We cannot see those bids, so bidders are now trusting the system. This is a win-win, I believe, not just for our bidding community but for territory overall. And because of that, I’ve seen much more competition at the table. And you know, competition is the hallmark of procurement, and it ensures that both parties are satisfied and best value for our people.”
The shift in how bids are handled has resulted in a reduction in vendor protests, or formal challenges filed by bidders who believe a contract was awarded unfairly.
“We have seen a significant reduction in vendor protests,” Alejandro said. “That is something that for us was a great win, especially when we came on board until now, because the system is so transparent that bidders now trust the process because of the security issues within the government system.”
With GVIBUY, the Virgin Islands joins a small number of jurisdictions that operate a fully integrated procure-to-pay system. Alejandro credited the P&P team with managing the transition, including data migration, vendor onboarding, and implementation.
The Department of Property and Procurement plans ongoing public awareness efforts and vendor training sessions to support businesses using the platform.
All suppliers seeking to do business with the territory must register in GVIBUY at gvibuy.buyspeed.com to receive and respond to bid solicitations, informal quote requests, and purchase orders.
