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How Keenline works
Keenline puts every open bid from the City of Los Angeles, LADWP, and LA County Public Works in one list you can search, filter, and sort by deadline. It is free, needs no account, and takes no bids: when you find one worth pursuing, the notice links you to the official portal where you bid.
Getting started
- Narrow the list. Search for your trade ("paving", "HVAC", "janitorial") or use the filters: who is buying, category, kind of work, bid type, size, and when it closes.
- Describe your company under Your company: what you do, your license classes, bonding, and the size of job you want. Keenline marks the notices that fit and tells you why. Your answers stay in your browser.
- Star the ones worth a look. Starred notices stay on your shortlist in this browser; the Starred tab above the list shows only them.
- Put the deadline in your calendar. "Add to calendar" on a notice downloads the deadline, and any upcoming pre-bid meeting, with a reminder the day before. Or, in the Deadlines view, subscribe to a whole search: your calendar keeps it current as notices are posted and closed.
- Check back. Each visit, the list marks what is new since you last looked, and the New since your last visit tab lists only that. To keep a search, save it (that needs a free sign-in) and reopen it from any browser.
Registering and bidding on each portal
Each buyer takes bids through its own portal, and each needs a free vendor account before you can download documents or respond. Registering before a deadline you care about saves a scramble.
- RAMP
- The City of Los Angeles' procurement portal. Most City departments post there, and so do LA County, LAUSD, the Port of Long Beach, and the Housing Authority of the City of LA for some of their work.
- Register for a free vendor account at rampla.org (opens in a new tab) (you sign in with an Angeleno Account). You download documents and respond there, and can sign up for the City's own bid emails.
- LADWP eRSP
- The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's bidding system for its supply chain: parts, equipment, materials, and services.
- Register at ersp.ladwp.com (opens in a new tab) to download documents and submit bids. LADWP also asks bidders to register on RAMP. RAMP re-posts many eRSP notices; Keenline shows each one once, with a link to the RAMP copy.
- LA County Public Works
- LA County Public Works' own contracting pages: construction, engineering, on-call services, and supplies, with estimates, documents, and pre-bid meetings.
- The listing has the documents and instructions. To contract with the County, register as a County vendor through WebVen (opens in a new tab) (free).
Always read the official listing before you bid: requirements, addenda, pre-bid meetings, and the exact submission method are there, and a listing can change after Keenline last checked it.
Bid types
| Type | Stands for | What you send |
|---|---|---|
| IFB / RFB | Invitation for Bid / Request for Bid | A priced bid against fixed specifications. Usually the lowest responsive, responsible bid wins. |
| RFP | Request for Proposal | A proposal scored on approach, qualifications, and price. Best value wins, not only the lowest price. |
| RFQ | Request for Quote | A price quote for goods or small jobs, often with a short turnaround. |
| RFSQ | Request for Statement of Qualifications | A qualifications package to get onto a list or bench of pre-approved firms. Work is then awarded by task order. Many stay open continuously. |
| TOS | Task Order Solicitation | A job offered to firms already on a bench or qualified list. |
| RFI | Request for Information | Market research. There is no award, but responding puts you on the buyer's radar. |
- Open continuously means the agency takes responses at any time. Most are RFSQs for a list of qualified firms.
- Upcoming notices are planned but not yet out. They show an estimated release instead of a deadline.
- Amended means an addendum was issued. Read it before you bid.
- Dollar figures are labelled with where they come from: an agency estimate (LA County Public Works) or a spot band (LADWP). RAMP publishes no values.
Where the data comes from
Keenline reads the public listings on RAMP about every hour, LADWP eRSP every two hours, and LA County Public Works every three hours. The line under the list's heading says when the last check finished. Notices leave the list once their deadline passes or the portal takes them down.
RAMP re-posts many LADWP and LA County notices. Keenline shows each solicitation once, under the portal that runs it, and links the RAMP copy from the notice. Titles are shown without the solicitation numbers and closing dates RAMP folds into them; each notice lists its official title word for word.
What stays private
Your company answers, your stars, and your last-visit time are kept in this browser only and never sent to Keenline. Signing in, which is only needed to save searches, keeps your email address and those searches. See Privacy and Terms.
Questions, a wrong listing, or a portal we should add? Email zlce.app@gmail.com.