Overview

This Quick Resource Guide (QRG) is for Procurement Officers and Buyers. It works in tandem with another QRG to show you how to open Technical and Financial envelopes and award a contract in the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA).

NOTE: For best results, use the Google Chrome browser to access eMMA.

If you need help at any time, please reach out to the eMMA helpdesk at emma.helpdesk@maryland.gov.


Step-by-Step Instructions 

Open Technical and Financial Envelopes for a Solicitation 

NOTE: To complete these steps, your solicitation must be closed to new responses and past its due date in eMMA. 

  1. Access eMMA at https://emma.maryland.gov and log in with your credentials.

    NOTE: Depending on your agency, you may only need to click the State SSO Login (Secure Auth) button or the MDOT SSO Login (MSAzure) button and log in with your credentials.
     
  2. Click the View Response Activity tab on the left-hand side-panel to see a list of vendors who responded to your solicitation. The View Response Activity tab and the list of responses.  
  3. Click the Prepare Solicitation tab on the left-hand side-panel and click the Open Sealed Responses button at the top of the webpage. A prompt displays; click OK.
    The Prepare Solicitation tab and the Open Sealed Responses button. The Prepare Solicitation webpage shows that your sealed responses are now unsealed.The confirmation of unsealed responses.

  4. Click the Open Technical Envelope tab on the left-side panel. There is a checkbox to the left of each Vendor who submitted a response.
  5. Select checkboxes to the left of the responses. See below.
    The Select all bids checkbox and the checkboxes to select individual bids.
    1. Click the checkbox at top left corner, next to the Vendors link, to select all unsealed responses. 
    2. Click the checkboxes to the left of the responses to select them individually.
  6. Click the Download Selected Responses button that now displays above the list. When clicked, this downloads the selected responses in a Zip file to your device or computer.
    The Download Selected Responses button.
  7. From your Downloads folder, open the Zip file to view a folder created for each selected vendor response that has uploaded documents for your solicitation. 
  8. Open and evaluate the contents of each vendor response and determine, via your internal procurement processes, if the response is reasonably susceptible for award.
    A Vendor response.
    1. If a Vendor response is reasonably susceptible based on your evaluation, click the green Reasonably Susceptible button to the right of the response in eMMA. 
    2. If a Vendor response is not reasonably susceptible based on your evaluation, click the red NOT Reasonably Susceptible button to the right of the response in eMMA.

      NOTE: If you need to change a decision of susceptibility, click the grey Cancel Susceptibility button that now displays to the right of the response in eMMA. The Reasonably Susceptible and NOT Reasonably Susceptible buttons will then redisplay.The Cancel Susceptibility button.  
  9. Click the green Validate (and open next envelope) button at the top of the webpage. A prompt displays; click OK. This closes the Technical Envelope.

    IMPORTANT: Do not click the Validate (and open next envelope) button until you have your internal vendor response rankings for the Technical phase completed.
    Validate (and open next envelope)

  10. (Optional) If you need to make changes, click the Cancel (and reopen this envelope) button at the top of the webpage to reopen the Technical Envelope and make changes.

    NOTE: This option disappears when you open the Financial Envelope (Step 11).

    The Cancel (and reopen this envelope) button.

  11. Click the Open Financial Envelope tab on the left-hand side-panel. Any responses deemed unsusceptible in the Technical envelope do not display in this one.
    The Open Financial Envelope tab.
  12. Repeat Steps 5-8, but for this Financial envelope.
  13. Click the green Validate button at the top of the webpage. A prompt displays; click OK. This closes the Financial envelope.

    IMPORTANT: Do not click the Validate button until you have completed your internal vendor response rankings for the Financial phase.

    The Validate button.

  14. Click the Analyze & Award Rec tab on the left-hand side-panel and click the Awarding subtab in the middle of the page.
  15. Scroll down to the Pricing section. Here you can see how the Vendors responded to your pricing grid. The most cost-effective Vendor based on your pricing grid is shown in green.
    The pricing section.
  16. Internally determine the overall best Vendor response, which typically follows the below formula for each Vendor.

    Total ranking = Technical ranking + Financial ranking
     
  17. Click the Analyze & Award Rec. tab on the left-hand side-panel and continue from Step 5 in the Buyer QRG – Award a Solicitation to a Vendor.