We’re excited to announce that DemandStar is now Euna OpenBids — a new name that reflects our future as part of Euna Solutions, and a new chapter in building a more connected, powerful public procurement ecosystem. 

Whether you’re a government agency posting opportunities or a supplier looking to grow your business, Euna OpenBids brings you a smarter, more expansive way to connect. 

What’s New

For Agencies

Your trusted platform is now called Euna OpenBids, elevated under the Euna Solutions brand. 
You’ll continue using the same portal and workflow you rely on — now enhanced with getting your bids out to suppliers using Euna Supplier Network, a national network of hundreds of thousands of qualified suppliers. 

This means: 

• More visibility for every bid you post 

• More responses from relevant, ready-to-work suppliers 

• More competition to support better procurement outcomes 

Suppliers are still directed back to your portal to view and respond to opportunities — so your process stays simple and seamless. 

For Suppliers

Welcome to Euna OpenBids — your DemandStar experience, reimagined under a new name. 
You’ll still find and respond to opportunities as you always have, but with access to an even broader set of postings from agencies across the country. 

What’s in it for you? 

• More public agencies posting on the network 

• More opportunities to grow your business 

What’s Staying the Same 

Whether you’re an agency or a supplier, you can count on: 

• The same platform and login you use today 

• Your existing workflows and settings 

• The same friendly support team 

Everything you’ve come to trust is still here — just with greater reach and momentum behind the scenes. 

What You Can Do

Agencies:

We recommend updating any public references to “DemandStar” on your website or documentation to reflect the new name: Euna OpenBids.  

Suppliers:

No action is needed. 

Welcome to the Next Chapter in Public Procurement

Euna OpenBids connects agencies and suppliers like never before — helping governments reach more vendors, and helping businesses find more opportunities to grow. 

Explore more, connect smarter, and go further — together. 

We’re just getting started — and we’re thrilled to have you with us. 

The post New Name. Bigger Network. Same Trusted Experience.  appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

May 09, 2023 06:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

CHICAGO & TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Euna Solutions, a leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based solutions for the public sector, today announced the rebrand of its corporate identity from GTY Technology to solidify its market leadership driving digital transformation in the public sector. Backed by decades of technology innovation, Euna Solutions provides a suite of leading software solutions that power critical administrative functions and financial operations for the public sector in the U.S. and Canada. These best-in-class solutions and services are proven to complement government ERP systems to increase productivity, efficiency, transparency, collaboration and compliance.

“We are committed to helping public sector organizations better serve their constituents and improve their employees’ experience. With historic levels of funding available, now is the time to modernize the public sector.”

“The rebranding to Euna Solutions drives home our continued vision of building trust, transparency and ultimately, community,” said Craig Ross, CEO at Euna Solutions. “The name ‘Euna’ derives from ‘unity’, which is highly relevant to the direction of our company. Not only are we unifying the most proven technologies in the space, but we’re using this combined power to enable the public sector to deliver better outcomes to the communities they serve.”

Euna’s executive leadership team combines decades of experience in government technology and the public sector. Ross brings over 30 years of industry and leadership expertise to help propel public sector progress. Ross is supported by an executive team consisting of TJ Parass, chief product and technology officer; James Ha, chief growth officer; Rob Crocker, chief financial officer; Art Elizarov, senior vice president, integrations and delivery; Katerina Goros, senior vice president and head of human resources; Manik Verma, senior vice president, corporate development; and Bill Brunson, senior vice president, sales.

GTY Technology was founded in 2016 with an aim to identify and invest in compelling technologies that could help transform the public sector. Pursuing a strategy of growth through acquisition, GTY brought together Bonfire, CityBase, eCivis, OpenCounter, Questica and Sherpa in 2018, and DemandStar and Ion Wave Technologies in 2022.The emergence of Euna comes at a time of rapid growth as GTY welcomed over 300 new customers in 2022, bringing their total customers served to more than 2,000. The rebranded Euna Solutions brings together a customer-centric employee base of more than 500 and rising.

Euna Solutions offers easy-to-use SaaS technology for procurement, payments, grant management, budgeting, permitting and K-12 administration that are purpose-built for public sector organizations. A trusted partner to more than 2,000 government and public sector organizations across North America, Euna ultimately enables higher levels of stakeholder engagement and workflow efficiency through digital government services.

Euna’s solutions include:

• Euna Budget – Formerly Questica and Sherpa, Euna Budget comprises highly configurable budgeting and performance management systems built to help agencies modernize business processes. These solutions enable data-driven budgeting and decision-making while increasing data accuracy, saving time and improving stakeholder trust.
• Euna Grants – Formerly eCivis, Euna Grants is the most widely used and complete grants management software solution. The only grants management solution purpose-built for both grantees and grantors, this solution addresses the unique challenges faced by agencies simultaneously receiving and awarding grant funds.
• Euna Permits – Formerly OpenCounter, Euna Permits is a front office permitting guidance solution created by previous city hall employees to improve the process and communication between those applying for and those administering permits. Custom portals are set up for zoning, business, special events, and residential to provide all necessary information to applicants in advance and increase the efficiency of the entire process.
• Euna Procure – Formerly Bonfire, IonWave and DemandStar, Euna Procure is the most complete set of eProcurement solutions for the public sector. In addition to offering unparalleled service throughout the customer journey, Euna Procure boasts the largest and fastest growing supplier network consisting of more than 700,000 suppliers and 22,000 agencies.
• Euna Payments – Formerly CityBase, Euna Payments is a powerful and convenient payment solution with the most intuitive customer service tools. This solution provides governments and utilities with multiple payment options for their constituents and customers. Organizations have the option to implement one, multiple or all types of payment options including self-serve kiosks, web payments, mobile payments and POS for faster revenue collection.
• Euna K-12 Admin – Formerly SpedTrack, Euna K-12 Admin is the most complete and compliant K-12 education solution in North America to simplify the unique set of components required to administer special education programs. Complete with dashboards, reporting, and best-in-class customer support, this award-winning solution is built to simplify administration of K-12 programs and maximize stakeholder confidence in the district’s processes.

“We recognize the acceleration of digital transformation within the public sector and the gaps that exist connecting the various critical technologies that will enable them to operate efficiently,” said Ross. “We are committed to helping public sector organizations better serve their constituents and improve their employees’ experience. With historic levels of funding available, now is the time to modernize the public sector.”

For more information about Euna Solutions, visit www.eunasolutions.com.

About Euna Solutions

Euna Solutions is a leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based solutions that power critical administrative functions and financial operations for the public sector. Formerly GTY Technology, Euna Solutions offers easy-to-use solutions for procurement, payments, grant management, budgeting, permitting and K-12 administration that are proven to increase operational efficiency, transparency, collaboration, and compliance. Euna Solutions is a trusted partner to more than 2,000 government and public sector organizations across North America, empowering digital transformation and streamlining business processes through a relationship-centered, service-focused approach. Euna propels public sector progress. To learn more, visit www.eunasolutions.com.

Contacts

Jodie Booras
Gabriel Marketing Group (for Euna Solutions)
Phone: 619-564-9306
Email: jodieb@gabrielmarketing.com

EUNA SOLUTIONS

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Social Media Profiles

• Euna Solutions on Facebook
• Euna Solutions on Twitter
• Euna Solutions on LinkedIn
• Euna Solutions on YouTube
• Euna Solutions on Instagram

More News

Contacts

Jodie Booras
Gabriel Marketing Group (for Euna Solutions)
Phone: 619-564-9306
Email: jodieb@gabrielmarketing.com

The post GTY Technology Rebrands to Euna Solutions as Market Leader in Powering Digital Transformation in the Public Sector appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

Holdings company GTY Technologies acquired DemandStar, a Seattle startup that offers a public sector bidding marketplace.

“We’ve had quite a bit of inbound interest as the tech sector as a whole has been consolidating, so we had a choice of partners,” DemandStar President and CEO Ben Vaught told GeekWire. “We chose Bonfire and GTY Technologies because of how great they are with their customers and the amount of customer value I believed we could create together moving forward.”

DemandStar gives 1,300 agencies a place to post request for proposals (RFP). Vendors can then propose bids on those requests. The startup makes money by selling annual subscriptions to businesses for notifications of government contracting opportunities. It was previously owned by Seattle-based Onvia, which sold to Deltek, a division of Roper Technologies, in 2017.

Vaught took out a loan on his house to buy an existing base of customers and legacy software from Deltek in late 2018, and raised a small angel round before nabbing a $2 million seed round in 2020 led by Version One Ventures.

The pandemic was a “key driver of growth” for DemandStar because it accelerated the trend toward digitization of government services, Vaught said. Government spending is counter-cyclical, he added, meaning the slowdown in the broader economy is not affecting the startup’s business.

DemandStar will be joining GTY’s Bonfire unit, which sells sourcing and procurement software to more than 650 government agencies across North America. Bonfire and DemandStar will eventually merge, offering a “complete portfolio of cloud-based procurement solutions to both state and local public agencies of any size or requirement,” according to a news release.

The deal took about six months to complete, and terms were not disclosed. Following the acquisition, DemandStar will keep its branding. The startup has 15 employees, and all were offered a position at GTY.

“It’s all hands on deck for this rapidly digitizing industry right now, and the quality of the DemandStar team was a key piece of the acquisition,” Vaught said.

GTY is a portfolio company of GI Partners, a private investment firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Greenwich, Conn., Scottsdale, Ariz., and London. Founded in 2001, the firm has $35 billion worth of assets under management.

DemandStar raised a total of $2.8 million from investors. Backers include Version One Ventures, Forefront Venture Partners and Advance Venture Partners.

Boris Wertz, a partner at Version One Ventures, led the seed round in DemandStar in Summer 2020. The deal came together without a single in-person meeting given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis at the time.

“Now that we’ve sold, he’s now completed the entire investment cycle without us ever having met face to face,” Vaught said.

The post Seattle public sector bidding startup DemandStar acquired by GTY Technologies appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

“DemandStar has been a great addition to our bidding process at the University. It is user friendly and has allowed us to simplify our bidding process by becoming more electronic.” – Ashley Sliger, Contract Compliance Manager, Missouri State University.

375 local government agencies joined DemandStar in 2021, accessing its online network of over 100,000 businesses of all sizes to drive increased competition for their bids/RFPs. Over 112 local governments have joined in 2022 to date.

“Government spending is coming back, and more than ever it’s going online,” said DemandStar CEO Ben Vaught. “More and more local governments are resuming projects put on hold at the beginning of the pandemic, and they’re turning to online purchasing marketplaces like DemandStar for help.”

DemandStar member agencies span from local cities, libraries, and fire stations to statewide governing bodies, county-wide public-school boards, and highway infrastructure organizations. Businesses range from large government contractors to many small businesses, minority & woman-owned businesses, and businesses seeking their first government contract.

New government agencies added include:

• Las Animas County, CO
• Embrey-Riddle Aeronautical University, FL
• Walton County, FL
• Cherokee County School District, GA
• Idaho Association of Highway Districts, ID
• Arlington Heights Park District, IL
• Housing Authority of DeKalb County, IL
• Housing Authority of East St. Louis, IL
• Saline County, KS
• Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, KY
• City of Litchfield, MI
• City of Republic, MO
• Missouri State University, MO
• Raleigh Durhan Airport Authority, NC
• Consolidated Utility District of Rugherford County, TN
• City of Manassas, VA
• Town of Herndon, VA
• Racine County, WI
• Essex Westford School District, VT

Government partners and businesses looking to join DemandStar’s government procurement marketplace can learn more at demandstar.com.

ABOUT DEMANDSTAR
DemandStar builds communities by connecting government agencies quickly and efficiently with quality suppliers of all sizes. Founded in 1998, they pioneered the online marketplace concept for bidding on government contracts and now serve as the gateway for public sector partnerships between government agencies and suppliers both locally and nationally throughout the United States. For more information, or for government agencies and suppliers interested in joining the DemandStar procurement network, please visit DemandStar.com or call (206) 940-0305.

Original source located at Yahoo Finance.

The post Leading Public Sector Online Marketplace Adds 1,000th Local Government, Surpassing $4.6B in Annual Contract Value appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

SEATTLE, April 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DemandStar, the leading online network for connecting businesses of all sizes to public sector opportunities, has welcomed 107 new government agencies in 2021 that have signed up with the e-marketplace to more easily locate and secure contracts with business suppliers.

“Government and supplier procurement has evolved within the past decade, slowly moving from outdated technology and processes to more modern and efficient ways of doing business. That is up until 2020, when the industry’s need for better procurement skyrocketed as a result of the pandemic,” said Ben Vaught, CEO of DemandStar. “In just over a year since COVID-19 hit, we’ve seen governments and businesses increase engagement on our platform. We anticipate this trend will accelerate as the Biden administration approves trillions of new infrastructure spending via the American Jobs Plan.”

With these new government agencies, DemandStar’s online network now houses over 650 government agencies and over 100,000 active business suppliers. To name only a few of DemandStar’s members, agencies span from local cities, libraries, and fire stations to statewide governing bodies, county-wide public school boards, and highway infrastructure. Since the beginning of the pandemic, contracts secured within DemandStar total over $3.5B in value.

Below are a few stand-out agencies from the new additions:

• Missouri State University, Missouri
• Marquette County, Wisconsin
• City of Pittsburg, California
• Saline County, Kansas
• Franklin County Board of County Commissioners, Florida
• City of Temple, Georgia
• Geneva Park District, Illinois
• Southfield Public Schools, Michigan
• Town of Vienna, Virginia
• Custer County Office of Emergency Management, Colorado

Government agencies and businesses looking to join DemandStar’s e-bidding procurement marketplace can learn more at https://network.demandstar.com/.

ABOUT DEMANDSTAR
DemandStar builds communities by connecting government entities quickly and efficiently with quality suppliers of all sizes. Founded in 1998, they pioneered the online marketplace concept for bidding on government contracts and now serve as the gateway for B2B partnerships between governments and suppliers both locally and nationally throughout the United States. For more information or for government entities and suppliers interested in joining DemandStar’s network, please visit www.demandstar.com or call (206) 940-0305.

Original source located at Global Newswire.

The post 107 New City & County Government Agencies Join E-Marketplace, Connect to Over 100,000 Business Suppliers in Rapid Start to the Year appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

Excel has its benefits, and it offers a lot of functionality, but it should not be your one and only procurement tool. There are a variety of technology solutions that can help procurement agents stay organized and streamline workflow. The right technology tool will obviously depend on the type of procurement needed (fleet management will require different functionality than ordering supplies), or what the end goal might be (such as guiding the workflow or providing a self-service portal). No matter what the need, check out these technology tools for a better experience than Excel. 

Self-service portals – These types of tools are user-friendly and allow requests to be entered directly into procurement by requestors. The procurement agent can set everything up, including approved goods providers and even an order schedule. This is a great option for schools or other government buildings that need to order materials such as cleaning products, stocking restrooms, or office supplies.

Telematics – Procurement officers need to be on top of the latest innovations in fleet technology so their organizations remain efficient, competitive, and compliant. The science of telematics technology has come a long way in the past five to 10 years, and it’s often up to the procurement officer to understand where the fleet management industry is going in order to supply their team with the proper tools. These data-sharing systems “connect” vehicles by providing actionable insights in real-time. The data can be programmed to improve safety, track a vehicle’s location, schedule maintenance, and even alert the officer when it’s time to procure a new vehicle.

The post Are You Stuck Using Excel? Technology Tools to Help Procurement Officers appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

Now more than ever, agencies seek suppliers who are competitive,
easily identified and seamlessly contracted.

DemandStar, the leading online network for connecting businesses of all sizes to public sector opportunities, makes public today that 53 new government agencies have joined the leading online procurement market within January and February of this year. DemandStar was created for the benefit of both agencies and suppliers so they can easily find and secure contracts. Within the past year, government agencies saw an increase of three to five times more bids while saving 10-15 percent on contract deals.

While January and February have achieved the greatest number of agency sign-ups, 139 agencies and 21,000 business suppliers have joined DemandStar since March 1, 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, well over $3 billion in contract value has been moved, including both general government and COVID-19-specific spending. This increasing number of new sign-ups is a clear indication that government agencies and suppliers are overcoming the challenges of 2020 and will continue to find new ways for growth and success in 2021.

“It is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed incredible, unforeseen pressures on government agencies. As a result, government professionals have had to locate suppliers who can help them accomplish newly established goals,” said Ben Vaught, CEO of DemandStar. “Over the past year, agencies and businesses have flocked to DemandStar and reaped its benefits. The procurement process has been made easier for our network to succeed in these challenging times, and we look forward to extending this ease of business to our new and future members.”

Below are a few stand-out agencies from the new additions:

• Santa Clara Stadium Authority, CA
• Silicon Valley/Santa Clara DMO, CA
• City of Coconut Creek, FL
• Orlando Utilities Commission, FL
• City of Temple, GA
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, GA
• Geneva Park District, IL
• Oswego Community Unit School District 308, IL
• City of Republic, MO
• Missouri State University, MO
• Town of Vienna, VA
• Dane County, WI

Government agencies and businesses looking to join DemandStar’s e-bidding procurement marketplace can learn more at https://network.demandstar.com/.

ABOUT DEMANDSTAR
DemandStar builds communities by connecting government entities quickly and efficiently with quality suppliers of all sizes. Founded in 1998, they pioneered the online marketplace concept for bidding on government contracts and now serve as the gateway for B2B partnerships between governments and suppliers both locally and nationally throughout the United States. For more information or for government entities and suppliers interested in joining DemandStar’s network, please visit www.demandstar.com or call (206) 940-0305.

The post 53 New Governments Join DemandStar in 2 Months appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

DemandStar now has over 100,000 active businesses and nearly 600 governments, making it the fastest-growing virtual marketplace serving state and local governments.

During this historical year of a global pandemic, government agencies had an even greater need for goods and services at a moment’s notice, and they have searched for the best way to move billions of dollars in contract value online. By joining DemandStar, government agencies and businesses have been able to transition business online and find one another safely to create lasting business relationships that result in community growth. These partnerships resulted in tens of thousands of contracts valuing more than $3.5 billion.

“Shutdowns due to COVID-19 have changed the way businesses operate worldwide. We are grateful to be able to help these businesses navigate this new economy by giving them immediate, direct access online to local governments that need help,” said Ben Vaught, CEO of DemandStar. “DemandStar’s online marketplace makes complicated government processes simple, through a modern, seamless service that brings this essential market online. We are committed to helping local communities grow one bid at a time.”

In June, DemandStar secured a $2 million seed round with investments led by Version One Ventures with participation from Advance Venture Partners, and Forefront Venture Partners. Due to work-from-home orders, the deal was closed entirely through virtual communications.

Also in June, DemandStar announced the launch of its new upgraded platform that allows for an even more streamlined experience. The new platform resulted from interviewing hundreds of government buyers and businesses. Key upgrades include custom matching algorithms, tracking dashboards, research tools, audit trials, and free electronic purchasing.

Now more than ever, online procurement continues to rapidly grow as an emerging marketplace. New government entities to DemandStar are seeing an uptick of three to five times more bids and saving 10-15 percent on deals as compared to current outdated processes.

Government partners and businesses looking to join DemandStar’s e-bidding procurement marketplace can learn more at https://network.demandstar.com/.

ABOUT DEMANDSTAR
DemandStar builds communities by connecting government entities quickly and efficiently with quality suppliers of all sizes. Founded in 1998, they pioneered the online marketplace concept for bidding on government contracts and now serves as the gateway for B2B partnerships between governments and suppliers both locally and nationally throughout the United States. For more information or for government entities and suppliers interested in joining DemandStar’s network, please visit www.demandstar.com or call (206) 940-0305.

The post DemandStar Closes 2020 With Record Growth and $3.5B in Contract Value Amidst Pandemic appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

That’s one takeaway from the Seattle Startup Hiring Tracker, a new list that longtime entrepreneur Adam Schoenfeld recently launched.

Schoenfeld, who co-founded Simply Measured and is now VP of strategy at Drift, was looking for ways to help the local startup community as the pandemic changed how we interact with each other. Questions about hiring and culture kept coming up on his podcast, so he thought a hiring tracker might come in handy, particularly now.

The tracker pulls data from various online sources (company websites, job boards, LinkedIn, etc.) and includes tech-oriented companies headquartered in the Seattle area or with core operations in the city. It’s not a job board and companies don’t pay to be listed.

The latest update published today shows 67% of the 348 companies tracked with open roles, and 2,620 total roles across the region. About 42% of the companies increased headcount month-over-month; 35% remained stable; and 23% decreased.

The list does not include tech juggernauts Microsoft (1,394 open jobs) and Amazon (7,506 open jobs).

Schoenfeld noted that there are differences in job openings based on the stage of the company. For example, the rate of hiring is slower at early-stage startups. About a third of Seattle tech companies with less than 100 employees increased headcount last month.

“As a job seeker in the startup market, you’ll see a lot of opportunities listed, but you may need some patience in the current environment,” Schoenfeld said.

But there are still startups such as Ally, which just won Startup of the Year at the GeekWire Awards, and others including DemandStar, Shelf Engine, OctoML, Cabana, and Athira Pharma that are hiring rapidly.

And many of the more well-known, well-established companies “appear unfazed by the pandemic,” Schoenfeld said.

“It’s hard to know if they are winners *because* of the pandemic or if the winners just continue winning *despite* the pandemic,” he noted. “The cohort of public companies like Redfin, Avalara, and Smartsheet continue to grow fast and have dozens of open roles. It’s the same story with private unicorns like OfferUp, Remitly, Outreach, Icertis, Convoy, and Auth0.”

OfferUp, Remitly, Outreach, and Auth0 all landed hefty investment rounds this year. Even with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, venture capitalists are pouring money into Pacific Northwest tech companies at unprecedented levels, significantly outpacing the number of deals and dollars invested in the first half of 2018 and 2019, according to a recent GeekWire analysis.

The hiring tracker data aligns with GeekWire’s previous reporting in May when we highlighted various Seattle-area startups and larger companies that were hiring despite widespread layoffs across the industry. Nearly 50,000 U.S. tech workers have been laid off since March 11, according to the Layoffs.fyi tracker, as companies cut costs to make up for slowing revenue amid the pandemic.

It also matches with anecdotal feedback from a recent survey of Seattle-area chief financial officers. A majority of the execs surveyed expect their businesses to fully recover from the downturn after experiencing temporary setbacks and uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic.

Seattle may be an outlier compared to the rest of the country. Tech job postings on Indeed fared better than overall postings in April and May, but are now performing worse, down 36% below last year’s level during the week of July 24. Indeed also noted a wider difference in overall postings vs. tech roles in non-tech hubs, as “tech companies may be pushing for centralization in major hubs rather than dispersion.”

More from Indeed’s blog post:

“With fewer tech job postings and increased job seeker interest, in the field, competition for sector jobs is heating up. Companies are back in the driver’s seat, which could reduce tech worker bargaining power. In addition, benefits like unlimited time off and well-stocked snack bars could go on the chopping block. At the same time though, substantial geographic diversification of the tech workforce could occur if the sector widely adopts permanent remote work. Unless that happens, jobs may continue to concentrate in the major tech hubs, tightening the hold of places like Silicon Valley on this strategic part of the economy.”

Glassdoor reported that tech industry job openings fell 15% from June 22 to July 6, the biggest drop of any industry. “Tech had better weathered the earlier months of the crisis, but is now experiencing a more substantial slowdown,” Glassdoor noted.

The post Most Seattle tech companies are actively hiring despite the pandemic, analysis shows appeared first on DemandStar | Government Contract Bids, RFPs & Procurement.

DemandStar Adds Over 180 Governments and 30,000 New Businesses Over Two Years, Becoming the Fastest Growing Marketplace for Business-to-Government (B2G) Contracts.

SEATTLE, June 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DemandStar, the open marketplace for bidding on government contracts, today announced that it closed a $2 million seed round to connect local governments with a greater diversity of businesses.

“When governments increase competition and bring the best of their local communities to the table, everybody wins,” said DemandStar CEO Ben Vaught. “This funding enables us to bring more governments and more businesses into the DemandStar Network.”

DemandStar removes friction from the massive, $1.5 trillion B2G market through an open platform that both businesses and governments join for free. Governments gain free access to a shared supplier base and powerful electronic bidding workflow tools. Businesses connect directly to government purchasing officers for free, with the option to pay to receive notifications of upcoming contracting opportunities.

The investment is led by Version One Ventures with participation from Advance Venture Partners, and Forefront Venture Partners. Version One Ventures is one of the leading investors in marketplace businesses across North America with a portfolio of dozens of successful platforms connecting buyers and suppliers in various industries.

“We are excited to partner with DemandStar and help businesses and government entities connect by posting and securing electronic bids through the online marketplace. We believe in their mission to improve and modernize what was once an antiquated system of connecting businesses to government work by making the process now more efficient and accessible for everyone,” said Boris Wertz, founding partner of Version One Ventures.

DemandStar currently has nearly 600 government entities and well over one hundred thousand businesses within its network. DemandStar was carved out of Onvia, Inc. by Ben Vaught shortly after Onvia was acquired by Deltek (a Roper Technologies company) in the summer of 2018. Since then DemandStar built a team of industry experts and launched a modern platform to accelerate connections between buyers and sellers through powerful new workflow and network management tools.

Government partners and businesses looking to join DemandStar’s government procurement marketplace can learn more at https://network.demandstar.com/.

ABOUT DEMANDSTAR
DemandStar is an open marketplace for bidding on government contracts and serves as the gateway for B2B partnerships between government agencies and suppliers both locally and nationally throughout the United States. For more information or for government agencies and suppliers interested in joining DemandStar’s network, please visit www.demandstar.com or call (206) 940-0305.

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