Your company has found a promising State of Michigan procurement opportunity through SIGMA VSS.

You’ve reviewed the solicitation, entered your response, and uploaded the required documents. Before leaving the page, you click Save.

Everything appears to be stored correctly.

But there’s an important distinction: saving a solicitation response doesn’t mean you’ve officially submitted a bid to the state.

Michigan’s SIGMA Vendor Self-Service system treats preparing, saving, reviewing, and submitting a response as separate actions.

Start With the Correct Solicitation

SIGMA VSS provides a Published Solicitations section where vendors can search for government purchasing opportunities.

Before preparing a response, review the solicitation number, issuing agency, closing date, and attached documents.

The solicitation may include specifications, mandatory forms, evaluation criteria, and instructions about communicating with the purchasing agency.

Don’t assume that the information shown in the summary contains every requirement.

You Must Be Registered to Respond

Michigan allows visitors to review published procurement opportunities, but submitting a response requires a registered vendor account.

A business that has only browsed public solicitations hasn’t necessarily completed the registration requirements for participating in a bid.

The state also advises vendors with older transferred accounts to ensure those accounts have been properly activated.

Saving Preserves Your Work

When preparing a solicitation response, you may need to complete several sections.

Michigan’s published VSS guidance describes response areas such as:

  • Respond To Lines
  • Criteria Response
  • Attach Your Files
  • Discounts/Comments
  • Review/Submit

The exact presentation may differ between system versions, but the underlying distinction remains important.

Save preserves a response in progress. Submit formally sends the response for consideration.

A saved draft shouldn’t be treated as a completed bid.

Review the Solicitation Lines

Some solicitations require vendors to respond to individual line items.

These may describe particular goods, services, quantities, or delivery requirements.

Make sure the response corresponds to the actual items requested.

If the solicitation contains several lines, don’t assume completing one automatically addresses the others.

Review the response requirements for each applicable item.

Attachments Can Be Mandatory

Many state solicitations require supporting documents.

These might include technical proposals, qualification statements, certifications, or other materials identified in the solicitation.

Uploading a general company brochure doesn’t replace a mandatory form.

Before submission, compare the attached files against the solicitation instructions.

Michigan also provides guidance about public copies of bid proposals, so review any requirements concerning confidential information and redactions.

Check for Amendments

A solicitation can change after its initial publication.

The issuing agency may clarify requirements, update documents, or change deadlines.

Before submitting, review the current solicitation information and any published amendments.

A proposal prepared against an earlier version may overlook an important change.

Don’t rely exclusively on a notification received when the opportunity was first published.

The Review/Submit Stage Matters

Michigan’s VSS user guidance shows a dedicated Review/Submit stage.

This is where vendors should examine their completed response before selecting the final submission action.

Check the solicitation number, entered information, and required attachments.

Then use the actual Submit action.

Simply reaching the review screen isn’t proof that the bid was submitted.

Look for Submission Confirmation

The published SIGMA VSS guide identifies a confirmation page titled Response Submitted Successfully.

It also directs vendors to the My Responses area to find submitted responses.

This is a useful distinction when you’re unsure whether your work was actually sent.

If you saved your proposal but never received submission confirmation, don’t automatically assume the state has received it.

Review the response status in the current system.

The Closing Deadline Is Critical

Michigan requires vendors to submit proposals within the deadline established by the solicitation.

A draft that remains unfinished when the opportunity closes may not be considered.

Don’t wait until the final minutes to upload large documents or complete required sections.

Allow enough time to correct validation errors and confirm successful submission.

Can You Edit a Submitted Response?

Michigan’s official VSS resources describe a process for editing a response while the solicitation remains open.

The published guide also explains that submitted responses can be modified before the solicitation’s closing date and time.

However, changing an existing response is different from assuming that a saved edit has been resubmitted.

Follow the current system instructions and verify the resulting submission status.

When Something Goes Wrong

If you cannot submit your response, identify the specific problem.

For example:

Platform: SIGMA VSS / sigmavss

Solicitation: RFP number shown in the portal

Current status: Draft or saved response

Issue: Unable to complete final submission

Deadline: Date and time listed in the solicitation

Question: Is a required response field or attachment preventing submission?

This gives the SIGMA support team a clearer description of the problem.

A Saved Proposal Is Not a Submitted Bid

SIGMA VSS gives Michigan vendors tools to prepare and manage solicitation responses, but the final submission step is essential.

A complete-looking proposal can still remain a draft.

Before considering your sigma vss response finished, review the solicitation requirements, select the final Submit action, and verify that the system confirms successful submission. Saving your work protects your progress; it doesn’t automatically enter your company into the procurement process.