PlanetBids

PlanetBids has been named an Inc. Magazine Best Place to Work 2026, and back-to-back at that. And we are incredibly proud! But here's what this recognition actually means to small companies like ours and why it hits differently.

There's nowhere to hide.

Sounds ominous, but it's true. At a larger organization, culture can be inconsistent across teams, floors, or time zones. Weak leadership in one area, a misaligned values pocket in another. It can exist without ever fully defining the whole. But when your entire company fits in one room, every decision, every interaction, and every moment of leadership either builds the culture or chips away at it. There is no buffer. No absorbing a culture disruption and moving on. What you do is who you are.

That's a lot of pressure. And we think that's a good thing!

It means we have to be intentional every single day. It means our values can't just live on a wall. They have to live in our actions, our conversations, and the way we show up for each other when things are hard. It means every person we bring on, every leader we develop, and every decision we make either reflects what we stand for or it doesn't.
Winning this recognition two years in a row (and on our very first attempt, just sayin!) tells us we're getting it right. Not perfectly, no. But intentionally, definitely.

This one is for the whole team. To the moon!

Procurement rules are black and white, but the situations your team faces ever day aren’t always so clear.

Join public procurement expert Tammy Rimes for an interactive webinar that walks through the factors that push a procurement situation into gray territory, how to keep ethics at the center of your decision-making when the answer isn’t obvious, and direct strategies for handling the records requests procurement teams dread most.

Can't make it live? Register and we'll send you the recording. https://hubs.la/Q04lt6r50

Back-to-back titles? Out of this world!

PlanetBids is proud to be named to Inc.'s Best Workplaces list two years in a row. Our commitment to our people, our values, and our clients is what makes PlanetBids a special place to work, and we're honored to be recognized for our dedication to building a unique culture where everyone is heard and valued.

Read the press release: https://hubs.la/Q04lryPc0

PlanetBids has been busy in the first half of this year, partnering with 38 new agencies to streamline procurement operations. Join us in welcoming Tahoe Transportation District (NV), the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (CA), Sumter County (SC), and the City of Tracy (CA) to the PlanetBids galaxy.

PlanetBids is thrilled to announce we've been named to the Inc. Best Workplaces list for the second year in a row!

As a remote-first team spanning 19 states, a people-first culture is something we actively work towards every day. It's in our core values, the operating principles that guide how our team works, grows, and supports one another:

- Doers move quickly
- Empowerment for all
- Stay curious with a purpose
- Vulnerability is courageous
- Succeed together

This award, which honors companies that have built exceptional workplaces and vibrant cultures that support their teams and businesses, measures management effectiveness, perks, benefits, professional development, and more. We're honored to be one of the 507 companies recognized for people, our culture, and our commitment to excellence.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04jJYh-0

🌸👟 Step Into Spring 2026 is a wrap... and we SHOWED UP.

This is our third annual walking challenge, and every year it becomes clearer that this company does not know how to do anything halfway. Over half of PlanetBids laced up, named their teams something ridiculous, roasted each other relentlessly, and walked. A lot.

Collectively, our competitors logged 7,297,810 steps. That's roughly 3,459 miles, or for some perspective:

🗺️ London to New York City
👟 130 marathons, back to back
🥾 The Appalachian Trail PLUS the Camino de Santiago
🌕 About 1/72nd of the way to the moon

Yeah. We don't play around.

🏆 Top 3 Teams:
🥇 Always Be Stepping Selling — 1,423,434 steps Jeff Campbell, Becki Gallahan, Bernadette Fechko, Triston Demeritt, Rich Coronado
🥈 Pace Invaders — 1,404,620 steps Krysten Powers, Kath Fields, Dave Digiacomo, Ace Casimiro, Skyler Moss
🥉 Too Legit To Sit — 1,339,100 steps Ria Diaz, Trevor Buteau, Kenyon Congdon, Brian Kim, Patty Costley

(For the record, 1st and 2nd place were separated by fewer than 19,000 steps. That's a Tuesday morning walk. The competition was REAL.)

👑 Hotstepper of the Year:
🥇 Andy Ortiz — 676,018 steps
🥈 Kenyon Congdon — 529,189 steps
🥉 Jeff Campbell — 391,578 steps

Andy, we see you. That's not just winning. That's a statement.

This challenge is one of our favorite reflections of what makes PlanetBids special. We compete hard, we lift each other up, and somehow we manage to do both at the same time. That's Succeeding Together in action, even when you're trying to out-walk your teammate.

Congratulations to every single person who participated. See you in 2027. Start training now! 🚀

It's an exciting day for PlanetBids as we announce a new partnership with Plan-It Capital Improvement Software. Together we will help public agencies close the gap between capital planning and procurement, giving them a clearer, more connected path from project concept to contract award.

For most public teams, capital project planning starts years in advance of the project. But when it's time to start issuing bids and awarding contracts, the procurement team operates in an entirely different, disconnected system than the one used for planning. This causes delays, manual rework, and inconsistencies that slow progress.

PlanetBids and Plan-It will eliminate that disconnect, allowing for a cleaner handoff between planning and procurement and maintains key information for more transparent, auditable processes from start to finish.

Learn more about this partnership: https://hubs.la/Q04fTdsx0

Trust isn't something to be earned. It's something to be given.

Yes; this may be a perspective that challenges conventional wisdom. Many of us were raised hearing "trust is earned," and on the surface, it makes sense. Protect yourself. Don't be naive. Watch and wait.

But that approach actually creates guarded teams. People holding their cards close, not sharing the half-baked idea that might've been brilliant, not having the difficult conversation that could've changed everything, because they're still waiting to feel "safe enough."

And here's the thing: that safety never comes if nobody goes first.

When you lead with trust, you signal something powerful. You say, "We believe you're capable. We believe you're here for the right reasons. We believe this is a space where we can be real with each other." Good people rise to that, and they match it.

Now, are there times where "trust, but verify" comes into play? Absolutely. Not every situation calls for blind faith, and accountability still matters. But that's a far cry from making people prove themselves before you'll even let them in the door.

Is it a risk? Of course. Not everyone will honor it. But we'd rather occasionally be wrong about someone than cultivate a culture where people are waiting for permission to show up fully.

Trust given freely isn't naivety. It's leadership.

We've spent two months discussing the best ways for public procurement teams to implement AI safely, securely, and effectively in their operations.

From insightful articles and helpful downloadable tools to an expert-led webinar by our very own tech team, we've provided real tips and actionable prompts you can use right now to get started with your AI journey.

Get it all here: https://hubs.la/Q04f26zW0

AI capabilities are evolving so fast it might make your head spin.

How do you know exactly what you can, or should, use AI for in your public procurement process? How do your buyers fit into this process? And how do you even get started?

PlanetBids CTO Kenneth Howe and Director of Product Alex Tanck discussed practical ways to use AI TODAY in your procurement lifecycle, providing prompts to use to get you started.

These tips aren't about replacing your employees or eliminating your work. Human oversight is and will remain mandatory in public procurement. But AI can help you get more done faster and eliminate the most repetitive, time-consuming tasks.

Watch the recording: https://hubs.la/Q04ddF1s0