Is it all right to use these records?
They're public records the county and the federal government publish for anyone to read. Federal award data may be reused, commercially too, with one limit on Dun & Bradstreet data. For county data, here is what the county's terms say, including the line that limits commercial use, and what we do.
See the records for your area, each one linked to its source.
Are these really public records?
Yes. Montgomery County posts its list of active contracts and its list of bid tabulations on its open-data portal, for anyone to read without signing in. Each entry on the bid-tab list links to that bid's results page, which shows every bidder's total.
Federal awards are on USAspending.gov and federal bid notices are on SAM.gov. Both are run by the U.S. government for the public.
Sources: county contracts dataset ; a bid-tab list entry, with its results-page link ; USAspending.gov About, Licensing ; SAM.gov Get Opportunities public API
What do the county's terms ask of us?
By using Montgomery County's open data we agree to its open-data terms of use (§2.1). Among other things, they ask users and apps built on the data to:
- Show the county's disclaimer, word for word (§5). It's at the foot of every page on this site.
- Never suggest the county is part of rebiddate, sponsors it or approves of it (§7.1).
- Never use the county's coat of arms, flag or seal (§7.2), or its other promotion or publicity material (§7.3), without its written consent.
- Indemnify and defend the county against any claim that comes from using the data (§8.2).
- Follow the county website's "User Rights" as well (§2.1). The next answer covers what those say.
We show the disclaimer, we never suggest the county is part of rebiddate, and we use none of its seal, flag, logo or publicity material. The county can also ask anyone to stop using its data (§6.2). If it asks us, we stop.
Source: county open-data terms of use
Do the county's terms limit commercial use?
They may, so here is exactly what they say. §2.1 of the open-data terms also binds users to the "User Rights" on the county's website. §4 of that page says material on the county's sites may be printed or downloaded "for non-commercial; personal use only", and that no one may "distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, use, or create derivative works based on the content of the Sites" without the county's written permission. The bid tab pages we read are on apps.montgomerycountymd.gov, a county website.
The open-data terms themselves expect apps to be built on the data: §5 tells them what to show, and §3.2 defines a "Derivative Work" as any work that uses the data. Neither document says how the two fit together, and we don't hold written permission from the county.
What we do: we copy facts only, never the county's pages, documents or images, and every line links back to the county's own page (the next answer lists exactly which facts). We show the county's disclaimer, and if the county asks us to stop, we stop (§6.2).
Sources: county open-data terms of use ; county website user rights
What exactly do you copy?
Facts: who bid, each bidder's total as the county tabulated it, which firm the county lists as the contractor, and the dates on the record. We don't republish the county's pages, documents or images. Every line links back to the county's own page, so you can read it there.
Sources: county bid tabulations dataset ; county contracts dataset
Is federal data free to use?
Yes. Work of the U.S. government has no copyright (17 U.S.C. § 105). USAspending.gov says its data may be copied, adapted, redistributed and used commercially, with one limit on Dun & Bradstreet data, which we credit on our data page.
We read SAM.gov through its public API, as its terms ask, never by scraping its pages.
Sources: 17 U.S.C. § 105 ; USAspending.gov About, Licensing ; SAM.gov terms of use ; SAM.gov Get Opportunities public API
Do you use reseller or broker data?
No. Every line comes from the agency's own site or open-data API: Montgomery County's portal, USAspending.gov and SAM.gov. We don't buy lists, and we don't take data from bid services or portals whose terms forbid it.
Sources: county contracts dataset ; USAspending.gov About, Licensing ; SAM.gov Get Opportunities public API
Are you connected to Montgomery County?
No. rebiddate is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montgomery County. We don't use the county's seal, flag or logo, and nothing on this site speaks for the county.
Source: county open-data terms of use
Will you contact the county or an agency for me?
No. We never contact agency staff for you, and we never use the procurement staff names, emails or phone numbers in these records for anything. If you want to ask about a bid, the county's solicitation page names who to contact.
Source: county formal solicitations page
Are you exposing my prices?
Your bid totals are already public. The county posts every bidder's total on the bid tab for anyone to read, as on county bid tab 1161577. We show only what the agency publishes, as tabulated, with the link.
If a line about your firm is wrong, press Wrong record? on it. Every report is emailed to a co-founder, with the record behind that line.
Sources: county bid tab 1161577 ; county bid tabulations dataset
Can I show this to my lawyer?
Please do. This page isn't legal advice. Every statement on it links to the rule or record it rests on, including the county's User Rights line on commercial use, so it's quick to check.