August 9, 1999 Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) by Dan Caterinicchia

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INTERACTIVE

Should other states follow California's effort to handle contracting online? Yes No View Results

(IDG) -- The California Department of General Services (DGS) recently introduced its Subscription Outreach Service (SOS), an Internet-based contracting notification system that electronically delivers state and local contract advertisements to registered businesses.

SOS eliminates the need for businesses registered with DGS' Office of Small Business Certification and Resources to search the register. Instead it alerts them, via electronic mail or fax, to any contracting opportunities that match pre-established profiles.

The California State Contracts Registers database, which houses $4 billion worth of contracts awarded annually by the state, publishes daily bid information on the World Wide Web. Several categories are updated regularly, including janitorial, printing and publishing, consulting, security, medical/health care and others.

Enrollment costs anywhere from $40 for three months to $95 for a full year and is handled, along with profile creation and payment, over the Internet.