Aug 7| By NP Staff writer

ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico is gearing up for a more business friendly environment, on Monday the Gov. said the State is releasing its new online Paperless E-Procurement System for construction project plans.

“Elimination of this registration fee is a small but important way in which we can make it easier for small businesses to operate in New Mexico and do business with the state,” said Governor Martinez.

The elimination is the $100 fee required by the State purchasing division, which is a yearly registration fee to do business with the state of New Mexico.

This new system will allow New Mexico contractors, architects, and others to submit construction plans online to the state for approval or revisions.

The effort was created in an effort to reduce the drive for small business owners to drive all the way out to Sante Fe, which hit business’s with other cost, like fuel and mileage.

New Mexico hopes this will create some interaction between the companies and State officials, bringing both interest to the table.

This online interaction will also improve the efficiency of operations, opportunity, and boost sales for those companies in the state who utilize the system.

Besides the elimination of a vendor registration fee that has been in place since 1984, companies will enjoy numerous benefits aimed at streamlining business processing for both sides. Vendors will be able to self-register their companies, reducing input errors in the state database.

Also, the bid process will be more transparent, allowing all vendors to view solicitations. Previously, those who hadn’t paid the $100 fee saw only partial information and would need to request additional details from the State Purchasing Division.

The action will be retroactive to July 1, meaning any company that paid the $100 fee for Fiscal Year 2013 will have the money returned.

Last month, Governor Martinez announced an electronic plan review system that will expedite the approval of construction, design, and architectural plans by the state’s Construction Industries Division. Previously, all plans were required to be sent by mail or hand delivered for reviews at CID offices in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Las Cruces. Plans were marked up manually and mailed back to contractors, who were in turn required to make proposed changes and mail revised copies back to the agency. The process took several weeks and could cost businesses hundreds of dollars.

In June, the state announced that it will be moving toward a paperless system for bids on state contracts as well as a centralized electronic database that allows tracking of contract delivery and completion dates.

The paperless e-procurement system is expected to save $2.1 million over three years.