CHOP refers architects to Section 7.8 of CCDC 23 for information about paper vs electronic submissions.
 
Electronic bid depositories are a mixed blessing. They can impose an order on the bid process, making it more transparent, ensuring the rules are obeyed by all parties, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, they impose their own order on the bid process, which can confuse the participants. The rules often differ among the various bid depositories as each has its’ own idea of how the process should be managed. Some parts of the process can be varied, other parts are inherent in how the software was written and can’t be changed at all. This can force revisions to the front end of the spec and the instructions to bidders so they reflect the processes implemented by the bid depository.
 
The use of bid depositories is not free. To the extent that it inserts itself into a process that can be direct and very efficient, it introduces another layer of processing. If your current processes are not very efficient to begin with, you may find the use of electronic bid depositories beneficial.