Softwr

Government · head to head

Bidnet Direct vs Sumsub

Bidnet Direct logo

Bidnet Direct

Government

Regional bid notification network where agencies post free and suppliers pay for alerts

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Sumsub logo

Sumsub

Cybersecurity

Identity verification and AML screening priced per verification

From
$1.35/verification
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bidnet Direct suppliers pay for aggregation, not access: the same solicitations are generally published free on individual agency and state portals, so the subscription is only worth it if searching manually costs more than the fee.; Sumsub the published per-verification rate is undercut by a monthly minimum of 149 or 299 dollars, so low volume businesses pay a much higher effective rate than the headline suggests.
  • They diverge on capability: Bidnet Direct covers Regional purchasing groups, Sumsub covers Document verification.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bidnet Direct and Sumsub actually diverge.

Attributes where Bidnet Direct and Sumsub differ
AttributeBidnet DirectSumsub
Starting priceOn request$1.35/verification
Pricing modelquotePer verification
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bidnet Direct

  • Regional purchasing groups
  • Free agency publication
  • Supplier notification
  • Vendor registration
  • Bid document distribution
  • Award postings
  • Supplier diversity reporting

Only in Sumsub

  • Document verification
  • AML screening
  • KYB verification
  • No-code flow builder
  • Transaction monitoring
  • Travel Rule
  • Fraud and duplicate detection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bidnet Direct

  • A small municipal purchasing department that needs competitive responses without building or paying for its own bid portalnot Sumsub
  • A contractor that wants notification of every relevant solicitation across a state rather than checking dozens of agency websitesnot Sumsub
  • A state cooperative wanting a single regional portal so suppliers register once for many agenciesnot Sumsub
  • An agency required to demonstrate outreach to certified diverse suppliers on every solicitationnot Sumsub

Sumsub

  • A crypto exchange needing KYC plus Travel Rule handling under one contractnot Bidnet Direct
  • A gambling operator entering several European markets and needing document coverage without a separate vendor per countrynot Bidnet Direct
  • A fintech that wants a published price it can model in a business case before speaking to a salespersonnot Bidnet Direct
  • A marketplace verifying both individual sellers and the companies behind them without buying two productsnot Bidnet Direct

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bidnet Direct

  • Suppliers pay for aggregation, not access: the same solicitations are generally published free on individual agency and state portals, so the subscription is only worth it if searching manually costs more than the fee.
  • Supplier pricing is not published and varies by geography and category breadth, which makes it difficult for a small contractor to judge value before a sales conversation.
  • Category matching produces a high volume of irrelevant alerts for suppliers whose work does not map neatly onto procurement commodity codes, so the notification stream needs constant tuning.
  • Bidnet is now one brand inside SOVRA, which divested six business units in 2025 under new private equity ownership, so portfolio priorities can change independently of any individual product's customers.
  • For agencies it is a publication and notification network rather than a sourcing system: bid evaluation, scoring and contract management need a separate tool.

Sumsub

  • The published per-verification rate is undercut by a monthly minimum of 149 or 299 dollars, so low volume businesses pay a much higher effective rate than the headline suggests.
  • You are billed per verification attempt in most configurations, meaning applicant drop-off and resubmissions cost money without producing a customer.
  • Pass rates and document support vary noticeably by country, and a market that works well in Europe can produce materially worse rejection rates in parts of Africa and South East Asia.
  • The AML screening tier bundles list coverage that large institutions would normally buy separately and tune, giving less control over match thresholds than a dedicated screening vendor.
  • The company originated in Russia before restructuring to a UK entity, and some financial institutions still raise that history in vendor risk review, which can slow or block procurement at conservative banks.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bidnet Direct

On request
  • Supplier subscription$undefined/year
    • Matched opportunity notifications
    • Access to regional purchasing group solicitations
    • Priced by geographic and category coverage
  • Agency participation$undefined/year
    • Solicitation publication and vendor registry
    • Free or low cost to participating public agencies
    • Supplier diversity reporting

Sumsub

$1.35/verification
  • Basic$1.35/verification
    • 149 USD minimum monthly spend
    • Document verification and liveness
    • No-code flow builder
  • Compliance$1.85/verification
    • 299 USD minimum monthly spend
    • Everything in Basic
    • AML sanctions and PEP screening
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Negotiated volume rate
    • Custom jurisdictions and languages
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Bidnet Direct if

  • You need regional purchasing groups.
  • You also want free agency publication.
Bidnet Direct review

Choose Sumsub if

  • You need document verification.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want aml screening.
Sumsub review

Questions people ask

Is Bidnet Direct or Sumsub better?
Neither clearly leads. Bidnet Direct starts at On request and Sumsub at $1.35/verification, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bidnet Direct or Sumsub?
Bidnet Direct starts at On request and Sumsub at $1.35/verification.
Does Bidnet Direct or Sumsub run on more platforms?
Bidnet Direct runs on Web. Sumsub runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Bidnet Direct best used for?
Bidnet Direct is most often used for a small municipal purchasing department that needs competitive responses without building or paying for its own bid portal, a contractor that wants notification of every relevant solicitation across a state rather than checking dozens of agency websites, a state cooperative wanting a single regional portal so suppliers register once for many agencies, an agency required to demonstrate outreach to certified diverse suppliers on every solicitation. Of those, a small municipal purchasing department that needs competitive responses without building or paying for its own bid portal and a contractor that wants notification of every relevant solicitation across a state rather than checking dozens of agency websites are not what Sumsub is typically brought in for.
What can Bidnet Direct do that Sumsub cannot?
Bidnet Direct covers Regional purchasing groups, Free agency publication, Supplier notification, Vendor registration. Sumsub covers Document verification, AML screening, KYB verification, No-code flow builder.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bidnet Direct: Do government agencies pay?

Generally not, or very little. The network is funded by supplier subscriptions, which is why agencies get an existing supplier pool without paying for it.

Sumsub: What does a verification actually cost?

1.35 USD on Basic and 1.85 USD on Compliance, but with 149 and 299 USD monthly minimums respectively. Below roughly 110 or 160 checks a month you are paying the minimum, not the rate.

Bidnet Direct: Is it worth it for a supplier?

Only if aggregation saves you more than it costs. The solicitations are public and available free elsewhere; you are buying alerting and search across many agencies at once.

Sumsub: Do failed verifications get charged?

Attempts are generally billable, so a poor onboarding funnel raises your bill. Confirm the exact resubmission policy in your contract.

Bidnet Direct: Who owns it now?

SOVRA, the rebranded procurement business of mdf commerce, which was acquired by KKR. Bidnet Direct remains a named product within that portfolio.

Sumsub: Does it cover business verification?

Yes, KYB with company registry lookups and beneficial owner resolution is part of the platform rather than a separate product.

Bidnet Direct: Does it evaluate bids?

No. It publishes and distributes. Scoring, evaluation and contract management require a sourcing platform.

Share

Related pages

More on Bidnet Direct

More on Sumsub

Keep looking

Other head to heads