| For Equipment, Supplies, and Related Service |
| Dear Vendor: This handbook's primary purpose is to acquaint you with the City of Rockville's Purchasing Policies and Procedures. Purchasing is a division of the Finance Department. Its goal is to purchase necessary supplies, services and equipment at the lowest possible cost, consistent with the quality needed to meet the City's requirements thereby ensuring that the taxpayers receive the maximum value for each dollar expended. Visits by sales representatives to departments and the Purchasing division are welcomed and encouraged. It is recommended that you schedule appointments for sales visits in order to more productively utilize the time of City staff and salespersons. Thank you for your interest. We look forward to doing business with you in the future. Sincerely, Gavin Cohen
Finance Director Eileen Morris
Contract Officer
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Location
The Purchasing Division is located on the second floor of City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850-2364. Phone 240-314-8430. Fax 240-314-8439. Office Hours
The Purchasing Division's hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of legal holidays. Purchasing Staff Purchasing’s Web site
Address: www.rockvillemd.gov, click on Bids & Proposals. The web site lists current bids and bid results and is updated weekly. Montgomery County Maryland, Office of Procurement RAPID system
Address: www.emontgomery.org. Click on Departments, then Procurement Office, then RAPID. RAPID is an automated and user friendly system that is available 24 hours, 7 days a week to obtain information about procurement opportunities from a variety of jurisdictions, including the City of Rockville. Authorized Purchasing Officials
The Contract Officer is the primary procurement officer for the City of Rockville. All purchases exceeding $2000 require a purchase order signed by an authorized official. All purchases in excess of $15,000 require the authorization of the City Manager and all purchases in excess of $20,000 require the authorization of Mayor and Council. Equal Opportunity Policy
Federal and state law protects each individual against discrimination by reason of race, sex, religion, disability, color, national origin or ancestry. |
Taxes
The City of Rockville is exempt from all federal excise and state sales taxes. The City's tax exempt number is #30001235. Delivery or F.O.B. City of Rockville
All prices should be quoted free on board (F.O.B.) Rockville, MD. Samples
When samples are requested, they will be provided at no cost to the City and held until the award is made. Samples should be clearly identified. Payments
All payments are normally remitted in the net amount within thirty (30) days after receipt of the vendor's invoice. Vendor Invoices
Vendor invoices should be mailed directly to the City of Rockville, Accounts Payable, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850-2364. |
The City of Rockville Purchasing Division is guided by several established policies. These policies are: - To purchase the right product or service, of the right quality, from the right source, for the right price, at the right time.
- To utilize the principle of competitive procurement and maximize competition whenever practical.
- To provide all interested and qualified vendors with the opportunity to sell their products or services to the City of Rockville.
- To treat all vendors fairly and equally and to protect the integrity of free competition.
- To conduct all purchasing in accordance with federal, state and city laws.
- To maintain accountability through a system of checks and balances, stringent accounting and budget controls, and periodic reports to supervising officials and to the public.
- To operate economically by generating all possible savings, reducing costs through money-saving measures and encouraging innovation among vendors.
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Purchases by the City of Rockville are made using formal and informal procedures.
Informal Purchasing Procedures
A telephone request for quotation and a written request for quotation are the informal competitive procedures for purchases up to $15,000. Purchases up to $2,000
Department Directors or their designee are authorized to make purchases up to $2,000. These purchases are usually over-the-counter transactions. Purchases from $2,000 - $5,000 (Goods Only)
Department Directors or their designee are responsible for obtaining three (3) telephone quotations. This process generally takes from two (2) to five (5) days to complete. Purchases from $5,000 - $10,000 (Goods Only)
Department Directors or their designee are responsible for obtaining three (3) written quotations. This process generally takes from ten (10) to twenty (20) days to complete. Purchases from $2,000 - $10,000 (Services Only)
Department Directors or their designee are responsible for obtaining three (3) written quotations. This process generally takes from ten (10) to twenty (20) days to complete. Purchases from $10,000 - $15,000 (Goods and Services)
Department Directors or their designee are responsible for obtaining five (5) written quotations. This process generally takes from ten (10) to twenty (20) days to complete.
Formal Purchasing Procedures
An Invitation for Bid (IFB) is a formal competitive procedure using sealed bids for purchases exceeding $15,000. Bid requests are advertised on the City Web Site, Montgomery County Maryland Procurement Rapid System, and eMaryland Marketplace at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date that bids are due. The IFB process generally takes thirty (30) to sixty (60) days before an award is made. The following information is included in the Invitation for Bid: a. Time and place for formal opening and recording of bids.
b. Detailed product or service description/specification.
c. Instructions, conditions and notices.
d. Special terms.
e. Delivery and installation instructions.
f. Criteria for evaluating bids and making award.
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a sealed competitive proposal procedure for the purchase of professional services, technical equipment, and is utilized when the Invitation for Bid (IFB) process is either not practical or not advantageous to the City. The RFP process generally takes sixty (60) to ninety (90) days. The evaluation is based on responsiveness to information requested as well as price and may require interviews with offerers. Final scope of work and price may be negotiated further before final award. An RFP will usually include the following information: a. A work statement or performance specification.
b. Time frame in which work is to be completed.
c. Instructions, conditions and notices
d. Format and other instruction for submitting proposals
e. Criteria for evaluating proposals and award.
Cooperative Purchases
If other state or local agencies can provide products to the City that were obtained through competitive bidding or a supplier offers goods or services to the City at the same terms accepted by other governments, award may be made without competitive bidding. |
The bidders and public are invited, but not required, to attend the formal opening of bids. Prices will be read aloud to the public at that time. No decision related to the award of a contract or purchase order will be made at the opening. It is the sole responsibility of the bidder to ensure that their bid is deposited with the Purchasing Division prior to the time and date specified. Late bids will not be opened and will be returned unopened, regardless of the degree of lateness or the reason, including those causes beyond the control of the bidder or offerer. Likewise, bidders must ensure that bids submitted in response to an IFB are sealed prior to delivery to the Purchasing Division. The envelope must bear the official IFB number and the official closing date in the lower left-hand corner. All IFBs and tabulations are kept by the Purchasing Division for three years after the award is made and are available for inspection at any time during business hours upon making an appointment. A Register of Proposals shall be open for public inspection for three years after contract award. |
Qualification for Awards Invitation For Bid
Award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. A responsive bid is one which is in substantial conformance with the requirements of the Invitation for Bid. A responsible bidder is one whose past performance and business and financial capabilities indicate to the Purchasing Division a capability for satisfactorily performing the contractual obligation. Request For Proposal
Awards will be made to the responsive and responsible bidder obtaining the highest score combining technical qualifications and price. Proposals are evaluated based upon price, responsibility, qualifications and capability of the bidder, availability of funds and other relevant factors. Sole Source
A contract may be awarded without competition after conducting a good faith review of available sources and the determination is made that only one source for the required item or service is available. Tie Bids
In case of a tie bid between responsible bidders with substantially equal qualifications, the tie bidders may be invited to resubmit written bids below their original bid. In the alternative, the tie may be decided by lot, or all bids may be rejected and new bids solicited. Non-Applicable Consideration
Vendor assistance in the developing of specifications or other advisories offered are welcomed. Although such assistance is valuable and appreciated by the Purchasing Division, no preferential recognition can be given in return for these services. |
The Purchasing Division, in conjunction with the using department, strives to design specifications for compatibility with standard trade practices and to use procedures that will accomplish its mission in accordance with the law and prudent business practices. Potential bidders are encouraged to notify the Purchasing Division whenever, in their judgment, specifications are unreasonable or inadvertently restrict open competition, fail to comply with standard trade practices or impose an impractical or unreasonable procedural burden. The Purchasing Division promotes and encourages open and free competition for all vendors. Each vendor should have an opportunity to submit bids free from any outside influence or interference. The Purchasing Division monitors all purchasing activity to ensure that all vendors have the opportunity to bid openly and competitively. |
Using departments maintain bidder lists that apply to their department’s requirements and the Purchasing Division maintains a centralized listing of bidders classified according to material, supplies or service. All vendors are encouraged to visit both the using departments and the Purchasing Division In order to be placed on the City's mailing lists, all vendors must complete the on-line vendor registration form. The City will make every effort to notify vendors on file of upcoming bids and quotations relating to their product or service capabilities. Nevertheless, vendors are responsible for monitoring appropriate publications in order too positively ensure timely awareness of bid opportunities. The City advertises for bids in McGraw-Hill, Dodge Construction, BidNet, Reed Construction Data, the City’s Website and the Montgomery County Maryland Procurement Rapid System. |
The City of Rockville not only encourages participation by your firm but ensures that all businesses have an equitable opportunity to compete for the City's purchasing transactions. It is the policy of the City of Rockville to stimulate the growth of these and local business enterprises by affording a full and fair opportunity to compete for all City contracts. |
The City Manager may recommend to remove or suspend any company from bidding, provided evidence is available for such action. Cause for Removal or Suspension
The following shall be sufficient grounds for removal or suspension of a vendor from the City’s bidder list. The list is not meant to be all inclusive, but serves as a guideline for vendor discipline and business ethics: - Delivery of commodities, equipment or services which do not comply with the specifications.
- Failure to make delivery or complete a project in the time specified on the contract or purchase order.
- Failure to keep the offer firm for the period of time stated on the bid or quotation.
- Failure to provide a performance/payment bond when required by the Invitation for Bid, following the award of a contract or purchase order.
- Collusion with other bidders or prospective bidders to restrain competitive bidding.
- Failure to accept an order offered that is based upon a firm bid.
- Failure to make applicable adjustments or replacement of damaged goods.
- Failure to honor warranties and guarantees on products delivered.
- Giving information on the vendor registration form which is false or misleading.
- Consecutive failure to respond with either a bid or an indication of "no bid" to Invitation for Bids, Request for Quotations or Request for Proposals.
- Failure to follow administrative procedures set forth in this manual.
- Any violation of the laws of the State of Maryland or the Federal Government.
Reinstatement on Bidders List
At any time after the vendor receives notice of removal or suspension, the vendor may submit in writing an explanation of the circumstances which led to removal or suspension or may show that such circumstances have been corrected. On the basis of such explanation, the City Manager may modify or rescind the removal or suspension. |
The City of Rockville has established administrative procedures for handling vendor complaints in a fair and timely manner. Bid Protests
This process is explained in the Rockville City Code, Chapter 17. Contact the Purchasing Division for a copy. |
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