Vendor Guide

TOPICS LISTING
MISSION STATEMENT
INTRODUCTION
PROCUREMENT RESPONSIBILITIES
AWARDS
ETHICS
OFFICE HOURS
SALES VISITS
BECOMING A REGISTERED VENDOR
MAINTAINING YOUR VENDOR RECORD
TYPE OF SOLICITATIONS, THRESHOLDS AND AWARD AUTHORITY LEVEL
POSTING OF SOLICITATIONS AND NOTICES
SOLICITATION NUMBERING SYSTEM
DOCUMENT NUMBERING SYSTEM
DOWNLOADING SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS
REGISTERING NOTICE AND RECEIPT OF SOLICITATION
ADDENDA
RESPONDING TO SOLICITATIONS
POSTING OF AWARDS
CURRENT CONTRACT LISTING
PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST
TAX EXEMPT
INVOICING/PAYMENT
BID PROTEST PROCEDURE

MISSION STATEMENTPromote and maintain high ethical values and purchasing practices that are in accordance with the State Statutes and City Ordinances, which include:

Acquisition of goods and services in an efficient and effective manner.

Expending public dollars in a way that instills public trust in the City’s Procurement System.

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INTRODUCTION

Did you know the City of Punta Gorda’s Procurement Division has won National Awards for Achievement and Excellence in the field of Government Procurement?

The purpose of this Vendor’s Guide is to help you, the vendor, understand the City of Punta Gorda’s procurement policies and procedures. The Procurement Team hopes that this guide will provide you with valuable and helpful general information on how to do business with the City. However, it may not answer all of your questions. For additional information, contact the Procurement Office:

The purpose of this Vendor’s Guide is to help you, the vendor, understand the City of Punta Gorda’s procurement policies and procedures. The Procurement Team hopes that this guide will provide you with valuable and helpful general information on how to do business with the City. However, it may not answer all of your questions. For additional information, contact the Procurement Office:

City of Punta Gorda
Procurement Division
326 West Marion Avenue
Punta Gorda, Florida 33950
e-mail: pgpurch@ci.punta-gorda.fl.us
Telephone: 941.575.3366
Facsimile: 941.575.3340

The primary objective of the City’s Procurement Division is to procure maximum quality and value for goods and services at the most economical cost to the taxpayers of the City. The Procurement Team strives to achieve this objective through fair dealings with vendors, which result in obtaining the maximum value for each purchase.

The City of Punta Gorda has a Centralized Procurement System. Therefore, all purchase requirements must be processed through the Procurement Division. An exception to this rule is Department Delegated Buyers who have the authority to procure goods and off City premises services (total value of $999.99 or less) through the use of Field Purchase Orders.

The Procurement Division may update this Vendor’s Guide from time to time. In the event there may be a conflict between the Vendor’s Guide and the City’s Procurement Policy or Ordinance, the current version of the City’s Procurement Policy and Ordinance shall govern.

It is the Procurement Team’s goal to offer a user friendly website to the public. Feel free to contact our office with any comments, suggestions or questions regarding the website at the above email address.

Regards,

Marian H. Pace, CPPO, CPPB
Procurement Manager

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PROCUREMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Our office is often questioned about why we are titled the Procurement Division and not the Purchasing Division. The simplest explanation we can offer is Purchasing is only one function under the Procurement umbrella. Procurement covers the following functions:

Commodity Purchases and Contracts

Service Purchases and Contracts

Construction Purchases and Contracts

Professional Consultant Contracts

Contract Administration

Surplus Program

Consumable Inventory Management

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AWARDS

Did you know the City of Punta Gorda’s Procurement Division has won National Awards for Achievement and Excellence in the field of Government Procurement?

National Institute of Governmental Purchasing – Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award (OA4) recognizes those agencies that lead the public procurement profession. The Program is designed to be a self-evaluation process based on the Agency Accreditation Criteria Form. Agencies meeting the minimum requirements will receive an achievement certificate.

The City of Punta Gorda was the 49th Agency in the United States and Canada to receive this award.

National Purchasing Institute – Achievement of Excellence in Procurement - In 1995, the National Purchasing Institute established a program designed to recognize organizational excellence in public procurement. The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) is awarded annually. This prestigious award is earned by those organizations that demonstrate excellence by obtaining a high score based on standardized criteria. The criteria are designed to measure innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement, and leadership attributes of the procurement organization.

Achievement of Excellence Awards received in 2004 and 2007

2008 Florida Association of Public Purchasing Officer’s Best Practice Award – Contribution to the Advancement of the Community. The Public Purchasing Profession Award – Establishment of two (2) internal awards programs in response to tax reform.

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 ETHICS

The City’s Procurement Policy prohibits acceptance of gifts of any type by the Procurement Team or any one member. Furthermore, City employees must not become obligated to any Vendor and shall not participate in any City transaction, from which they will directly or indirectly benefit.

The Procurement Team is held to the high ethical standards of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. (NIGP) Code of Ethics.

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 OFFICE HOURS

The Procurement Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The City of Punta Gorda observes the following holidays:

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SALES VISITS

Vendors are strongly urged to set up an appointment to meet with a Procurement member prior to visiting the office. All brochures and literature will be directed to the appropriate Department. Please contact the respective Department to set up a meeting if you are interested in demonstrating a new item or speaking to someone about your product or service.

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BECOMING A REGISTERED VENDOR

It is quick and easy to become a registered vendor with the City. There are two (2) methods of becoming a vendor with the City:

Visit the City’s eProcurement website and click on the link VENDOR REGISTRATION. Follow the directions to register.

Visit the City’s Procurement Office and a member of the Procurement Team will assist you with registration.

In some instances, a member of the Procurement Team will add businesses to the database. In this event, the business will be notified by email or fax and instructed to visit the website to complete the registration.

During the registration process, vendors will be required to select commodity and sub-commodity descriptions that will best describe the goods and or services provided. Vendors will be allowed to select up to five (5) separate commodities. Unlimited sub-commodities will be allowed for each selected commodity.

If you do not have access to the Internet, vendors are requested to mail or fax the following information: Vendor name, contact person, mailing address, description of goods and services, telephone and fax numbers. It is the vendor’s responsibility to update their information, as may be required, to keep the vendor record current.

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MAINTAINING YOUR VENDOR RECORD

It is the responsibility of the Vendor to maintain their on-line registration record. This includes updating addresses, phone numbers, commodities and other pertinent information.

If the Vendor does not keep their on-line registration record current, they might not receive solicitation notices.

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TYPE OF SOLICITATIONS, THRESHOLDS AND AWARD AUTHORITY LEVEL

The following tables describe the types of solicitations, dollar thresholds and award authority:

*Excluding procurement for Professional Engineers Architects, Testing, and Landscape Architects pursuant to Consultant’s Competitive Negotiations Act (CCNA).

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POSTING OF SOLICITATIONS AND NOTICES

The Procurement Office uses on-line and off-line resources to post solicitation notices. Some of the resources used are:

The solicitation document may only be downloaded from the City's eProcurement website in Adobe Acrobat format, at no charge to the user. In some instances, documents may be posted in other formats (i.e. Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and CAD files).

Those who do not have Internet access may obtain solicitation documents by:

Contacting the Procurement Office in writing to request a hard copy to be mailed to them; or

Visit the Procurement Office to download and print a solicitation

The City will not fax Formal Bids, Sealed Request for Proposals or Request for Qualifications.

DRAWINGS/PLANS – Some solicitations have plans and drawings that are not incorporated in the actual solicitation document, but are a part of the solicitation package. Methods the City uses to distribute plans and drawings:

Post through the eProcurement website ;

Bidders may purchase plans and drawings from a designated blueprint vendor when stated; or

The City may have available AutoCad files, which may be e-mailed to the requestor.

The solicitation document will state if the document contains drawings/plans and the method to obtain the documents.

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SOLICITATION NUMBERING SYSTEM

To allow the Procurement Division to track procurement activity, a solicitation numbering system was implemented.

The first character in the solicitation defines the method of procurement:

F – Formal Bid

Q – Formal Quote

I – Informal Quote (Term contracts)

E – Emergency/Immediate Need

S – Sole Source

R – Request for Proposal

U– Request for Qualifications

G – Piggyback

C – State Contract

N – Invitation to Negotiate

The second through fifth characters are numerical. The numbers depict the calendar year that the project was assigned to Procurement. Example: Fiscal Year 2008/2009 - "2008" will be the assigned numbers.

The last one to three characters are also numerical and identify the project.

Example: Solicitation #F2008087

The procurement method is the formal bid process

The project was started during the City’s calendar year 2008

The project is the 87 th project assigned by Procurement during calendar year.

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DOCUMENT NUMBERING SYSTEM

During the solicitation process, numerous documents may be created to support the project. To allow for quick recognition of solicitation documents, Procurement implemented a Document Numbering System. The first 6 characters are the solicitation number. The seventh character is one of the following:

D – Solicitation Document

A – Addendum

E – Exhibits or Attachments

V – Vendor List

T – Tabulation Sheet

X – Evaluation Form

If there is more than one document for a category listed above, the documents will be numbered consecutively.

Example: Solicitation #F2008087 has three addenda documents. The addenda reference numbers would be #F2008087A1, #F2008087A2, and #F2008087A3.

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DOWNLOADING SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS

In order to maintain security and integrity of the solicitation documents, documents will be provided on-line in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf files) ONLY. To view, print or download solicitation documents, vendors must have Adobe Acrobat (version 5.0 or greater) installed on their computer. In some instances, documents may be posted in other formats (i.e. Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and CAD files).

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REGISTERING NOTICE OF DOWNLOADING SOLICITATIONS AND RECEIPT OF SOLICITATION

Bidders/Offerors who obtain solicitation documents from sources, other than the City or download documents from eProcurement website, must officially register receipt of the solicitation with the City’s Procurement Division for any forthcoming addendum or other official communications. Failure to register as a prospective Bidder/Offeror may cause your submittal to be rejected as non-responsive.

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ADDENDA

Addenda are issued after the release of a solicitation for several reasons:

To change, add or delete information in the solicitation;

Change the date and time of the opening or due date;

Add attachments or exhibits; or

Provide clarification or answer questions relating to the solicitation.

The City will attempt to notify all registered Bidders/Respondents of addendum issued to a Solicitation. However, it shall be the responsibility of the Bidder/Respondent, prior to submitting their response, to either:

Visit www.pgorda.com to view the solicitation and view addenda changes and/or download revised solicitation documents; or

Contact the Procurement Division to determine if addenda were issued.

Bidders must acknowledge through the eProcurement system, which will post the Bidder's viewing of revised solicitation. In some instances the solicitation document has been modified and must be downloaded by the Bidder to address all changes.

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RESPONDING TO SOLICITATIONS

FOR FORMAL BIDS, SEALED REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS:

Facsimile responses are not acceptable. On-line responses in part of full are allowed and required. Method for responding will be stated in the corresponding solicitation documents. If required, part or all responses SHALL be manually completed and delivered to the City as directed in the solicitation terms and conditions.

FOR FORMAL QUOTES, REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AND INFORMAL QUOTES:

On-line and facsimile responses are acceptable, unless otherwise directed in the solicitation's attributes, terms and conditions.

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POSTING OF AWARDS

IMPORTANT: VENDORS SHALL NOT PROVIDE SERVICES, ORDER COMMODITIES OR DELIVER COMMODITIES UNTIL THEY HAVE RECEIVED A PURCHASE ORDER OR A NOTICE TO PROCEED FROM THE CITY’S PROCUREMENT OFFICE.

INFORMAL QUOTES – If the solicitation is issued through the eProcurement website, the site will tabulate the on-line responses after the closing of the quote. In the case of a bidder providing manual quotes, Procurement staff will update the eProcurement website with all responses received. The successful bidder will be notified by the eProcurement website that they were awarded the order and will receive a Purchase Order or Notice of Award to validate the award.

FORMAL QUOTES AND REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - The eProcurement website will tabulate the on-line responses after the closing of the quote. In the case of a bidder providing manual quotes, Procurement staff will *update the eProcurement website with all responses received. The successful bidder will be notified by the eProcurement website that they were awarded the order and will receive a Purchase Order or Notice of Award to validate the award.

FORMAL BIDS - A formal tabulation sheet will be posted with the on-line solicitation and in City Hall. Procurement staff *will update the eProcurement website with all responses received. The successful bidder will be notified by the eProcurement website that they were awarded the order and will receive a Notice of Award. Upon receipt of all the contractual documentation (Certificate of Insurance, Bonds, Signed Agreements, etc) a Purchase Order and/or Notice to Proceed will be issued to the bidder.

SEALED REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS - A formal tabulation sheet will be posted with the on-line solicitation and in City Hall. Since on-line responses are not accepted, Procurement staff will update the eProcurement website with all responses received**. The successful offeror will be notified by the eProcurement website that they were awarded the order and will receive a Notice of Award. Upon receipt of all the contractual documentation (Certificate of Insurance, Bonds, Signed Agreements, etc) a Purchase Order and/or Notice to Proceed will be issued to the offeror.

*Solicitation responses are not public record, subject to the provisions of Florida State Statutes, Chapters 119 and 120, until such time as notice of a decision or intended decision is provided, or within ten (10) days after the solicitation opening, whichever is earlier.

**NOTE: The posting of the responses will be notification of who submitted an offer only. It will not include prices or detailed information.

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CURRENT CONTRACT LISTING

The Procurement Office is responsible for administering approximately 140 term contracts a year. Click here for a current listing of contracts.

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PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

Solicitation responses are not public record, subject to the provisions of Florida State Statutes, Chapters 119 and 120, until such time as notice of a decision or intended decision is provided, or within ten (10) days after the solicitation opening, whichever is earlier.

In the event a vendor wishes to obtain records from the Procurement Office, they may contact the City Clerk’s Office and submit their request. A Public Records Request form has been attached for your convenience. Public records request may be made in person, by e-mail or via telephone. The City must be in receipt of payment prior to the release of records. Following is a table of charges applicable to Public Records Requests:

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 TAX EXEMPT

The City of Punta Gorda is exempt from the payment of Federal and State taxes, including sales tax. Vendors shall not include sales tax to be collected from the City. The City’s sales tax exemption is not available to vendors for items purchased, regardless of whether these items will be transferred to the City.

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INVOICING/PAYMENT

The standard payment term recognized by the City is “Net 30”, unless the vendor indicates different payment terms in their proposal. In the event your company offers a prompt pay discount (i.e. 2% 10 net 30) or any other type of payment terms, this must be indicated in your proposal to the City.

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SOLICITATION PROTEST PROCEDURE

Any person whose bid or proposal is rejected, in whole or in part, or who submits a bid or proposal but is not awarded the contract may protest such decision, but only in strict compliance with the Solicitation Protest Procedure.

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Procurement Division
City Hall Annex, 2nd fl
126 Harvey St.
Punta Gorda, FL. 33950
Tel. (941) 575-3366
Fax. (941) 575-3340
pgpurch@ci.punta-gorda.fl.us