Policies & Procedures
We appreciate your interest in doing business with the City of San Buenaventura. We hope this guide will benefit you as a new or present supplier. Our aim is to help you in your sales effort and to promote a climate of good business relationships with the City of San Buenaventura. This will provide a brief outline of our purchasing policies and procedures. If you need more information, please call us at (805) 658-4719.
Purpose
The Purchasing and Contracts Division's purpose is to maintain
continuity of services and supplies to support the various City agencies
and departments, while securing the maximum value of public funds.
The City is always interested in securing responsible vendors who can supply its needs promptly, economically, and in the desired quality and quantities.
Organization
Procurement services for all City departments for supplies and non-professional service
are centralized in the Purchasing and Contracts Division under the direction of the
Purchasing Manager. The Purchasing and Contracts Division is organized by major commodity
groups which are assigned to individual Buyers who specialize in the commodities
they purchase. A listing of Buyers assigned to each commodity group is
available upon request.
Sales Calls and Contacts
Office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. To conserve time and ensure you adequate attention,
we urge you to call us at (805) 658-4719 and make a definite appointment
before coming to the Purchasing and Contracts Division. Routine "courtesy"
visits are not encouraged as they can disrupt the daily work flow.
Vendor Registration (download
vendor registration here)
Lists of interested vendors are maintained by the Buyers. You may
contact the Purchasing and Contracts Division for a "Vendor Registration Application"
to add your company name to our list. Due to the large number of suppliers
the Purchasing and Contracts Division deals with, submitting a "Vendor Registration
Application" does not guarantee a vendor will be notified every time
a quotation or bid for that particular commodity or service is available.
Buyers may contact firms that are not on the list of suppliers. Failure
to respond to three (3) consecutive bid or quote invitations may result
in the removal of your firm's name form the supplier list.
Methods of Procurement
The following methods of purchasing are available.
Petty Cash - City personnel are authorized to make petty cash purchases up to $75.00.
Procurement Cards - Selected City staff are authorized to use City-issued credit cards for purchasing of items less than $2,000, per the City's Policies and Procedures governing credit card use.
Blanket Purchase Order (BPO's) - A blanket purchase order allows a vendor to sell goods to the City on an as-needed basis at specific prices or under a specific pricing arrangement, for a specified period of time.
Purchases $2,000 - less than $40,000
Purchases over $2,000 and less than $40,000 require competitive quotations whenever possible and are generally made through the informal bid process. Quotations may be submitted to the Purchasing and Contracts Division via telephone, in person, by mail, email, or by facsimile transmission.Purchases $40,000 and Over
For purchases $40,000 and over, formal bids may be required, depending on the complexity of the materials or services being procured. Formal bids must be sealed and can be submitted in person or by mail. Formal bids can NOT be submitted via telephone or facsimile.
Acting Without a Purchase Order Number
All purchases charged to the City (when a vendor
is not paid by cash or credit card) require a purchase order. The purchase
order number is vital to doing business with the City and acts as insurance
that you will be paid.
Emergencies:
There
may be times during an emergency when an order must be placed after hours
or on weekends (times when the Purchasing Office is normally closed).
Be assured that true emergency purchases will be approved. Be sure to
obtain the individual's name and department and request identification
if the order is placed in person. Department personnel are instructed
to obtain a purchase order number from the Purchasing Office the following
work day. The employee who placed the order will contact you with an authorized
purchase order number.
Specifications
Written specifications are used in the bidding
process to describe the required level of quality, quantity, delivery
and scope of work. In addition to the specifications, certain terms and
conditions governing purchases are outlined in the bid form.
Vendor presentations to City departments and/or staff are performed at the vendor's expense and in no manner guarantee or imply preferential treatment in the proposal-evaluation or ordering process.
Specifications prepared by City departments are carefully reviewed by each Buyer to eliminate undue restrictions and other limitations which unnecessarily reduce competition. Assistance provided by vendors in the specification writing process will not gain the vendor extra consideration in the proposal-evaluation or ordering process. If a vendor is called upon to provide expensive pre-purchase services, they may consider contracting separately with the department for services rendered.
Basis for Award
It is the City's desire to develop maximum competition
for all purchases and to make awards based on the lowest responsible and
responsive bid received.
"Lowest responsible bidder" means the lowest bidder whose offer best responds in quality, fitness and capacity to the requirement of the proposed work or usage. Such factors as delivery time, quality, compatibility, references, experience, parts and services, freight costs, etc., play an important part of awarding a purchase order to the "lowest responsible bidder."
A "responsive" bid is one which is in substantial conformance with the requirements of the specifications, the invitation to bid, and the City's contractual terms and conditions. This would include completeness of the quotation forms, inclusion of references and attachments, and completion of required responses.
Delivery and Inspections
In most cases, shipment of goods is to be made
to the City of Ventura, FOB destination. Specific delivery requirements
are listed on all bids and purchase orders. Failure to meet the specified
delivery date may cause cancellation of the order and will reflect adversely
on your firm's overall performance. Variations from the stated specifications
may cause rejection of the delivery.
Bid Results
Bid awards are a matter of public record. Abstracts
of bids showing prices and awards are available by contacting the Purchasing
office support staff or the appropriate Buyer.
Negotiated procurements based upon formal written proposals are confidential and are made public upon execution of a signed contract.
Change Orders
The purchase order is the City's contract with
the vendor. Any change to that contract must be in writing, reviewed by
the Purchasing and Contracts Division and authorized by the City Attorney. Department
personnel may not make changes to the purchase order.
Billing and Payment
The City requires invoices in duplicate for each
purchase order issued to the vendor. The purchase order number must appear
on all invoices, shipping tags, and correspondence relevant to the order.
Payment is made after receipt of invoice and delivery and acceptance of material as specified on the purchase order. Unless otherwise specified on the purchase order, invoices should be submitted to:
City of San Buenaventura
Accounts Payable
P.O. Box 99
Ventura, CA 93002-0099
Directing invoices to any other department (unless so instructed) will delay payment. The City tries to pay all invoices within thirty (30) days of receipt of invoice and acceptance of the order. Questions regarding payment of invoices should be made to the Accounts Payable Office and will require specific Purchase Order Information.
Insurance
In all instances in which vendor personnel enter
City property to repair, install, service, construct, consult, etc., the
City requires a certificate of insurance verifying coverage per City insurance
requirements. Whenever insurance is required on a purchase order, the
vendor will be supplied with complete requirements for coverage. Contact
the Purchasing and Contracts Division if you need further information on insurance requirements.
Tax
The City is exempt from federal excise tax, but
pays sales and use taxes when applicable. Certificates of Exemption from
Excise Tax may be obtained from the Purchasing Office.
Gifts and Gratuities
The Purchasing and Contracts Division maintains a strict policy
prohibiting the acceptance by its employees, of gifts, and/or gratuities
from any supplier or potential supplier.
Emergency Management Plan
The Purchasing and Contracts Division maintains an Emergency
Resource List of vendors who may be contacted in the event of a local
disaster. If you believe your firm may provide such a resource, please
contact the Purchasing office to register as an emergency resource vendor.
Environment Policies
The Purchasing and Contracts Division supports the City Council's
Resolution No. 92-16 by procuring and using environmentally sound products.
We encourage vendors to help keep us informed of available recycled and
environmentally sound products.
In accordance with City Administrative Regulations No. 03-002.9 vendors shall not provide any items to the City in performance of a contract which are tropical hardwoods or tropical hardwood products. Vendors are urged not to import, purchase, obtain or use for any purpose, any tropical hardwood or tropical hardwood product.
Americans with Disabilities Act
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act, if you or someone in your firm needs special assistance to participate
in a walk-through or attend a pre-bid meeting, you should contact the
Purchasing Office at (805) 658-4719 (voice) or the California Relay Service.
Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting would enable the City to make
reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting.
No vendor providing a service, program or activity to the public on behalf of the City shall discriminate against any person because of sex, race, color, creed, national origin or disability. Vendors, if providing a service, program or activity to the public on behalf of the City, shall comply with the Americans with Disability Act and City's policies pursuant thereto when providing said service, program or activity.