Department Purchases
Within the City's established policies, City departments have the authority to purchase between $0 and $2,499. If you sell small dollar items which are not covered under an annual contract, you may be able to sell directly to a City department. Your first contact; however, should be the City's Purchasing Division who can advise how the City buys the item you are selling and who to contact.
For Purchases $2,500-$74,999
Purchases between $2,500-$74,999 are generally competed through an informal solicitation process, typically by means of requesting written quotes. A Request for Informal Quotes (RFIQ) is the solicitation of written offers and/or pricing based on specifications of the required equipment, material, and/or general service. These are not publicly advertised and there is not a public opening. You can sign up with the City's online vendor management and online bidding platform (Bonfire) here. to let all departments know that your company is available and ready to supply products and services, regardless of size. Note: This threshold is lower ($25,000) for professional services.
For Purchases above $75,000
These solicitations are formally competed. This means that they are posted publicly and advertised for specific time periods (depending on the type of solicitation, state law) but perhaps longer if the City determines that the market needs additional time to respond. They are advertised for state and City code required minimum times (between 14 and 28 calendar days, depending on the solicitation) prior to the solicitation proposal or bid due dates. Contract awards based on these solicitations must be approved by the Mayor and City Council. Bids are advertised in a variety of ways to accommodate state law and policy requirements, but formal solicitations will always be posted to the City's Bonfire Procurement Portal and the Georgia Procurement Registry.
Offeror/Pre-bid conferences are often held for formal solicitations to provide offerors with the opportunity to ask questions regarding the bid. The solicitation outlines the time and place for the offeror/pre-bid conference if they are part of the solicitation plan.
A public bid opening is required for formal sealed bids. Public bid openings and proposal announcement of offerors are held at the date and times provided for in the posted solicitation schedule. Bids and Proposals are submitted online via the City's Bonfire Procurement Portal.
Annual contracts are used to purchase many goods and services which the City buys repetitively over the course of a year. Annual contracts are bid for estimated quantities of commodities, equipment, or services, at a firm price, for a specified period of time, usually one year with possible renewals. Awards are made to qualified single or multiple vendors who meet specifications and conditions. Estimated quantities are based on prior usage by City departments but are not guaranteed.
Construction Services
Construction services are processed under the competitive bid or proposal process described earlier for purchases of $75,000 or more. Construction contractors are required to post performance and payment bonds in an amount equal to the contract award unless the contract is under $100,000. Construction bidders are also generally required to post a 5% bid bond at the time of bid submission. Evidence of liability and workers compensation insurance and potentially other proofs of insurance are also required after bid award. Any waiver of bonds will be noted clearly in the solicitation.
All construction contracts are bid through the City Purchasing Division. The same bid application as previously described should be used to register to bid on construction services.
Local Vendor Preference
The City of Roswell has enacted a Local Vendor Preference ordinance which applies to all informal and formal procurements greater than $10,000 excluding construction projects; professional and consulting services; federally funded projects; and online/electronic sealed bid/reverse auctions. A local vendor's responsive and responsible bid will be given preference in the contract award if the bid is within two percent (2%) of the low bid offered by a non-local vendor. The Local Vendor must operate and maintain a brick and mortar business within the corporate limits of the City of Roswell; have a current Occupation Tax Certificate; paid in full all real and personal taxes owed the City; and which upon application has been certified as a "Local Vendor" (has submitted a vendor application and indicated in the bid documents vendor is participating as a local vendor) prior to bid due date and time.