I. WELCOME II. INTRODUCTION III. EXCEPTIONS TO PURCHASING IV. CONTRACTING AUTHORITY V. DELEGATED AUTHORITY VI. PURCHASING METHODS VII. GETTING ON THE VENDOR LIST VIII. COMPLETING BIDS OR PROPOSALS IX. ATTENDANCE AT BID OPENINGS X. RECEIPT OF FORMAL PROPOSALS XI. NO BID RESPONSES XII. WITHDRAWAL OF BIDS DUE TO ERROR XIII. PROTESTS OF AWARDS XIV. DEBARMENT OR SUSPENSION XV. TIE BIDS XVI. ASSISTANCE TO SMALL AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES XVII. VENDOR CALLS

I. WELCOME

Thank you for your interest in doing business with the City of Alexandria, Virginia. The provision of vital services to our citizens is ultimately the result of a partnership between the departments of City government and the Vendor community which provides the goods and services needed to support City operations.

The mission of the Division of Purchasing is to purchase goods, services, construction and insurance at the request and in support of Departments of the City of Alexandria government in order that those departments may respond to the needs of the citizens of the City in an efficient and cost effective manner. Activities of the personnel of the Division of Purchasing shall be performed in a manner that guarantees the integrity of the purchasing process, and that all vendors and City personnel are treated equitably and professionally.

We hope that this booklet will assist you in better understanding the process to be followed to do business with the City of Alexandria.

II. INTRODUCTION

The government of the City of Alexandria consists of 31 departments with an annual budget of nearly $400 million. These departments purchase a variety of goods and services ranging from pencils to multi-million dollar construction projects.

In accordance with the City Charter and the City Code, the Division of Purchasing is responsible for the procurement of all goods and services for City departments. Some City functions and legally independent authorities have been exempted from purchasing through the Division of Purchasing. Some City departments also have received specific delegations of purchasing authority and responsibility. All expenditures of public funds must, though, be made under the authority and procedures of the Purchasing provisions of Virginia law or the City Code.

This pamphlet is designed to provide an introduction and an easy reference to Vendors desiring to supply goods and services to the City of Alexandria.

Questions about City purchasing functions should be addressed to:

III. EXCEPTIONS TO PURCHASING

The following City functions and legally independent authorities are exempt from the authority of the Division of Purchasing.

A. Alexandria Public Schools;

B. Alexandria Public Library;

C. Alexandria Transit Authority (DASH);

D. Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA);

E. Alexandria Sanitation Authority;

F. Any institution to which the City makes a lawful grant-in-aid and over which it retains no control;

G. Purchases from the State Penitentiary or from the State Purchasing Department Warehouse;

H. Legal services and services associated with actual or potential litigation or regulatory proceedings;

I. Purchases of water, sewer, electric, telephone and other utility services and motor vehicle license plates;

J. Purchases for undercover police work when the items are certified by the Police Chief to the Purchasing Agent as necessary for that purpose.

K. Purchases for direct use by recipients of public assistance programs.

IV. CONTRACTING AUTHORITY

Only the City Manager and the Purchasing Agent have authority under the City Charter and the City Code for approving contracts for goods and services needed by City departments other than those listed in Section III.

V. DELEGATED AUTHORITY

In order to assure efficiency of operations, Department Directors of City government have been delegated authority to make certain purchase transactions without prior approval by the Purchasing Division.

These delegated authorities include:

A. Small purchases of less than $20,000 in value. This includes items that are not on City contracts and excludes computers, vehicles, furniture and other capital asset items with a useful life of three years or more. Selected City personnel have been issued VISA Purchase Cards to use on these small purchases.

B. Travel advances and reimbursements.

C. Dues, subscriptions and books.

D. Payments for recreation performances.

E. Insurance claims and payments.

F. Utility and rent payments.

G. Emergency purchases during off-duty hours when the safety, health and welfare of city employees or the public is threatened, or when vital equipment malfunctions and delays will affect the delivery of essential City services.

VI. PURCHASING METHODS

A. Formal Sealed Bids or Proposals

Whenever the City seeks to procure a good or service estimated to cost more than $50,000, a Formal Sealed Invitation to Bid or a Request for Proposals will be issued. All Formal Sealed Bids and Proposals are advertised once in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Alexandria at least 10 days prior to the date bids or proposals are due. The Bid or Proposal document also is displayed on the public bulletin board in the Purchasing Division Office, and an announcement is placed on the Solicitation Board on the Purchasing Division Web Page.

Announcements of Formal Sealed Bids and Proposals are mailed to vendors on the approved vendor list for the good or service being sought. A non-refundable charge of $5 is made to cover printing and mailing costs for bid and proposal packages. Payment must be made before a vendor may receive the complete Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposal package.

Responses to Formal Sealed Bids and Proposals are secured unopened until the date and time specified in the advertisement. Sealed Bids are opened publicly and read aloud. The offerors of Sealed Proposals are recorded, but proposals and cost data are not revealed until after evaluation of the proposals and an award is make.

Invitation to Bid

Sealed bids for the City of Alexandria per specifications will received in the Office of the Purchasing Agent until dates and time designated as follows:

Bid materials and specifications may be obtained from the Purchasing Division, Suite 301 - Bankers Square, 100 North Pitt Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 703-838-4944. THE CITY REQUIRES ITS CONTRACTORS TO BE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS.

The following is an example of an advertisement of a sealed bid which may be found in the classified section of the Alexandria Journal newspaper when bids are released:

B. Informal Quotations and Solicitations of Proposals

For goods and services estimated to cost less than $50,000, the City seeks price quotations and proposals from at least three vendor using techniques that are less stringent than for Formal Invitations to Bid and Request for Proposals.

Informal Quotations and Proposals may be requested and received using telephone, telefacsimile or other unsealed methods of expediting the exchange of information between the Vendor and the City Purchasing Division. City Departments use delegated authority to seek informal quotations for purchases of less than $20,000.

VII. GETTING ON THE VENDOR LIST

To be added to the City of Alexandria mailing list of prospective bidders, please complete the Bidder’s Mailing List Application form

This form is necessary to place your firm on the computerized list for goods and services you wish to supply to the City.

Fill out the form online and print the form or download the form and complete it accurately and legibly (type or print) and then return it to the Division of Purchasing. If additional pages are needed, enclose them with the folded form, but be certain the address of the Purchasing Division is on the exterior of the package.

Fill out the Vendor's Application Form as follows:

Item 1 Enter your complete company name.

Item 2 Enter the date you complete the Application. If you previously filed an Application, enter the month and year it was filed.

Item 3 Enter the complete address to which bids and announcements should be sent.

Item 4 If payments go to a different address, enter the address.

Item 5 Enter the telephone number.

Item 6 Enter the Telefax number.

Item 7 Check the box(es) that apply. Enter the approximate gross annual sales to the nearest $1,000.

Item 8 If an incorporation, enter the state where your company is incorporated. Enter the Federal Employer Identification Number. If you are an individual, enter your Social Security Account Number. This information is necessary in order to be an approved vendor.

Item 9 Enter the name(s) and title(s) of the officers of your company. Indicate who is authorized to sign bids and bind the company in contracts.

Item 10 Enter the name/title/address/telephone number of persons to be contacted about the services/products your company offers.

Item 11 List all products and services your company furnishes. Under separate cover, mail catalogs or descriptive literature about your firm and its products or services.

Item 12 An officer of the firm must read the Application Form, sign it and enter the printed name and title.

VIII. COMPLETING BIDS OR PROPOSALS

A. Read the Invitation to Bid or the Request for Proposal in its entirety. Be certain you understand its requirements.

B. Identify all requirements for Signatures, Certificates and Enclosures. Verify any blanks that must be filled in. Failure to sign bids and certificates and to fill in required blanks will disqualify your bid or offer.

C. Be certain you are aware of the time and date your response is due in the Division of Purchasing. Allow enough time to prepare your response and forward it. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BE CERTAIN THAT BIDS OR PROPOSALS ARE RECEIVED BY THE DIVISION OF PURCHASING PRIOR TO THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED.

1. Late Bids and Proposals are not accepted. They are returned unopened.

2. Even if you mail a bid, if it is not received and time stamped prior to the specified time, it will not be accepted.

D. If there are any mandatory prebid, proposal conferences or site visits, you must be present or your Bid/Proposal will not be considered for award.

E. If Samples are required, they must be submitted. The City does not return Samples.

F. Prepare your Bid/Proposal with a typewriter or pen. All changes to your response must be lined through in ink and initialed in ink by the person signing the document. Do not use White-out. Failure to correctly modify your bid may be grounds for disqualification. The Bid must be signed in ink.

G. Keep a copy of your response before mailing or returning it.

H. Be sure you use the return mailing label provided with the Bid/Proposal. If you do not use the return mailing label, you must clearly identify your response with the Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposal Number, the description of the product or services and the Date/Time for receipt of the Bid/Proposal.

DOUBLE-CHECK before Sealing

I. Before you seal your envelope, double-check the following;

Are all computations correct?

Is the Bid/Proposal signed in ink by a person authorized to bind the company in a contract?

Are errors and modifications lined through, corrected in ink and initialed?

Are all certificates and enclosures required by the Invitation/Request included?

IX. ATTENDANCE AT BID OPENINGS

A. You are encouraged to attend bid openings.

B. All bids will be opened and read aloud. You may inspect the bids briefly at bid openings.

C. No information will be released following the bid opening until an award is made. The bids become public records and are open to detailed inspection after award. All bidders responding to the ITB/RFP receive a notice of award and tabulation of bids.

D. If you wish to have copies of bid documents and contracts, you must file a Freedom of Information Act request with the Office of Citizen Assistance, Room 1900, City Hall, 703-838-4800. There will be a charge for researching, extracting and copying files under the FOIA provisions.

X. RECEIPT OF FORMAL PROPOSALS

A. The responses to Requests for Proposal are opened and recorded at the date and time for closing that is given in the RFP.

B. No portions of RFP's are publicly read or open to public inspection until after an award has been made.

XI. NO BID RESPONSES

Failure to respond to three successive Invitations to Bid or Requests for Proposal with either a bid or a statement of "No Bid" shall be grounds for removal from the Vendor List. Periodically, the Purchasing Division will purge the list and request Vendors to re-apply.

XII. WITHDRAWAL OF BIDS DUE TO ERROR

A. Bids may be withdrawn only when the provisions of Section 3-3-42, City Code, are met. Requests to withdraw bids must be in writing and received by the Purchasing Agent within two (2) business days after bid opening.

B. Requests to withdraw bids must be accompanied by original work papers, documents and materials used to prepare the bid.

C. A decision by the Purchasing Agent shall be provided in writing to the bidder requesting withdrawal.

D. Appeal of a decision by the Purchasing Agent denying withdrawal of a bid must be received by the Purchasing Division within ten (10) days of receipt of the Purchasing Agent's decision. Procedures for such appeals are set forth in Section 3-3-102 and Section 3-3-108, City Code.

XIII. PROTESTS OF AWARDS

A. Protests of awards or of decisions to award contracts must be received by the Purchasing Agent no later than 10 days after the award or the announcement of the decision to award, whichever occurs first. The written protest shall include the basis for the protest and the relief sought.

B. Procedures for protests are set forth in Sections 3-3-104 and 3-3-108, the City Code.

XIV. DEBARMENT OR SUSPENSION

A. The Purchasing Agent may debar a person or company from consideration for awards or contracts for a period up to three (3) years upon a finding of cause that the vendor has engaged in the following activities.

1. Conviction of a criminal offense relating to the acquisition or performance of a public or private contract or subcontract.

2. Conviction under state or federal laws of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property or offenses indicating a lack of business integrity or honesty.

3. Conviction under state or federal anti-trust statutes arising from the submission of bids or proposals.

4. Serious violation of contract provisions.

B. The Purchasing Agent may suspend a person or company from consideration for award or contracts for a period up to three months upon a finding of probable cause that might lead to debarment.

C. Decisions to debar or suspend shall be provided in writing. The Vendor may appeal a decision to the City Manager within ten (10) days of receipt of the decision.

D. Procedures for debarment and suspension are provided in Sections 3-3-1 through 3-3-94, City Code.

XV. TIE BIDS

A. In the case of tie bids, preference shall be given to goods, services and construction produced in Virginia or provided by Virginia Vendors.

B. Tie bids may be awarded by lot.

C. A Tie bid may be awarded to a local bidder over a foreign bidder.

D. The Purchasing Agent may request the tied bidders to resubmit written bids.

E. The Purchasing Agent may cancel the solicitation and rebid.

XVI. ASSISTANCE TO SMALL AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES

A. The City of Alexandria grants no preferences or set-asides to small and disadvantaged businesses.

B. The Purchasing Division cooperates with state and federal agencies to facilitate the participation of small and disadvantaged businesses in the procurement transactions of the City.

C. Any small or disadvantaged business seeking assistance in understanding or completing any bids or proposals should seek the assistance of the Purchasing Division.

D. Purchasing Division personnel attend conferences and trade shows supported by small and disadvantaged businesses and organizations in order to explain how to do business with the City.

XVII. VENDORS CALLS

A. The Purchasing Division encourages Vendors to contact its Buyers with information about new products and services or to inquire about upcoming solicitations.

B. Calls may be made without appointments from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday.

C. Vendors desiring to visit the Division at other times are requested to make an appointment.

D. Vendors should contact specifying Departments for appointments to demonstrate equipment and supplies.