Procurement and Contracts, El Paso County, CO

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) of El Paso County established a centralized Purchasing Department in 1978. We are responsible for procuring County supplies, services, and equipment at the lowest possible cost consistent with the quality necessary to meet the County's needs and to ensure that the taxpayers receive the maximum value for each tax dollar spent. As a political subdivision of the State of Colorado, we work under the procurement code of the Colorado Revised Statutes.

It is the policy of the Procurement & Contracts Department of El Paso County to provide procedures that are open, unrestricted and fair to all vendors, contractors, and service firms. The bid policies adopted by the El Paso County Commissioners and enforced by the Procurement & Contracts Department have been designed to:

Promote and encourage ethical management and efficiency in County procurement.
Encourage maximum competition from vendors on a basis of fair and equal bidding opportunities.
Allow Procurement & Contracts personnel to perform their duties impartially so as to assure fair and competitive access to the County's bid requirements by all interested vendors.
Maintain integrity and credibility in all phases of the procurement effort.

BIDDERS/COMMODITY LIST

The Procurement & Contracts Department maintains an active Bidders List consisting of vendors, contractors, and service organizations which are classified according to the commodity or service each can provide.
To be registered on the County's Bidders List, a vendor, contractor, or service firm must complete and submit a Bidder's List Application form, and fill out and mail IRS form W9. These forms and the Commodity List may also be obtained by calling (719) 520-6390.
Invitation for Bids and Request for Proposals are usually sent to those firms listed under the commodity being requested. The buyer may also choose to use the other sources such as the telephone book yellow pages to obtain names of firms who may be capable of supplying the commodity.

REMOVAL OR SUSPENSION FROM THE BIDDERS LIST

A Vendor may be suspended from doing business with the County and removed from the Bidders List in the event an action by the vendor is considered to be contrary to the best interest of the County. Examples include:

Failure to deliver merchandise or perform services.
Failure to meet a delivery or completion date.
Failure to maintain a quoted price for goods or services
Evidence of collusion with other bidders on prices for a County bid.
Failure to complete any order or project awarded as a result of formal or informal bid or proposal.
Failure to honor warranties on products delivered or services performed.
Submitting false or misleading information on the Vendor Application form.
Any violation of Federal, State, City or County laws, regulations, or ordinances.

AUTHORIZATION TO ORDER

A purchase requisition/order is not an authorization to pay an invoice. A purchase requisition identifies what is being requested by a department, for an estimated or confirmed dollar amount, in a specific time frame, with particular delivery requirements. Only a signed purchase order is an authorization to order.

$$$$ PAYMENT PROCESS $$$$

Vendors shall submit all invoices to the address of the department shown on the purchase order. Upon receipt, invoices will be matched against the description of the product or service in the purchase order, including quantity and cost. The approved invoice will then be sent by the department to Accounts Payable for the purpose of issuing a warrant (check).

Although the usual procedure is net thirty (30) days for payment, El Paso County welcomes prompt payment discounts from vendors, i.e. discounts for payments made within ten (10) days after receipt of the invoice. Any discount information must be clearly stated on the invoice.

The vendor's Federal Identification or Social Security Number is required information on the Vendor Application form.

We are exempt from paying taxes
We encourage prompt payment discounts
We purchase over $60,000,000 in goods and services per year.

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prior to your visit.