Open Bids
Transparent procurement method in which bids from competing contractors, suppliers, or vendors are invited by openly advertising the scope, specifications, and terms and conditions of the proposed contract as well as the criteria by which the bids will be evaluated. Open bidding also known as “Competitive bidding” aims at obtaining goods and services at the lowest prices by stimulating competition, and by preventing favoritism.

Sealed Bids
Document enclosed in a glued (sealed) envelope and submitted in response to invitation-to-bid (ITB). Sealed bids received up to the deadline date are generally opened at a stated time and place (usually in the presence of anyone who may wish to be present) and evaluated for an award of a contract.

The Department of Administrative Services has a new advanced state contracting portal engine allows you to search state contracts, and solicitations as well as vendor information. Set the parameters to be as wide or as narrow as you need. Keywords, vendor names, SBEs are just some of the fields to search.

Purchasing

The City Purchasing Department is under the purview of the Office of Administration.

The chief function of the department is to ensure that standard procedures are followed in procuring goods and services for all of the City's departments and Board of Education capital purchases. The activities of the department are guided by the Purchasing Ordinance which spells out regulations governing purchasing and was passed as legislation by the City's legislative body, the Board of Representatives.

The department is usually the first point of contact that vendors and potential vendors have with the City before doing business with any particular department.

Sealed bids are received and opened at the office of the Purchasing Department, Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Boulevard, Stamford, CT at 11:00 AM.

Further instructions and bid forms are available at the Office. All bids are subject to the City Charter. The City of Stamford reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids. THE CITY OF STAMFORD IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY CONTRACTOR.

Any bid indicated as requiring a bid deposit must be accompanied by a certified/cashier's/treasurer's check or bid bond in the amount indicated. This is a nonwaivable condition of acceptance.

Caution: The competitive bid/proposal process requires that the City of Stamford provide all competitors with equal and timely access to information. To enhance our capabilities, the Purchasing Department is providing bid information over the Internet. You may use this application provided you agree with the following understandings:

1. The City can not guarantee that the equipment involved in this technology will be available to provide information or receive transmittals. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have current information and that quotations are received at the designated location, complete and on time.
2. The City is not responsible for the confidentiality of information transmitted over the Internet.
3. The City makes no guarantee as to the completeness or accuracy of downloaded "Requests for Bid", "Requests for Proposal" or "Request for Qualification".
4. Bids/proposals must be received in hard copy in the Purchasing Department by the due date and time in order to be considered. Please be advised that the Purchasing Department does not accept bids or proposals by email or fax. More Information : (203) 977-4108 or (203) 977-4994

View Current Open Bids, RFP and RFQ Notice
FTA Procurement Policies and Procedures
City Invoice Payments/ Accounts payable Information
Vendor Registration (City of Stamford's online bid management system)

Amended Purchasing Ordinance

• Purchasing Ordinance Memorandum
• Purchasing Ordinance: 11/22/2014

Contact

Beverly Aveni
Purchasing Agent
(203) 977-4107

Vendor Tips

No one can give assurances that a vendor will receive a particular job. Because the City relies heavily on competitive bidding, no department knows which bidder will receive an award until sealed bids are opened, and the evaluation is completed.

Never start work without an authorized contract or Purchase Order. In general, no service should be provided, and no goods should be delivered before you receive a written contract from the City. Until the contract purchase order or blanket purchase order is executed by the City, the City has no legal obligation to pay for the order. If you begin work without legal authorization and certification of funds by the Controller, your options may include taking back your merchandise or filing a claim with the City.

Don’t give gifts. City government is also subject to Connecticut law regarding conflict of interest, including the receipt of gifts. In many circumstances, gifts are illegal or, at the very least, must be reported by City officials on state-mandated forms. A gift could be a traditional present or even a meal.