- Departments
- Procurement
- Vendor Guide
Vendor Guide
The city’s Procurement Division continues to improve our payment process, improve relations between the city and vendors, enhance the bidding process, and increase vendor access to city procurement.
It is our goal to educate our vendors by outlining the city’s guidelines and explain how a vendor may participate in the city’s business. We strive to develop strong business relationships with vendors who provide a wide array of goods and services at the best possible value to the city.
Mission
The mission of the Procurement Division is to provide support to the city by performing the procurement function and materials management operation in a customer-focused, strategic, ethical and transparent manner while ensuring opportunities to our diverse business community and complying with applicable governing laws and policies.
Procurement
Rockville, MD 20850
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Code of Ethics
It is the city’s expectation that all employees involved in procurements:
- Act impartially and with the highest degree of honor and integrity to foster public confidence in city government, and will make every effort to ensure open and fair competition for available city business.
- Believe in the dignity and worth of the services rendered by the organization and the societal responsibilities assumed as a trusted public servant.
- Upon learning that the city is conducting or intends to conduct business with a vendor with which he or she, or a member of his or her family, has a financial interest, immediately disclose this real or apparent potential conflict of interest to his or her supervisor and refrain from all activity with respect to this vendor.
- Seek or dispense no personal favors. Handle each administrative problem objectively and emphatically without discrimination.
- Prohibit acceptance of gifts and gratuities at any time from vendors pursuant to section 16-23 of the City Code.
Minority, Female, Disabled or Veteran-Owned (MFD-V) Business Outreach Program
The city takes pride in keeping our MFD-V business community engaged and educated. Outreach to MFD-V vendors includes a presence at various business events and includes networking and providing information on the city’s needs and future bid opportunities.
Members of the Procurement Division are available to meet one-on-one with vendors to provide assistance and education in navigating the city’s bidding process. For more information, please contact Pat Ryan by email at pryan@rockvillemd.gov or call 240-314-8434.
Selling to the City – From a Vendor’s Perspective
Provided are things to consider to remain competitive and conduct business with the city:
- Examine your strategy.
- Is there a need for what you offer?
- What is the level of demand within the city government?
- Who can use your products or services in the city? Can you identify them?
- Is there a need and an infrastructure to support the solution you are proposing to provide?
- Who are your competitors?
- What is your competitive advantage? Your unique technical knowledge or skills?
- Who in a given department considers the city’s needs and converts them into specifications for buying goods or services that will satisfy those needs?
- Get to know the departments that prepare the specifications.
- Go out of your way to learn and to teach your employees how the city works.
- A lot of city’s procurement is done through open bidding. Learn how this process works as it relates to your goods and services.
- Get to know the procurement department. Identify the key individuals as they relate to your business. Make sure they know you and have current information about your business. Note that the procurement department is not necessarily the specifying department.
- Learn how the accounts payable process functions in the city.
- Read every document, i.e., a purchase order), very carefully and comply with its terms in order to get paid quickly.
- Have a realistic expectation for receiving payment.
How the City Makes Competitive Purchases
The city makes its purchases under authority in the City Code of Ordinances (chapter 17). The following graph provides a brief description of the processes and determinations utilized by the city.
| Purchase Value | Procurement Process | Award Determination |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $3,000 | No competition/quotes required. | Payment made via Procurement purchase card of GAX (direct payment) |
| $3,001 to $30,000 | Informal written quotes required via Request for Quotes (RFQ) | Award made to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder |
| $30,001 to $100,000 | Formal written bids/proposals required via Invitation for Bids (IFB) or Request for Proposals (RFP) | Award made to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder or best offeror with the best proposal. City Manager award approval required |
| Over $100,00 | Formal written bids/proposals required via Invitation for Bids (IFB) or Request for Proposals (RFP) | Award made to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder or best offeror with the best proposal. Mayor and Council award approval required. |
Vendor Registration
The city does not maintain its own vendor registration site or bidders list. However, registration is available thru the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) website and the Central Vendor Registration System that is utilized by participating agencies in Montgomery County, MD.
Vendors must register with eMMA to receive bid notifications from the City of Rockville.
Non-Competitive Purchases
The city may “ride” or “piggyback” on contracts established by other governmental entity when it is proven that a competitive process was completed by that jurisdiction. Vendors willing to extend to the City existing pricing with other governmental entities should notify the procurement division.
Invoicing and Payments
An invoice is a statement of charges submitted for goods and services rendered. Invoices must contain the applicable purchase order number and the city department that received the goods and services. Although a specific contract may cite instructions as to submitting invoices, as a general rule, invoices should be submitted for each purchase order immediately upon completion of services or shipment/delivery of goods. The mailing address for the invoice is noted on each purchase.
In order to get paid, there are four conditions that need to be met before the city can make payment:
- Budget appropriation
- The goods or services must be received and accepted by the city.
- The vendor must submit a properly completed invoice. ·
- The vendor must file an IRS Form W-9 with the city.
The city no longer delivers paper checks for payment. A completed ACH Application and W-9 is required to receive payment from the city. Once a vendor is selected to provide goods/services, the ACH Application link will be forwarded for completion by the user department or the Procurement Division. The ACH Application shall also be completed if your banking information should change.
Authorized Purchases
The city uses p-cards, purchase orders, master agreements, and/or contracts to facilitate authorized procurements. Vendors providing goods or services should ensure they are issued one of the aforementioned documents before proceeding with any requests. Responding to such requests without authorization is done at the vendor’s own risk and may result in non-payment.
Surplus Property
The Procurement Division is responsible for the sale or disposal of scrap and surplus property, normally through online auctions.
Visit the surplus website and select Maryland as the region and City of Rockville as the agency.
Questions concerning surplus property should be referred to the stockroom at 240-314-8441.
Sales Calls and Visits
Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, excluding city holidays. As city staff resources are limited, unscheduled visits by vendors and contractors are not encouraged. You may schedule an appointment with procurement staff by contacting one of the buyers.
| Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Pierson, CPSM, C.P.M Principal Buyer | 240-314-8433 | jpierson@rockvillemd.gov |
| Pat Ryan, CPPB Principal Buyer, MFD-V Program | 240-314-8434 | pryan@rockvillemd.gov |
| Thomas Ellison Principal Buyer | 240-314-8436 | tellison@rockvillemd.gov |
| Regina Washington Senior Buyer | 240-314-8431 | rwashington@rockvillemd.gov |