Introduction

This information has been designed to provide an overview of the purchasing process at Pulaski County. Its primary function is to familiarize new bidders with the basic information necessary to communicate with the County’s Purchasing Department and to submit bids that are responsive to the needs of the County.

The purchasing process can be a complex procedure because of the governing laws of the State of Arkansas and various rules and regulations imposed by Pulaski County. Detailed information and instructions are available by contacting the Purchasing Department.

All purchases exceeding $2,999.99 in total value or that are for capital equipment items require approval from the Purchasing Department. An order placed without prior purchasing approval is not a legal obligation of the County and may become the personal obligation of the purchaser. Any questions regarding correct purchasing procedure should be directed to one of the buyers in the Purchasing Department.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. If you have any questions or ideas to share with us, please contact the Pulaski County Purchasing Department at 501-340-8390.

The Supplier List

The supplier list is held within the ARBid online bid portal upon the supplier registering.

The supplier list is used by the Purchasing Department to select appropriate bidders to contact when the competitive sealed bid process is being used. These are purchases that are $35,000 or more in value. Once you have registered your company through the ARBid portal, you will automatically receive an invitation to bid for any purchases in your commodity area(s) that are purchased using the competitive sealed bid process. It is your responsibility to keep your information current and to respond to the bid invitations.

Competitive Sealed Bids

Once you have received your invitation to bid, there are some things to remember:

• Respond to the bid as directed through the ARBid portal and provide all information required by the closing date/time. NO bids/proposals will be accepted after the closing date/time.
•  Read the terms and conditions on the ARBid portal.
•   Any questions should be directed to the point of contact on the bid.
•   When sealed financial information is required, a separate notification will be sent to those responsive and responsible bidders who responded to the “technical” bid posting and will be contacted via e-mail with the “cost” posting to submit the financial information. Do NOT submit financial information with the “technical” bid
• Be sure to include additional information specifically requested in the bid.

Invitation to Bid (ITB) or Written Quotes

For purchases between $3,000 and $34,999, Pulaski County often requests and receives price quotes by e-mail (written quote) or will issue an ITB, depending on the commodity requested to purchase. In the event of a written quote, all suppliers on the bid list are not contacted for every written quotation, we try to rotate the list so that all bidders have the opportunity to quote on some of the requested commodities. Bidders responding to a written quote will be notified via e-mail, however, due to time constraints, awarded bidders will only be notified. If you wish to find out the results of a written quote, please call the Purchasing Department, and we will be happy to provide the information to you. When you call, be sure to have the bid number and the name of the buyer available so that we can locate the file.

The things to remember when responding to an ITB, they are much the same as with a competitive sealed bid, but there is no formal opening of bids. Awarded and Non-Awarded vendors will be notified of the results through the ARBid portal.

Purchase Orders

After we have received the bids/quotes and they are evaluated, a purchase order or contract will be issued to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.

Invoicing

When you receive an order from the County, please submit your invoice promptly and correctly. We cannot pay your bill without a proper invoice. Your invoice should be submitted to the department that placed the order. If a purchase order was issued, it will include the correct shipping and billing addresses.

Your invoice must be itemized and include prices of individual items; statements showing only a balance due cannot be paid. Any shipping and/or handling charges should be included in the price of the merchandise; separate charges for shipping and handling will not be paid.

Minority Purchasing

It is Pulaski County’s policy to purchase its goods and services from those companies that can provide the necessary quality at the lowest cost, without regard to the vendor’s race or gender. All vendors are encouraged to make the County aware of the goods and services that they can provide.

PC Title VI – Complaint Procedure

PC Title VI – Complaint Form & Consent

PC Title VI – Notice of Nondiscrimination