PROCUREMENT GUIDE
City of Lincoln/Lancaster County
Click for Printable Brochure(PDF, 139KB)
Pete Kroll
Purchasing Agent
(402) 441-8313
pkroll@lincoln.ne.gov
PURCHASING POLICIES
The Purchasing Division is responsible for administering purchasing policies, programs, and procedures for the acquisition of materials, equipment, supplies, services, and construction projects for City/County government. The following policies have been established as guidelines for these services:
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All requests for prices or services and all purchases should be made via the Purchasing Division. This authority may be delegated to others if certain criteria exists in accordance with the City of Lincoln's Code/Charter, or the County Purchasing Act.
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The Purchasing Division has the authority to investigate the quality, quantity, and type of materials purchased in order to best serve the interests of the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County and the taxpaying citizens.
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The Purchasing Division shall not knowingly issue a purchase order or contract where there is evidence of a conflict of interest.
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Acceptance of gifts, other than advertising novelties, is prohibited. No City/County employee shall personally receive a benefit or profit from any purchase or contract made in conjunction with their position with the City or County.
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The City/County shall purchase from suppliers who have adequate financial strength, high ethical standards, and a record of adhering to specifications and providing the full measure of services requested.
Specifications for City/County bids, quotes and requests for proposals may be viewed on the Purchasing Ebid website (http://col.ionwave.net/Login.aspx). Vendors are welcome to visit the Purchasing office to discuss their services and product lines.
City of Lincoln/Lancaster County Purchasing
"K" Street Complex, 440 S. 8th Street
SW Wing, Suite 200, Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone (402) 441-8103
Office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. (Please call in advance to ensure time is available)
ELECTRONIC BIDDING
The Purchasing Division utilizes an Electronic Bidding System (Ebid). Through this process, Vendors receive immediate notification of bids via email which allows them to view, download or print the specs and plans, and submit a bid online. Following the Award Notification, bid results may be accessed from any internet enabled device.
VENDOR REGISTRATION - Ebid
All Vendors will be required to Register on Ebid, our Electronic Bidding Site. as follows:
1. Go To: lincoln.ne.gov or lancaster.ne.gov
2. Type the word "bids" in the Search Box
3. Click on "Bids and Contracts"
4. Click "Supplier Registration" located on the top, right-hand side of the page
Once registered, Vendors will receive two e-mail notifications. The first one acknowledges registration, the second, registration activation. Upon e-mail notification of registration activation, you may submit your electronic bid on the E-bid system.
TO SUBMIT A BID ELECTRONICALLY
1. Enter the username and password.
2. Click on the Bid Number.
3. Click on each tab to fill out the bid and submit.
4. Upload any required attachments.
4. Click "submit" when you have completed all areas of the bid.
E-BID SECURITY
The Ebid System was designed to maintain the security of the solicitation process, including protecting the integrity of sealed bid responses. Key security features include, but are not limited to:
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All sealed bid data is stored in encrypted fields while the bid is still available for Supplier response.
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Each User is required to use a unique password that they select.
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Passwords are stored in an encrypted format using a one-way hash.
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Other security features are available for your protection.
PURCHASING METHODS - BID THRESHOLDS
City, Formal Bids - $50,000.00 and Over
County, Formal Bids - $50,000.00 and Over
City, Informal Bids - $10,000.00 - $49,999,99
County, Informal Bids - $10,000.00 - $49,999.99
City, Department Micro-purchase - Under $50,000.00
County, Department - Obtains Quotes - Under $10,000.00
City Departments may make one-time purchases via their own staff for supplies or services which total an amount of less than $50,000.00 unless that commodity or service is already under contract. Agencies may make one-time micro-purchase via their own staff for supplies or services which total an amount less than $10,000.00 unless the commodity or service is already under contract. When the Department/Agency makes the purchase, they obtain and record at least three (3) quotations, either written or verbal and shall first look for local vendors who provide this service/product. If a local vendor is not available at a fair and reasonable cost, other vendors shall be contacted. Typically, no purchase order is generated. Under no circumstances shall orders by Departments or Agencies be spit into smaller orders to avoid a quote or bid being processed by the Purchasing Division. City Departments shall use the Micro-Purchase process requiring them to request prices from local businesses.
Purchasing will obtain Informal Bids or Quotes using the Ebid system for equipment, supply items, or services with a single purchase value above the department limit, but less than $50,000.00 City/County. All registered Vendors will receive immediate electronic notification of Informal Bids or Quotes for their respective commodity or service via email.
City/County Departments and Agencies must adhere to the "Formal Sealed Bid" procedure when making a purchase or contract for $50,000.00 City/County or more. This procedure includes public notice in a regional newspaper and requesting Formal Bids via the E-bid System from qualified suppliers. Vendors registered under the corresponding commodity or service code used will receive immediate notification, via email, upon issuance of the bid.
SPECIFICATION DOCUMENTS
Purchasing makes every effort to prepare detailed specifications which accurately define the products or services to be purchased. In some case’s a brand name may be used to describe a particular product. When a brand name is used, it is for the purpose of establishing a grade or quality level of material. It is not our desire to prevent competition. Alternates may be offered and will be considered if the City/County determines them to be of equal value to the specified brand. It is the Vendor's responsibility when offering an alternate to provide supporting documentation and/or product literature outlining the features and benefits of the product offered.
INFORMAL BIDS OR QUOTES
This process does not require a specific number of days for solicitation. Normally, Quotes are posted on the Ebid System for 1-10 days depending on the dollar amount and/or complexity of the product or service being requested.
FORMAL BIDS
This process is used for commodities or services with a value of $50,000.00 and over where a firm fixed price for the products or services described is required to award the bid. All Formal Bids are advertised for a minimum of 14 calendar days (10 days in cases of emergencies). All Formal Bids are received via the Ebid System at a date and time specified in the bid.
SAMPLES AND LITERATURE
Vendor's should examine the specification documents carefully to ascertain if they are required to submit samples or descriptive literature with their offer. When samples or descriptive literatures are required, it is understood, unless otherwise indicated in the specification, that they are offered without cost or obligation to the City/County. Samples will be held for evaluation until analysis and award recommendation is complete, after which time they may be picked up by the Vendor.
TO VIEW CLOSED BIDS
Click on Closed Bids.
Click on the Selected Bid Number.
Click on the Bid Tabulation by Supplier.
Bids will be awarded to the lowest responsible, responsive Bidder, meeting the specification requirements
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
This process is designed to be a competitive negotiation platform for professional services, commodities, or services that require more than a price to determine what is the best product or service for the City/County. This process allows the City/County the flexibility to negotiate with a select company/firm or selected companies/firms to arrive at a mutually agreeable relationship. Registered Vendors will receive notification of RFP's automatically via the Ebid System for the commodities or services they have registered for.
AWARD TO THE SUCCESSFUL FIRM
A checkmark in the electronic signature box of the Ebid shall be considered an offer on the part of the Vendor. Such offer shall be deemed accepted upon issuance by the City/County of purchase orders and execution of contract documents appropriate to the work. The City/County reserves the right to accept or reject any or all offers; request Best and Final Offer; request rebids; to award item-by-item, by groups, or "lump sum"; to waive irregularities and technicalities as shall best serve the requirements and interests of the City/County.
Thank you for your interest in doing business with City/County government.
For additional information on specific purchasing requirements contact us at:
Phone Number: (402) 441-8103
Email: Purchasing@lincoln.ne.gov
or Visit our website at: lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: Purchasing).
LAST REVISION: 07/01/2022