Doing Business with the City of Irving Purchasing Division

• Where to Obtain Formal ITB Bid / RFP (Proposal) Information
• Procurement Process
• Properly Identified Sealed Bid/RFP Response Envelope
• Opening Process
• Process to Award Bids and Proposals
• Tax Exemption

Where to Obtain ITB/RFP (Proposal) Information

• Specifications and all applicable documents for sealed bids may be secured online.
• Formal solicitations may also be viewed at www.demandstar.com.
• Notice of solicitations processed by the Purchasing Division are sent by e-mail. Vendors wanting to be notified of new solicitations are encouraged to complete the Bidder’s Application with a current e-mail address. M/WBE vendors completing the Bidder’s Application should also send current certification information.
• The City of Irving does not charge for bid documents, except for a small charge for construction plans and drawings.
• The City of Irving is not responsible for the accuracy or timeliness of solicitations picked up by third parties and re-posted on other Web sites.
• Vendors may contact the City of Irving’s Purchasing Division with questions about the bid process at (972) 721-2631.

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 Procurement Process

•  City of Irving's procurement process is determined by the following expenditure amounts:
• $3,000 and below: Competitive bids are not required. Purchases may be processed by the requesting department or the Purchasing Division.
• Over $3000 through $25,000: At least three vendors must be contacted for competitive bids and, if available, two of the vendors must be registered as State of Texas Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBS) in Dallas County.  These bids/proposals may be received by telephone, fax machine, e-mail, written quotations, or sealed process.  Purchases in these amounts may be processed by the requesting department or the Purchasing Division.  
• Over $25,000: Sealed competitive bid or proposal process is required and is handled primarily through the Purchasing Division or the Public Works Department, unless specifically exempt by Texas state law.

Written Quotes:  Where a written quotation is desired, the requester shall determine whether to use written quotations or sealed process based on their knowledge of market conditions, availability of items, and time necessary to get competitive bids/proposals.

Telephone Quotes:  Price quotes may be requested by telephone.  In such cases, vendors have 24 hours to reply with a quote, unless otherwise advised when the quote is requested.

Sealed Bids/Proposals:  A vendor has the sole responsibility to ensure that their bids or proposals are signed (stamp signatures will not be accepted), properly identified in a sealed envelope as shown below and received at the designated site prior to 3 p.m. on the due date specified on the first page of the specifications unless otherwise designated. All bids or proposals must be date and time stamped by the Purchasing Division whether mailed or delivered. Responses received after the date and time designated on the specifications are considered "late" and will not be accepted. 

City of Irving annual contracts: Term contract purchases are initiated primarily by the Purchasing Division for commonly used supplies and services. These contracts are typically for estimated annual quantities on an “as needed” basis at fixed prices for a specific term with renewal options. 

State of Texas Term Contracts: The City of Irving also utilizes the State of Texas term contracts for services and/or supplies, and purchases high tech items from the State’s CISV Catalog.

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Example of properly identified envelope for mailing:

Sealed bid openings are held publicly. All bid responses are available for public viewing at the time of the bid opening. 

The only information provided at the RFP opening is a list of respondents. Request for Proposals (RFP) must be used for personal, professional or planning services unless this process is waived by the City Manager. High tech procurements conforms with Texas state law, and may often be procured through an cooperative agreement or through a sole source procedure.

After the bid or RFP opening, response summaries are prepared by the Purchasing Division. Within a few days after the opening, Purchasing posts on the City's Web site, a copy of response summaries are provided for informational purposes only. An award is not made until the using department evaluates the responses and makes a recommendation based on their findings. The apparent low bidders may or may not be awarded the contracts. Also, corrections to the response summary may be made if errors are found during the evaluation of the responses.

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Process to Award Bids and Proposals

After receipt of the recommendation from the requesting department, the Purchasing Division reviews the departmental recommendation, obtains all required paperwork, including proof of insurance (if applicable), contracts, and/or any other properly completed and signed documents, etc., and places the item on the next available agenda for the Irving City Council's action..

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Tax Exemption

The City of Irving is exempt from Federal excise, State sales and transportation taxes. Tax must not be included in bids/proposals or invoices. Tax exemption certificates may be faxed or mailed to your company by the requesting department or by calling the Purchasing Division at (972) 721-2631.

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