Doing Business with CCPS (printable flyer coming soon)

Purchasing Department Home Page  

Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) Purchasing Department would like to welcome you as a potential supplier. The district appreciates your interest in supporting the needs of a variety of schools, sites and departments. The purpose of this information is designed to help vendors understand how to do business with CCPS and to explain the basic guidelines of the District’s purchasing policies and procedures. 

It is the intent of the District to promote and develop business relationships with a wide variety of businesses, while procuring products and services at the best value, consistent with the quality standards necessary to meet the requirements of the district. Our goal is to ensure that every purchase is made fairly and that all responsible vendors have an equal opportunity to participate in the competitive process. 

Please let this information serve as a general guide to assist you, and if you need additional information or further assistance, do not hesitate to contact the Purchasing Department at (239) 377-0047.

 

The Purchasing Department assists all departments and schools with the acquisition of commodities, goods, services, materials, development of bid specifications, selection of bidders and the awarding of contracts to vendors. All purchases shall be authorized by and in accordance with Florida Statutes and State Board of Education Rules. 

District purchases which may require a competitive solicitation are normally processed through an advertised formal solicitation. The requirements are incorporated into a solicitation package that will include the District’s standard terms and conditions as well as detailed specifications describing the product or service required. All formal solicitations are advertised and can be viewed on the District’s third-party procurement portabl (OpenGov, https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/collierschools)  

The types of competitive solicitation packages that may be used are:

• Invitation to Bid (ITB) – An ITB is used when the District is able to define the specifications and award the solicitation to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.
• Request for Proposal (RFP) – A RFP is used when the District has defined the specifications and solicits the vendor community for solutions to a particular set of requirements. An RFP has a specific award criteria that includes price but with the understanding that price may not necessarily be the determining factor in an award.
• Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) - An ITN is used when the District has specifications that may be negotiated to solve a particular issue or multiple issues. The recommendation of award provides negotiable areas prior to approval and/or the entering of a contract.
• Request for Qualifications (RFQu) – A RFQu is used when the District is soliciting qualified firms to perform professional services.

Facilities & Construction projects are handled by the Facilities Management Department at (239) 377-0230 Projects are advertised and may be viewed on the District's website (www.collierschools.com/purchasing) or OpenGov.

All formal bid openings are public. All interested parties and those vendors who have submitted bids are welcome to witness the bid openings. There is no intent to make a determination of an award at the time of the bid opening. In compliance with Florida Statutes, bid prices are not disclosed at the bid opening. All submittals are subject to a detailed evaluation by the District before a recommendation of an award is presented for approval by the School Board or the Senior Director.

All bids and proposals are subject to the Public Records Law and as such are accessible to interested parties pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.

Once a purchase has been approved, the District will place orders utilizing one of the following procedures:

1. CCPS issued purchase orders (Blanket or Normal): Purchase orders may be either a blanket purchase order to cover a specific period of time and dollar amount for multiple purchases against it, or will be for specific items.
2. Procurement Card: Sites or departments may place orders utilizing a CCPS issued procurement card.  Only authorized staff will be allowed to submit orders via the procurement card.
3. School/Site based internal account purchase order:  A specific site or school will issue a purchase order through the site’s bookkeeper and will be processed at the school level. Please note that schools may vary in their ordering and payment procedure. 

Contractor(s) shall not provide any items or services on any CCPS initiated order without one of the above ordering methods.  It will be the responsibility of the Contractor to fully understand the order and how and when to process according to how the order is placed. 

CCPS invites all businesses to participate in the District's purchasing process. Vendors should register and utilize the district's e-portal OpenGov (https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/collierschools) for up-to-date information on CCPS solicitations that are of interest to their organization. Vendors are also encouraged to contact the Purchasing staff for information as well.  As a courtesy, the District attempts to contact possible vendors as bids are released; however no guarantee is made or implied that the District will notify vendors of any current or upcoming bids. 

When vendors have been awarded or are selected for purchase by CCPS, they will need to ensure they have submitted a completed W-9 Form, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification and the Certification Regarding, Debarment, Suspension Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion as well as any other licenses or Administrative Requirements.

Solicitations that are currently open, as well as awards made in the past, can be obtained by visiting the District's website (www.collierschools.com/purchasing) or by contacting the Purchasing Department (239) 377-0047. 

Vendors who have been awarded a contract and will be on campus when students are present are required to comply with the requirements of Florida Statutes, Section 1012.465, which includes fingerprinting and the issuance of a State of Florida badge.  Additional information for fingerprinting and contractor badges can be found at the Human Resources Department website under the heading   "Fingerprinting & ID Badges".

 Bullying & Harassment

All District purchases are considered F.O.B. destination unless indicated in writing by the District. Vendors may take specific exception and note the exception on written quotes or provide information with the solicitation response. The Purchase Order number should appear on all bills of lading and invoices.

CCPS is exempt from sales and excise taxes imposed by the State or Federal Government.  A copy of a tax exempt certificate is available upon request.

Payment will be made by CCPS after the items have been received, inspected, free of damage or defect and properly invoiced. All invoices must bear a valid purchase order number. Failure to follow these instructions may result in delay in processing invoices for payment. The purchase order number must appear on invoices, bills of lading, packages, cases, delivery lists and correspondence. Invoices shall be mailed directly to:

Collier County Public Schools

c/o Accounts Payable Department

5775 Osceola Trail

Naples, FL 34109

A separate invoice must be received for each purchase order number. Under normal circumstances, payments will be completed within 30 days of receipt of goods/services and a proper invoice.