Purchasing Process

Purchases Less Than $10,000

  • The Departments and Divisions, within the County, have the authority to make their own purchases that are valued under $10,000.
  • All that is required of them is to obtain verbal or written quotes from three (3) vendors. A purchase order is issued to the vendor who provides the lowest quote.

Purchases Between $10,000 and $35,000

  • For purchases that are valued between $10,000 and $35,000, the Departments and Divisions must obtain written quotes from three (3) vendors.
  • Upon selection of the lowest qualified vendor, the Department or Division must submit a requisition to the Purchasing Section of the Office of Management & Budget.
  • The Purchasing Section reviews the request to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and procedures, and if approved, submits such to the County Administrator for final approval.

Purchases Over $35,000

  • For purchases that are valued over $35,000, the Departments and Divisions must submit a requisition to the Purchasing Section of the Office of Management & Budget to make the purchase.
  • The Purchasing Section obtains the required specifications and/or scope of work from the requesting Department or Division and conducts a formal competitive solicitation which could be an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for commodities or maintenance/construction services, a Request for Proposal (RFP) for consulting and non-construction services, or a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for engineering and architectural services.
  • The Purchasing Section then issues a solicitation for the purchase by advertising in the Citrus County Chronicle and the Internet (ONVIA DemandStar) to get as many potential companies as possible to submit bids.
  • The competitive solicitation process requires vendors to submit their Bid or Proposal in writing, in a sealed envelope on a specific date and time to ensure fairness for all vendors. The Bids or Proposals are publicly opened.
  • The Bids or Proposals are evaluated for "responsiveness" and whether the vendor is "responsible". A Bid or Proposal is "responsive" if it complies with all of the criteria outlined in the solicitation. A vendor is "responsible" if they have provided all of the necessary documentation to substantiate their ability/capability to provide the commodities or perform the services.
    • For ITB's, the decision to purchase is based solely on price provided the vendor is responsive and responsible.
    • For RFP's, the decision to purchase is based on price and the vendor's qualifications, provided the vendor is responsive and responsible.
    • For RFQ's, the decision to purchase is based solely on the vendor's qualifications, again provided they are responsive and responsible. Pricing for RFQ's is negotiated after the most qualified vendor has been selected.
  • Once a vendor has been selected for award, the Purchasing Section presents a request for award to the Board of County Commissioners, who makes the final approval.

Minimum Insurance Requirements Of All Vendors

For vendors to do business with the County, they must provide the following:

  • An executed Hold Harmless Agreement.
  • A Certificate of Insurance evidencing that they have $1,000,000 of General Liability Insurance, $1,000,000 of Automobile Liability Insurance, Workers Compensation Insurance (statutory limits), and that their insurance company names the County as an additional insured for General and Automobile Liability insurance and waives all rights of subrogation against the County for General, Automobile and Workers Compensation Liability insurance.

Additional Insurance Requirement

  • For some types of construction projects, the vendor must provide Builder's Risk Insurance in the amount of the vendor's Bid.
  • For professional services (engineering, architectural and consulting services), the vendor must have $1,000,000 of Professional Liability Insurance (also known as Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance) and waive all rights of subrogation against the County.

Requirements For Construction Project

If a construction project has a value in excess of $100,000, in addition to the above, the vendor must provide the following:

  • A Bid Bond (original signed and sealed by the surety company), a cashier's check or a certified check (drawn against a United States Bank) in the amount of 5% of the vendor's Bid. This must be submitted with the vendor's Bid.
  • After award is made, the awarded Vendor must provide Payment and Performance Bonds (original signed and sealed by the surety company), in the amount of 100% of the vendor's Bid.