How to Do Business with the City
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Supplier registration
What are the benefits of being a registered vendor?
Procurement Services makes a list of registered vendors available to all City Departments and Trusts. This list to identify potential suppliers when it is necessary to obtain quotes for Open Market Purchases.
Is a registered vendor the same as a contracted vendor?
No, being registered is not the same as being on contract. A contracted vendor is one that has entered into a formal agreement with the City or its Trusts to purchase goods or services. It is the City's preference to utilize contracted vendors whenever possible. However, there are times when the City does not have a contract in place for a good or service. When that happens, departments and Trusts use the SDBE vendor listing and registered vendor listing to contact vendors to obtain quotes for purchases between $5,000 and $50,000.
What is the SDBE Listing and what is the benefit of being on it?
Procurement Services launched an outreach program for Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (SDBE), including small, minority and women-owned businesses. Procurement will host quarterly meetings to provide SDBE’s with an opportunity to learn about the City’s purchasing process. It is the City’s policy (see below) to obtain quotes from SDBE vendors when making an Open Market Purchase .
SECTION 6.15—Small, Minority and Women-Owned Businesses
Departments are encouraged to seek competition from small and minority firms and women’s business enterprise firms when possible. Purchases over $5,000 not covered under a contract/pricing agreement must be quoted competitively following the City’s open market purchasing procedures and the purchase must be made with the supplier/contractor submitting the lowest and best quote. Materials and supply contracts over $50,000 must be competitively bid and approved by the City Council and awarded to the lowest and best bidder.
How can I find current and upcoming bid opportunities with the City?
The City and its Trust utilize Bidnet Direct to solicit responses to bids and requests for proposals (RFP). Bidnet Direct is used for all bids, including construction, material, service and requests for proposals.
How does the City award pricing agreements/contracts?
The City of OKC generally utilizes competitive bidding or request for proposals for one-time purchases, contracts, pricing agreements, and professional service agreements. Requests for bids are issued year-round, but most are from February to June. For information on bidding on Public Works construction projects, go to the Public Works Department website.
There are two ways to find active requests for bids: under Public Notices in the Journal Record newspaper (usually published on Wednesdays), in our online portal below on Bidnet Direct, partner of the City of OKC and its Trusts for electronic bidding.
How much does it cost to bid on pricing agreements/contracts and how do I get started?
It is free! Register with Bidnet Direct to receive bidding opportunity notifications and submit bids electronically to the City Clerk for consideration.
How to get started:
- Go to https://www.bidnetdirect.com/oklahoma/cityofoklahomacityandtrusts, and click on the “Register Now” button.
- Select the Limited Plan at no cost.
- Select Oklahoma in the state field and click on Save and Continue.
- Enter your company information.
- Your Username will be prefilled with your email address. Write down your password as you will need when you activate your account.
- Click on the “I agree to Terms & Conditions”.
- Click on Finalize Registration.
- This will take you to a confirmation page that you have subscribed.
- You will receive an email notification to enter your username and password. This will log you into the site. This needs to be done within 48 hours or Bidnet will need to reset for you.
- Create a company profile to receive bid invitations from agencies and select NIGP codes to receive alerts for your areas of interest.
- Additional Supplier Resources can be found on the City’s Bidnet Direct page.
For assistance, call the Bidnet Support Team at 800-835-4603, option 2, or email support@bidnet.com.
Bidnet Direct has a webinar on how to register and other training links on the City’s Bidnet page at: https://www.bidnetdirect.com/oklahoma/cityofoklahomacityandtrusts.
How long are the City's pricing agreements/contracts?
Generally, the City pricing agreements are one-year terms with two optional one-year renewals. This means that the majority of the pricing agreements are rebid every three years. Professional service agreements may have up to four annual renewal options.
Construction and Utility contract lengths may vary, depending on the nature and complexity of the project.
How should I submit invoices for payment that were not paid with a Purchasing Card?
Email Invoices
Create a new email:
1. Enter the recipient's email address for the legal entity of your invoice. This will ensure your invoice is routed properly for timely payment.
2. Leave the "Subject" line and body of the email blank because this information will not be transmitted with the invoice.
3. Attach the scanned invoice image to the email. Only one invoice can be submitted per email. If you are scanning multiple pages, the invoice must be on the first page in order for it to import correctly into Oracle. Note: Attachments must be in PDF or TIFF format.
4. For orders that have been authorized with a Purchasing Card, those invoices are to be sent directly to the cardholder and not to one of the above email addresses.