Bidding information
The City welcomes new suppliers and encourages you to offer your products and services to us. We hope the following information will be useful for you in doing business with the City.
Informal bids, valued less than $50,000, require competitive bidding. At their discretion, buyers may solicit quotes via phone, fax, or internet. Bids are awarded to successful vendors based upon their ability to provide maximum quality goods and services at a minimum price. To ensure your quotation is evaluated fairly, all written quotes should include the following:
- Item cost
- Delivery cost
- Applicable taxes
- Delivery lead time
- Vendor contact name and phone number and/or e-mail address
Formal bids
Valued at $50,000 and over, are solicited via competitive, sealed Invitations For Bid (IFB), which are accessible from the City's e-Procurement portal. All contract and/or product specifications and related bid documents are available for downloading at no charge. Vendors interested in being notified of bid opportunities in their line of business should register electronically on the City's Vendor Registration section of the website. Formal bids are publicly opened in the Purchasing offices at the time noted on the Request for Bid, and bid results are posted on our website as soon as they have been reviewed for responsiveness. Bids are awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder meeting the City's specifications.
Note: When registering in PlanetBids, vendors should select all Categories applicable to their business. Vendors may select up to 20 Categories. The Categories selected upon registration determine how vendors are notified of bidding opportunities.
Public Works construction bids
Bids for Public Works Construction Projects are managed directly by the Public Works Agency.
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are an alternate method for procurement of goods and services, and are used when other qualifying criteria is determined to be of greater value than pricing alone. Proposals are solicited in essentially the same manner as formal bids; however, are not opened publicly. Requests for Proposals are reviewed and scored according to the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP, and awarded to the company best meeting the overall needs of the City.
Local preference
For bid evaluation purposes, a 1 percent local preference will be applied to the total of all non-public works construction bids submitted by vendors located within Santa Ana city limits.
Effective March 5, 2012, the Santa Ana City Council adopted Ordinance Number NS-2828 implementing a small local business preference program. For bid evaluation purposes, a 7% preference for small Santa Ana businesses, and a 4% preference for small Orange County businesses, is given respectively on all qualifying bids for materials, supplies, labor, equipment or services. The application of the Local Preference is for award evaluation purposes only and does not reduce the vendor's actual bid amount.
Office hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. City Hall is closed on alternate Fridays. Vendors are encouraged to make appointments prior to visiting Purchasing Division personnel. Courtesy visits are not encouraged, as staff may not be available due to daily responsibilities. It is recommended that initial contact with other City departments be made through the Purchasing Division.