What does the Contracts and Procurement division do?
What is the difference between a Bid and RFP?
Bids are solicitations for goods or services, which are awarded, based solely on price, with the award going to the lowest, responsive, and responsible bidder. Bids are publicly opened at 2:00 PM CST on the date specified in the solicitation document. Openings are held at City Hall located at 215 SE 7th St, Topeka, KS 66603. After bids are opened, the Contracts and Procurement division does the bid tabulation and initial analysis of the bid responses. After consultation with and concurrence from the City department involved, an award is made via purchase order.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) process is more extensive than the bid process. Proposals are received through the Supplier Portal, but are not publicly opened although a bid tabulation listing the bidders is still available. The proposals are then evaluated by a procurement negotiating committee and rated using the criteria listed in the proposal package. The City will make a selection from the proposals that were received and/or by conducting interviews with firms. Award is made after interview and contract negotiations. The Committee shall confer and make a determination as to the best qualified firm for the proposed project. TMC 3.30.090.
What are Pre-bid meetings for?
Do I have to attend a pre-bid meeting to be eligible to bid?
How do I become a supplier with the City?
I have a question about a bid event, where do I submit my question?
What if the Q and A Forum is closed?
Email procurement@topeka.org and request that the Q&A period be extended. Please provide the bid event number in the subject line of your email. The requester will be notified whether the City can extend the Q&A period or not.
I missed the bid closing time, can I still respond to the bid event?
All bid responses must be submitted prior to 1:59:59 PM CST on the date of closing. All bid results are opened and read at 2:00 PM CST on the date of closing.
Can I submit my bid or proposal through any other means than the Supplier Portal?
Where can I find the bid tabulation for the bid event responses?
Are itemized bid tabulations available for construction bids?
Why and when is bonding required?
The Bid Bond is required to be submitted with a vendor’s bid to ensure faithful performance of the request, if awarded the contract. The bid guaranty shall be for five percent (5%) of the total bid. If the successful vendor fails or refuses to enter into a written contract, the City of Topeka shall retain the bid bond as liquidated damages until project completion occurs.
The Payment and Performance Bonds are required to protect the City of Topeka from loss due to the vendor’s inability to complete the contract as agreed. This ensures vendor compliance with the specifications, delivery, and agreement with the terms and conditions of the contract by requiring a monetary guaranty in the form of a certificate of deposit or properly executed bond payable to City of Topeka. The necessary bond forms will be provided by the City of Topeka and must be filed with the Clerk of the District Court in the County (Shawnee County) of the project’s location for one hundred percent (100%) of the contracted amount. Upon completion of the project, the bond may be released contingent on the performance of the terms in the contract. Any necessary bond forms will be provided by the City of Topeka. They are required for projects of public improvements, e.g. construction or repair of public buildings, with a contract price of $100,000.00 and over (KSA 60-1111). The bond funding may be released after the project completion subject to adequate performance and payment of suppliers or subcontractors.
What is a Project Exemption Certificate (PEC) and when it is needed?
This allows for indirect purchases under a contract, on behalf of the tax exempt entities as identified in the K.S.A 79-3606 (d), (e), (xx), (aaa), (ccc), (iii), (qqq), (sss), (ttt) and (uuu). For more information about this, please visit the Kansas Department of Revenue Project Exemption Certificate (PEC) page. PECs are needed for bid opportunities that have been awarded to suppliers who were the deemed the lowest, responsive, responsible bidder of the project. This is required before any work may commence on behalf of the City of Topeka.
For more information regarding Exemption Certificates through the State of Kansas, please visit https://www.ksrevenue.org/prpecwelcome.html
How do I get my business licensed to work with the City of Topeka?