Howard County Government Office of Purchasing: Vendor's Guide

This guide is designed to assist you in understanding the basic procedures of centralized purchasing in Howard County Government. Howard County welcomes vendors to do business with the County and will provide any assistance and information that may help you to better understand our procedures.

Government's Philosophy

Howard County Government seeks to fulfill its needs for commodities and services through open competitive bidding wherever practical and possible.

The Legal Environment

Howard County Government is bound by purchasing laws which are set forth in the Howard County Charter, the Howard County Code and the Purchasing Manual.

These publications are available for review at the Office of Purchasing.

Who Purchases for Howard County

The Office of Purchasing is responsible for procuring all commodities and services required by Howard County Government. This office also administers the procurement of professional services and construction for capital projects. All purchasing contact with County Government agencies must be made through the Office of Purchasing located at...

6751 Columbia Gateway Dr.
Suite 501
Columbia, MD 21046
(410)313-6370, FAX (410)313-6388
TTY (410)313-2323

How to Do Business with Howard County Government

The Office of Purchasing maintains a list of bidders in the automated Purchasing System. Vendors who would like to be placed on this list must first complete a Bidder's Application,

located here:

http://www.howardcountymd.gov/Purchasing/
Purchasing_Bidder_Application.htm, specifying the commodities or services they provide. Applications may be downloaded by clicking on the Bidder's Application tab on the left side of this screen.

Vendors on the Bidder's List may be contacted when the commodity or service which they provide is needed by Howard County Government. If a vendor does not respond to three consecutive bid invitations, the vendor's name is removed from the list for that particular commodity/service.

Purchasing does not maintain a Bidder's List for professional services or capital project construction. Requests for these types of bids are advertised.

Current Solicitations

Formal solicitations for commodities, contractual services, Professional Services and Capital Projects are advertised on a public bulletin board in the Office of Purchasing and on this website. To view, please click on Current Solicitations on the left side of this page.

Ethical Code

The Howard County Office of Purchasing subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. and is a charter member of the Maryland Public Purchasing Association, Inc. Further, acceptance of gifts or gratuities of any kind is prohibited by governmental purchasing ethics and the Howard County Code.

Socioeconomic Policy

It is the policy of Howard County to encourage participation in the Equal Business Opportunity (EBO) Program by minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses and businesses owned by disabled persons. For more information about the Equal Business Opportunity Program, please contact Jacqueline Donaldson-Grey at (410) 313-3694.

Procurement Procedures

Depending on the amount of the purchase, Howard County Government uses different procurement methods.

Procurement Card ($10,000 or less)

User agencies make direct purchases using procurement cards issued to individuals.

Purchasing obtains written quotations from a minimum of three bidders.

Formal Bids ($30,000 and over)

Formal solicitations, Invitations for Bid or Requests for Proposals, are posted on the Office of Purchasing web site where potential bidders are encouraged to download solicitations and addenda.

Addenda to solicitations often occur within as little as 48 hours prior to the opening date. It is the potential bidder's responsibility to frequently visit the Purchasing web site to obtain addenda once a solicitation is downloaded.

Capital Construction Projects

Plans, specifications and addenda for capital construction projects are available to prospective contractors for a prescribed fee by the Department of Planning and Zoning, Research Large Format Room, Ascend One Building, 8930 Stanford Blvd. 1st Floor, Columbia, MD 21046, Telephone: (410) 313-2073, unless otherwise noted.

The County does not maintain a bidders list for architectural and engineering services or capital construction projects. These solicitations are advertised on a public bulletin board located in the Office of Purchasing and this web site.

Insurance Requirements

All services and construction contracts require insurance certificates of general liability, workers' compensation and automobile liability naming Howard County as an additional insured.

Environmentally Preferred Products

The Office of Purchasing encourages the purchase of “green” products and works closely with the Office of Environmental Sustainability to promote the purchase of environmentally preferable products. Click on link below for listing of environmentally preferred products.

Environmentally Preferred Products