Finance

Doing Business with the City of Clearwater

A Guide to the Policies and Procedures the City Follows in Purchasing Products and Services

Purchasing & Contracts

The City of Clearwater Purchasing Division is responsible for centralized procurement of goods and services in excess of $2,500 for all City of Clearwater Departments except specific Engineering construction contracts. This includes all aspects of the purchase from the receipt of a department requisition to issuance of purchase order or contract.

The Purchasing Division is located at 100 South Myrtle, Clearwater, Florida 33756-5520. The phone number is (727) 562-4630.

Minority Business Enterprise Program

The City of Clearwater is sensitive to the affirmative action policy of supporting minority, disadvantaged minority and disadvantaged women enterprises.

Notice of Bids

A list of current Invitations For Bid is available online and in the Purchasing Division Office, 100 South Myrtle Avenue, Clearwater. Legal ads appear in several local newspapers or publications of general circulation for each formal bid item.

How We Buy

The City of Clearwater purchasing is governed by the Code of Ordinances, City of Clearwater, Section 2. Under the Code, several different procedures may be used for purchasing. These are:

Formal Bid
Purchases of $50,000 or more.

Quotation
Purchases greater than $2,500 but less than $50,000; these may be written, phone, or facsimile.

Restricted Purchase Order
The city authorizes its Department Directors to make small purchases (under $2,500) to support their day-to-day activity. Questions concerning these purchases should be directed to the issuing office.

Other
Sole source and bona fide emergency procurement may bypass normal purchasing procedures.

The Formal Bid Process

Products and services valued at $50,000 or greater are normally procured through the formal bidding process sealed bids).

Invitation to Bid
When you receive an invitation to bid you may submit a sealed bid to the Purchasing Division that must be received not later than the scheduled opening. You may elect not to bid, in which case you should submit a "Statement of No Bid." Failure to respond to Invitations For Bid may justify removal of your firm from the Bidder's Mailing List.

Request for Quotation
The same procedure specified above applies.

Bid or Quotation Opening
Bids and written quotations are opened at the exact time specified. Vendors and the general public are invited to observe bid/quote openings. All quotations are read aloud. A copy of bid tabulations will be forwarded to requesters who provide self-addressed stamped envelopes.

Approval
The city department that requested procurement of a particular commodity or service, and the Purchasing Manager will select the recommended vendor. Purchases of $100,000 or more require City Council approval prior to contract award. These items may take up to sixty (60) days to complete the process after opening. Purchases between $50,000 and $100,000 require City Manager approval. Purchases of less than $50,000 require approval of the Department Director and Purchasing Manager only. This approval process may take up to thirty (30) days.

Construction Contracts

The City of Clearwater Public Works Administration is responsible for most aspects of construction contracting, including the pre-qualification of contractors and the selection of architects, engineers, landscape architects, and land surveyors as specified by state law. Any vendor requesting consideration for construction contracts should contact the Engineering Department at (727) 562-4782.

Construction contracts for projects that cost less than $100,000.00 may be bid directly by the Purchasing Division. Should your firm wish to be included in this bidding process, please register with Purchasing. The Engineering Department is located in the Municipal Services Building, second floor, 100 South Myrtle Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33756.

Surplus Property

Periodically the city will dispose of its surplus property by sale to the general public. Sales are made through the Pinellas County Purchasing Cooperative Auctioneer, currently Tampa Machinery Auction, Inc., Highway 301, Tampa, FL 33687-1069. Sales are held the second Saturday of each month. Please contact Tampa Machinery Auction, Phone (813) 986-2485 for details. Sales are advertised on Tampa Bay radio stations each month.

Need Additional Information?

This Web page was designed to answer general questions concerning doing business with the City of Clearwater. Procedures described herein are subject to change without notice. For current or further information, please contact the Purchasing Division. Office hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily.