HARFORD COUNTY PROCUREMENT
BID PROCESS
The Department of Procurement, established by Section 414 of the Harford County
Charter, is charged with responsibility for purchasing, in the manner prescribed by the Council, supplies
and contractual services (including capital projects and consultant services) needed by all agencies of the
county-or by other public or quasi-public agencies that elect to use its services.
The purchasing agent assigned to each County department has full responsibility for
advertising, soliciting, and evaluating bids and proposals for each requirement estimated to exceed
$25,000 in value. In addition, assigned agents review and approve open market purchases to ensure that
agencies with delegated authority for these smaller transactions adhere fully to
Section 41-27 of
the Harford County Code.
Competition is key to all public procurement laws, because it ensures maximum value for our tax dollars,
and promotes the open and fair process that our citizens and business community expect.
Purchase Order Terms and Conditions
Harford County's
purchasing system has three competitive tiers:
For Purchases Up to $2,500
No price quotes are required.
For Purchases from $2,501 to $24,999.99
Three (3) written/faxed/electronic quotes must be obtained by the requiring department/agency before an
award can be made.
For Purchases Over $25,000
The Department of Procurement advertises solicitations for goods and services by
posting those solicitations to our Online Bid Board, and on the bulletin board located adjacent to the Department's entrance.
Sealed bids must be clearly marked with the bid number, date and time, and delivered on
time to the Department of Procurement's offices on the 3rd floor of the County Office Building at 220 South
Main Street in Bel Air. Bids that are not time-stamped at our offices by the designated deadline will be returned unopened.
Each bid is publicly opened and read. All bids are evaluated, and then awarded to the lowest
responsible and responsive bidder in accordance with
Section 41-26 of
the Harford County Code. Bid tabulations and awards are posted to the
Online Bid Board, as well as the bid bulletin board. The County reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
Recommendations for the award of contracts valued at $50,000 and above--and professional
services contracts exceeding $25,000 in value-must be approved by the Harford County Board of Estimates, in accordance with
Section 41-25 of the Harford County Code.
Prequalification for Construction Contracts
The County requires prequalification of contractors for construction projects valued at
$100,000 or more.
To ensure that every construction contractor possesses sufficient capital, bonding
capacity, equipment and experience to complete large-scale building and renovation projects for Harford
County, the County requires each to submit, biannually, a package detailing its assets, staff, and experience in
the areas for which it wishes to be considered for construction projects exceeding $100,000 estimated value.
Representatives of the departments of Procurement and Public Works review completed forms, and recommend
issuance of prequalification certificates to qualified firms.
Contractors not previously
prequalified should allow 60 days for the Prequalification Committee to review the original
submittal, check references, and issue the prequalification certificate. Biannual renewals should
be submitted not less than 30 days prior to expiration of a current certificate. In all cases, packages must be
received in the Department of Procurement in sufficient time to permit issuance of new/renewal or revised
certificates at least 10 working days before the opening of any bid for which the contractor expects to be considered.
A Certificate of Prequalification is issued to the qualified contractor for a two year period.
It is the Contractor’s responsibility to re-apply when the two year period expires.
Applications can be obtained online.
Professional Services
Procurement of consultant and other professional services (excluding legal and educational
services) is accomplished through a request for proposal (RFP) process that evaluates consultants'
qualifications, experience, and prices, and may include negotiation.
Architects, engineers and other design professionals interested in providing consultant
services to Harford County should complete the Online SF330 and
file/update the form as required.
Advertisements
All Invitations to Bid, Requests for Proposal and Expressions of Interest are
advertised on our website.
On-Line Forms
Vendors can apply online to be included in Harford County's Vendor’s List, or view how a Contractor
can Prequalify for Construction Contracts.
Architects and Engineers can submit their Standard SF330 application on-line.
Bids, Proposals and Expressions of Interest
Other than Construction Projects, most Bid Packages, Proposals and Expressions of Interest can be downloaded
directly from our website. All solicitations displaying this icon
are available for download.
Contact the Department of Procurement at 410.638.3550 to obtain all solicitations that are not available for download.
Bid Results
Bid results may be obtained by using our Online Bid Board or by
calling the Department of Procurement at 410.638.3550. Bid results are also posted on the bulletin board
outside of the Department of Procurement.
