How to Remain Active. Return bids complete, accurate, and on time. Bid competitively.

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1 Information About the City of North Richland Hills The North Richland Hills is the third largest City in Tarrant County with an estimated 66,100 residents. North Richland Hills operates under a charter adopted in 1964, which provides for a "Council-Manager" form of government. The Council is composed of a Mayor and seven Council Members elected at large. The Council determines the overall goals and objectives for the City, establishes policies and adopts the City's annual operating budget. It is the Purchasing Department s responsibility to procure these materials, equipment, supplies and services through the competitive bid process from the lowest responsible bidder or bidder offering the best value in accordance with all applicable City policies and state and federal laws. Sales Call Information Contacts and Demonstrations If you have products or demonstrations of interest to specific departments, the Purchasing Department can schedule your visit to them. Please do not contact a department on your own. Arrival When you arrive, tell a staff member the name of the person you wish to see. Our staff practices an open door policy for sales personnel; however, it is recommended that you make an appointment to assure availability. The Basics Bid Notifications and Documents To receive bid notices you must register with the City of North Richland Hills. You can register online by clicking here. Bid notices and documents are no longer routinely mailed through the U.S. mail system. Sealed bids are advertised in the Fort Worth Star Telegram and posted on the City of North Richland Hills Purchasing website. Procurement Inclusion Program (PIP) The goal of the City of North Richland Hills Procurement Inclusion Program is to include minority and women-owned suppliers in every segment of the City procurement process by affording them an opportunity, on a competitive basis, to be considered for and awarded City business. All minority and woman-owned businesses must be certified by the State of Texas, your resident state, or North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency. How to Remain Active In order to receive invitations to bid, make sure your company remains active. The Purchasing Department keeps your company in the active file if you: Return bids complete, accurate, and on time. Bid competitively. Deliver items per specifications, within time quoted, with correct invoicing and paperwork follow-through.

2 Keep Purchasing advised of any problems that arise in honoring our Purchase Order and answer our inquiries promptly and honestly. Keep the Purchasing Department advised of any change in contact information, company name, address change, or commodities sold. Keep the City of North Richland Hills Finance Department advised of any changes in your remit to address. How to be Disqualified From Active Status: Your company may be disqualified if: The above requirements are not followed. Your company requests removal. Failure to meet contractual obligations in any way. Consistent non-competitive bids. Falsifying bid response documentation or any other City documentation. Can A Company Be Reinstated to Active Status: Once a company has been disqualified, it is extremely difficult to be reinstated. Failure to cooperate with the Purchasing Department requirements places prohibitive burdens on our purchasing system. However, it is possible to be reinstated. For further information, contact the Purchasing Manager. Bid Procedures Advertisement/Notification - The Fort Worth Star Telegram Where the City of North Richland Hills bid/proposal specifications may be found: North Richland Hills Purchasing Website The Purchasing Department Sealed Bid A sealed bid is defined as purchases of more than $50,000 and require that bids indicate a specific date and time of closing. These bids must be submitted on or attached to the City s Request for Bid document. The bid must be signed by an individual authorized to sign bids on behalf of the quoting company and must be received in the Purchasing Department no later than the specified time and date. Bids arriving after the specified time and date will not be accepted. As a State of Texas municipality, all City purchases must be in accordance with all applicable state laws, rules, and regulations. All purchases are made through the competitive bid process and awarded to the lowest responsible bidder or to the bidder who provides goods or services at the best value to the City. Falsification of a bid document results in that bid being rejected and the supplier being removed as an acceptable vendor. Bid Opening Sealed paper bids must be date stamped in the Purchasing office on or before the date and time indicated for bid closing. Postmarks or other evidence are not sufficient. If you are not sure that your bid will make it to the Purchasing office on time, bring it directly to a Purchasing staff member. Sealed bids received after the closing date and time will

3 not be accepted. When addressing the sealed envelope, be sure to put the bid number and closing date on the front. Send the completed bid to: City of North Richland Hills Purchasing Department 7301 N.E. Loop 820 North Richland Hills, TX Bid Name and Number Due Date and Time General conditions for bidding and any special provisions are included with the Request for Bid document. Please read these carefully. The prospective supplier of the bid document must define any exceptions to the terms and conditions. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the City terms and conditions will take precedence over all others. Sealed bid openings are public. Interested parties who are present at the bid opening may request that the bids be read aloud. Bids are recapped as soon as possible and posted on-line via the Purchasing website. Informal Bid An informal bid is defined as purchases less than $50,000. These purchases do not require the sealed bid process. The Purchasing Department staff may request price quotes by telephone, fax, , in a written form, or online. These types of price requests will also have specified bid openings and must always be received by the date requested by the buyer. These purchases are subject to the same terms and conditions as those used in the sealed bid process. Departmental Purchases All City Departments may purchase certain supplies, materials, or services up to a maximum of $ These purchases are also subject to the same terms and conditions as those used in the sealed bid process. City of North Richland Hills purchasing cards (p-cards) are used for the majority of this type of purchase. Bid Award All bids are reviewed, evaluated, and awarded as soon as possible. Once a purchase order is issued, products and services must be in strict accordance with the purchase order. Under no circumstances will alternate or substitute products or services be accepted without prior approval from the Purchasing and user Department. Delivering alternates or substitutions without approval, changing pricing and/or delivery dates will result in disqualification. Alternate Bid Products Unless otherwise indicated, bids on alternate products will be considered, provided such products meet or exceed the requested specifications. Bids on alternate products must be identified as such and should include illustrations, specifications, descriptive and technical literature. Exceptions to the specifications must be stated on the bid document. If no exceptions are taken, the bidder will be required to furnish products exactly as specified. Failing to do so will subject vendor to disqualification. Purchase Order An official, numbered purchase order is the primary method for purchasing goods, services, or equipment obligating the City of North Richland Hills for payment. Transactions may not be valid and binding unless it has an official purchase order number. Exceptions include use of the City of North Richland Hills P-Card and certain professional services.

4 Many orders are placed by telephone. The BUYER placing the order will provide a purchase order number or P-Card number. Only at your request, will a confirming copy of the purchase order be mailed or faxed. Delivery All shipments must be externally identified with a packing list indicating contents and referencing the City purchase order number and department name. Priority or perishable products must be prominently identified on the shipping carton(s). Deliveries must be made F.O.B. Destination with the supplier assuming all charges, unless other arrangements are specified in writing at the time the order is placed. Under no circumstances will the City accept collect shipments. Insurance and Indemnification Contractors performing work on City property or public right-of-way for the City of North Richland Hills shall provide the City a certificate of insurance or insurance policy(s) evidencing the coverage and coverage provisions identified by the City. Contractors shall provide the City evidence that all subcontractors performing work on the project have the same types and amounts of coverage as required or that the subcontractors are included under the contractor s policy. All insurance companies and coverage must be authorized by the Texas Department of Insurance to transact business in the State of Texas and must be acceptable to the City of North Richland Hills Risk Management office. Invoices Itemized invoices must be submitted to: The City of North Richland Hills Attn: Finance Department P.O. Box North Richland Hills, TX To insure prompt payment, invoices must reference the City purchase order number and be priced in accordance with the purchase order. All invoices are matched against the purchase order and the receiving report to initiate payment. Care in preparing and submitting invoices will help eliminate problems in processing payments on a timely basis. The City attempts to discount and pay all invoices in accordance with quoted terms. Checks are mailed twice weekly. Questions regarding billing or payments should be directed to the Accounts Payable Department. Be sure Accounts Payable has any remit to change of address. Tax Exemptions The City of North Richland Hills is exempt from Federal Excise, State Sales, and Transportation Taxes. TAX MUST NOT BE INDLUDED IN BIDS OR INVOICES. Tax exemption certificates will be furnished upon request. What do we expect of the good salesperson? Total honesty in all matters. Immediate attention to any inquiries. Exact compliance with the terms and conditions of the purchase order. Knowledge of order status.

5 Prompt and correct invoices. Authority to solve order or invoice problems. Knowledge. Up to date catalogs and literature. Compliance with Chapter 176 of the Local Government code in regards to Disclosure of Interest conflict of interest questionnaire. The City of North Richland Hills values your professional knowledge and advice. Through you, we can keep up with the constantly changing market conditions and innovations if you: Keep us advised of market conditions in your commodity area. Make us aware of discontinued products, quality flaws, potential shortages, emergency situations and imminent price increases. Offer suggestions to improve our overall function and goals. Furnish correct product information, specifications, and innovations. Suggest equal or better alternate products or services. Suggest cost saving techniques. Welcome to the City of North Richland Hills. If you need additional information, please contact the Purchasing Department at (817)