
Until the City/County executes the contract, purchase order or blanket purchase order, the City/County has no legal obligation to pay for the order.īecause of the structural nature of government contracting, the City/County has little flexibility if the bid a vendor submits does not respond to all specifications and requirements outlined in the bid. No service should be provided, and no goods should be delivered, before you receive a written contract from the City/County. Do Not Start Work Without an Authorized Contract. This means that no one can give assurance that a vendor will receive a particular contract. Service and technology contracts in any amount are always supported by a written signed contract.īecause the City/County relies heavily on competitive bidding, no department knows which bidder will receive an award until sealed bids are opened and evaluated or, in the case of services and technology, proposals have gone through the evaluation process. Informal commodities contracts are typically further evidenced by purchase order only. For informal contracts (less than $100,000), the official award may be given at the discretion of the Procurement Management staff or individuals with appropriate authority within each City and County department. Purchase orders may also be issued in addition to the signed contracts.

Written and signed contracts are provided for all contracts in the formal range. Formal contracts (over $100,000) are officially awarded upon approval by the City Council or County Commissioners. If there is a problem with the delivery address, knowing the order number can be a significant help to the City/County in identifying the ultimate recipient. Missing Order Number: Vendors may fail to show the order number on the package.If no purchase order number appears on the outside of the container or packing slip, Procurement Management may be unable to identify the correct department and thus be forced to return the shipment. This causes delays as Procurement Management determines the ultimate recipient. Occasionally, vendors send orders to Procurement Management instead of the requesting department. Wrong Delivery Address: The shipment was sent to Procurement Management.If a vendor has made several shipments to fill an order, and mailed the invoice for the entire order before all shipments were received, the vendor can expect payment only after the City/County receives the complete order. Partial payments can be made but must be requested at the time the order is placed. Short Shipment/Backorders: The City/County pays for an order only after all items have been received.The City or County has no formal Shipping and Receiving Department to sort and assess shipments that are received, thus delays may occur when: Mecklenburg County's Procurement Office supports all County Departments with their purchasing needs for goods, services, and technology and includes a Vendor Management Program Office to assist with vendor performance and relationship management.The City's Procurement Management Division does not handle procurement for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools or the Charlotte Housing Authority.Charlotte Douglas International Airport handles construction, services, and technology-related aviation contracting needs.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) handles construction-related transit contracting.

PUBLICATIONS MAILINGS CHARLOTTE NC PROFESSIONAL
