Calendar HAC Contact News Our District Families Schools Staff Careers How To Home » Purchasing » Doing Business with the District as a Vendor PURCHASING Overview Open Bids and RFPs Awarded Bids and RFPs Surplus Property Public Meeting Board Contact Information Locations FOR VENDORS Doing Business with the District as a Vendor Vendor Clearance Process Cleared Vendor List Flyer Distribution Doing Business with the District The St. Johns County School District welcomes the opportunity for a business relationship with interested merchants in the community. The Purchasing Department is committed to providing professional and efficient procurement services while supporting the activities of the School District. In an effort to improve communication with vendors, reduce administrative costs and streamline our procurement process, the St. Johns County School District now publishes all Invitations to Bid (ITB), Requests for Proposals (RFP), Invitations to Negotiate (ITN), Requests for Qualifications (RFQ), Formal Quotes (ITQ) and Sole Source (SS) solicitations through DemandStar. It is the sole responsibility of all vendors to check for current solicitations on the DemandStar website. See our section on Open Bids and RFPs for more information on DemandStar. A Purchase Order issued by the Purchasing Department or from School Internal Accounts is the only legal authorization for vendors to perform services or provide commodities to the District. A commitment, either written or verbal, from District employees without a Purchase Order issued by the Purchasing Department or from School Internal Accounts does not constitute an obligation by the District to a vendor. Vendors that perform services or provide commodities without a Purchase Order issued by the Purchasing Department or from School Internal Accounts do so at their own risk and at risk of non-payment. Fingerprinting and Clearance Vendors and their employees or agents who have access to school grounds when students are present, have direct contact with students, or have access to or control of school funds must remain in compliance with the Florida Statute 1012.465 and School Board Rule 7.142 Background Screening of Non-Instructional Contractors. Additional information is available on the Vendors Clearance Process page. Invitation to Bid (ITB), Request for Proposals (RFP), Invitation to Negotiate (ITN), and Request for Qualifications (RFQ): A. Will be advertised in The St. Augustine Record and newspapers in other cities as a particular solicitation dictates. B. Effective July 1, 2013, all solicitations are published exclusively on the DemandStar web site, at www.demandstar.com. C. All ITBs, RFPs, ITNs and RFQs submitted must be received and time stamped with the Purchasing Department prior to the time specified in the solicitation. Purchasing Thresholds The following purchasing thresholds are used by the District to acquire goods and services: Purchases Between $5,000 and $25,000 For purchases between $5,000 and $25,000, informal written quotations shall be solicited from at least three (3) sources. Informal quotations may be in the form of a letter, email or facsimile. Informal quotes that have been received by a school or department should be forwarded to the Purchasing Department for review and approval. Purchases Between $25,000 and $50,000 For purchases between $25,000 and $50,000, a formal written quotation must be initiated and awarded from the Purchasing Department prior to issuing a purchase order. Purchases Greater than $50,000 For purchases over $50,000 a competitive sealed ITB or RFP will be released by the Purchasing Department. Exceptions to Competition/Competitive Solicitations Exceptions to competition/competitive solicitations include but are not limited to: Solicitation Waived Purchases State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (11) (a) waives the purchase by district school boards of professional services which shall include, without limitation, artistic services; academic program reviews; lectures by individuals; auditing services not subject to Section 218.391, F.S.; legal services, including attorney, paralegal, expert witness, court reporting, appraisal or mediator services; and health services involving examination, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, medical consultation or administration; and 6A-1.012 (12) (b) waives the purchase by district school boards of educational services and any type of copyrighted materials including, without limitation, educational tests, textbooks, printed instructional materials, computer software, films, filmstrips, videotapes, dvds, disc or tape recordings, digital recordings, or similar audio-visual materials, and for library and reference books, and printed library cards where such materials are purchased directly from the producer or publisher, the owner of the copyright, an exclusive agent within the state, a governmental agency or a recognized educational institution. Piggybacking State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (6) affords District School Board the right to make purchases at or below the specified prices from contracts awarded by other city or county governmental agencies, other district school boards, community colleges, federal agencies, the public or governmental agencies of any state, or from state university system cooperative bid agreements, when the proposer awarded a contract by another entity defined herein will permit purchases by a district school board at the same terms, conditions, and prices (or below such prices) awarded in such contract, and such purchases are to the economic advantage of the district school board. Single/Sole Source Purchase State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (12) (d) allows commodities or contractual services available only from a single source may be exempted from the competitive solicitation requirements. When a district school board believes that commodities or contractual services are available only from a single source, the district school board shall electronically or otherwise publicly post a description of the commodities or contractual services sought for a period of at least 7 business days. The description must include a request that prospective vendors provide information regarding their ability to supply the commodities or contractual services described. If it is determined in writing by the district school board, after reviewing any information received from prospective vendors, that the commodities or contractual services are available only from a single source, the district school board shall provide notice of its intended decision to enter a single source contract in the manner specified in Section 120.57(3), F.S., and may negotiate on the best terms and conditions with the single source vendor. State Contracts State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (2) affords District School Boards the right to purchase commodities or contractual services issued by the Florida Department of Management Services without seeking competitive bids. Additional Information How to Do Business with the St. Johns County School District Brochure How to Participate in Competitive Solicitations Training Session April 20, 2016 School Board Rule 7.14 Purchasing and Procurement Policies School Board Rule 7.142 Background Screening of Non-Instructional Contractors Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 Purchasing Policies Florida Statute 287.057 Procurement of Commodities or Contractual Services This website is designed solely to provide general summary information to those wishing to do business with the St. Johns County School District. As such, it is not binding in either a legal or regulatory sense. The procurement activity of the St. Johns County School District is performed in accordance with applicable law, State Board of Education Rules, the St. Johns County School District Board Rules and other applicable rules and regulations which govern. The information in this website is intended to summarize various areas of procurement services. St. Johns County School District 40 Orange Street St. Augustine, FL 32084 (904) 547-7500 Contact Us Map & Directions A-Z Index|Disclaimer Notice Accessibility Options Show Accessibility Menu Report a Website Accessibility Issue Accessibility Statement Translate this web page © 2021 St. Johns County School District Log In