RRPS Purchasing
A Guide for Doing Business with the Rio Rancho School District
- Purchasing
Information - Who Wins
The Contract? - Myths and
Realities - Vendor
Information - Current
ITB / RFP's
You are invited to join the many other businesses currently providing goods and services to Rio Rancho Public Schools through RRPS's Purchasing Division. Doing business with RRPS may be easier than you think. We in the RRPS Purchasing Division have developed this guide to encourage, direct and assist you in doing business with Rio Rancho Public School District.
Selling goods and services to the Rio Rancho School District is very much a "two way street" where the taxpayers of New Mexico are willing to pay for jobs well done. The school district cannot operate without the goods and services of private businesses.
Through your participation in the open competition for sales, we benefit from improved quality at lower prices. We hope that your new market will result in sales in a new market. If you decide to bid, by law, we cannot help you prepare your bid. We can, however, answer questions to help you better understand what is required.
Be sure to click through the tabs above to gain as much knowledge about our process as possible to assist you in making a bid or proposal with us!
How do I get on the bid list?
As the bidders' list is typically the source from which RRPS Purchasing solicits, it is imperative that a bid list be sought and achieved.
One of the first steps a vendor who is interested in doing business with the Rio Rancho Public School District should take is, register with the Purchasing Department, those commodities or services in which you wish to be considered for contract award(s). By registering you will automatically receive Invitations for Bid/Proposals as this office receives them from the using agencies.
The Vendor's
Application for Registration is online with instructions (pdf - Adobe Reader required).
Carefully review the detailed Commodity Codes to identify the class and item number(s) that describe the products and/or services you can provide. You should register only in those categories which offer you a good potential for business.
NOTE: Unlike other bid lists, failure to respond to bids received does not jeopardize a vendor's standing on the Rio Rancho Public School District's bidders list.
YOU ARE ASKED NOT TO RESPOND WITH A NO-BID.
Return the completed, signed form to:
Purchasing Department
Rio Rancho Public Schools
500 Laser Road, Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Once the application is received, it will be reviewed by the Purchasing Manager. Assuming all information requested has been provided, your name will be added to the appropriate bidders' list for the commodities and/or services you have noted. From that point, as Requests for Purchase are received in the particular areas you have registered in, you will automatically receive Requests for Bids/Proposals or a notice thereof.
The Rio Rancho Public School Finance Department Purchasing Division is required by law to competitively bid and award contracts to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.
WHO IS THE LOWEST RESPONSIBLE BIDDER?
The lowest responsible bidder is one who:
- Meets specifications;
- Meets terms and conditions of the bid, formal or informal;
- Provides the lowest price.
Important things to read prior to responding to a bid:
Whenever business people get together, a prime topic of conversation is how to sell to school districts. Many suppliers approach government selling as if it were a world all its own - forbidding and mysterious. This is not true, and success in this field requires the same quality of commitment as any other. If you want your company to sell to "school district" you must first decide just how much of your company's resources you are willing to give to that task. Your starting step might be market research. Later, if you see enough profit potential and your company's ability to go after it, you may want to assign considerably more resources.
A common fallacy is "the government market." It is not "the market," but rather thousands of markets, including federal agencies, state, cities, counties, towns, boards, commissions, authorities, schools, and institutions of higher learning, and so on. There are basic commonalties, but every purchasing authority has some unique characteristics. Once a company is willing to accept that there are thousands of markets, the next step is to examine some common basic beliefs about government. A few are:
- Governments are bureaucratic and contain too much red tape;
- Tax money is misspent - and government employees are not concerned;
- Bids are rigged; and Governments do not pay their bills.
When you examine the commonly held beliefs, you need to be willing to discover the truth and give up the myths.
What is the truth about red tape in government? An objective examination reveals that "red tape" is a derogatory name for a series of processes, laws and regulations - which must be followed to get things done legally. The processes are designed to protect the taxpayer - actually for the public good. These processes normally are not complicated, but may be lengthy. They do entail more than a handshake. A company interested in the government market must be willing to accept that these processes exist and be willing to play by the rules.
Is tax money misspent and are government employees concerned? The truth is that government employees as a whole, are probably more concerned about how money is spent than the average taxpayer. While the demand for services has not changed significantly over the past decade, unfortunately resources have - the budget and number of employees. Governments are today doing more with less, thanks in a large part by streamlining operations and government employees figuring out how to make the system work more efficiently.
Are bids rigged? If you closely examine the way a public purchasing agent spends a great deal of his/her time, you'll discover that a good portion is devoted to identifying new sources of supply, administering outreach programs to encourage companies' interest in doing business with the government, and notifying them of opportunities. These activities as well as adhering to the Procurement Code and bid rigging are hardly compatible.
At one time governments' reputation for slow pay may have been valid. However, today efforts to insure prompt payments are being given top priority.
Contract Agreement
The RRPS does not sign standard contract forms which may
be used by vendors. The bid with the vendor's signature
affixed thereto, shall constitute an offer to sell to
the District under the terms and conditions contained
therein. The delivery of a Purchase Order or Contract
Award with the valid signature constitutes acceptance
of the offer to sell and consummates the binding contractual
agreement.
Correspondence Concerning Bid Invitations
Any questions concerning the Invitation to Bid, Request
for Quotation, Request for Proposal should be directed
to the Purchasing Manager whose name and telephone number
are listed on the document. The person corresponding should
specify the bid, quotation or proposal number, the opening
date, etc.
Bid Errors
Prior to submission of bids, errors may be corrected.
The change should be initialed by the person signing the
bid in the same ink color. No bids shall be altered or
amended after bid opening. In case of errors in the extension
of price, the unit price shall govern.
Modification or Withdrawal of Bids
A bid may be modified or withdrawn by a bidder prior to
the time set for bid opening by delivering written or
telegraphic notice to the Purchasing Manager. After bid
opening, authority to allow for withdrawal of bids is
granted solely at the discretion of RRPS where there is
an obvious error in the bid supported by cost data, or
where enforcement of the bid would impose an unconscionable
hardship due to an error in the bid resulting in a quotation
substantially below the other bids received. Such withdrawal
will be considered only after receipt of a written request
from the vendor.
Late Bids
Bids must be received in the RRPS Purchasing Division
at the address shown on the bid on or before the exact
date and time designated for the bid opening or the bid
will be rejected and placed in the late bid file unopened.
IT IS THE BIDDER'S SOLE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT HIS/HER BID IS PHYSICALLY RECEIVED AND OFFICIALLY CLOCKED IN AS A SEALED DOCUMENT BY THE RRPS PURCHASING DIVISION NO LATER THAN THE OFFICIAL BID OPENING DATE AND TIME. LATE BIDS ARE NOT RETURNED TO BIDDERS. THE BIDS ARE AWARDED PURSUANT TO SECTIONS OF THE PROCUREMENT CODE.
Cancellation of Invitations to Bid
The Purchasing Manager may cancel an Invitation to Bid
in whole, or in part, when it is in the best interest
of RRPS to do so.
Samples and/or Literature
Any samples or descriptive literature requested
must be provided free of charge.
Specifications
Unless a vendor specifies otherwise in his bid, it is
assumed that the vendor is bidding in strict accordance
with the specifications in the Invitation to Bid. When
merchandise is received that does not meet these specifications,
it will be returned to the vendor, shipping charge collect.
Substitutions
Any products delivered that do not meet the specifications
will be returned to the vendor at his expense. When a
shipment or product is returned, the contractor must make
immediate replacement with acceptable merchandise or RRPS
may seek remedies for default.
Right to Protest
In accordance with Section 13-1-172 NMSA 1978, any bidder
or offeror who is aggrieved in connection with a solicitation
or award of a contract may protest to the Purchasing Manager.
The protest must be submitted in writing within fifteen
(15) calendar days after knowledge of the facts or occurrences
giving rise to the protest. The protest shall:
- include the name and address of the protestant;
- include the solicitation number;
- contain a statement of the grounds for protest and specify the ruling requested from the Purchasing Manager.
Resident Business/Contractors and Manufactures
Preference
Pursuant to the laws of New Mexico, a Resident Business,
Resident Contractor and/or Resident Manufacturer, as those
terms are defined in Subsection A of Section 13-1-21 NMSA
1978 and Section 13-4-2 NMSA 1978, shall be given a 5
percent preference in the awarding of contracts for furnishing
of materials, items of tangible personal property or construction
provided they have qualified with the State Purchasing
Agent either as a Resident Business or Resident Contractor
by making application to the State Purchasing Agent and
receiving from him a CERTIFICATION NUMBER.
Payment for Purchases
The Purchasing Division is responsible only for the contracting
of needed goods and services for school/departments. It
is the responsibility of the ordering agency, when upon
receiving and approving merchandise or services, to initiate
as quickly as possible the necessary paperwork to insure
prompt payment to the vendor.
- Submitted proposals/bid shall not be publicly opened with the exception of construction.
- Pay special attention to the bid/proposal submittal instructions.
- The contents of any proposal/bid shall not be disclosed during any negotiations that may occur.
- Proposals/bids will be made public after award has been announced.
Latest Bid Awards:
We will post recent awards here.
Current Bids or Proposals:
Be sure
to read the background information (in the tabs above) about placing bids/proposals with RRPS before submitting your bid/proposal!
You will need Adobe Reader (free download) to open these bids/proposals. Also, you may have an older version of Reader that may have trouble opening these PDF's, so updating your version would be a wise thing to do.
Once you've got the Reader, click on the Description Name below to open the bid. Then print it out and complete it. Once you've signed it, then mail it to us as per the instructions.
Some of the proposals are large and may take a minute or two to download...thanks for your patience!
Click in the RFP/RFP Documents column to download, then just print, complete & mail to: Rio Rancho Public Schools Purchasing Department 500 Laser Rd. Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Number |
RFP / ITB Description
Name |
RFP/RFB Documents | RFP / RFB Due
Date |
Request for Bid: #2010-FAC-02-C |
Portable Relocation and Installation From Vista Grande Elementary to Maggie Cordova Elementary |
Portable Relocation Bid Form |
Due Date: Monday, November 30, 2009 2:00pm |
Request for Bid: #2010-FAC-02-M |
FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM INSPECTIONS, SERVICING AND REPAIRS |
Fire Protection System Bid Form |
Due Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009 10:00am |