The mission of the Chatham County Purchasing and Contracting Department is to maintain a procurement system of the highest integrity which maximizes the value of tax dollars spent by the County.

Chatham County is partnering with Bonfire Interactive to provide vendor registration and e-bidding. The first step in selling goods or services to the County is to register online on the County’s Procurement Portal. When you register, the system will ask for vendor type but this is only for internal purposes,not bid notifications. The registration process requires you to select commodity codes for which you wish to receive bid notifications. You should list all codes that you believe would apply to your business. The County uses NIGP codes for registration and you should utilize the 5 digit codes to insure you will receive notification. When the County issues a bid using one of the commodity codes listed for your firm, you will receive an e-mail. The notification will provide you with a link and instructions on how to participate. If you are unable to register online, please contact Bonfire support as directed on the Chatham County Bonfire Purchasing portal or Chatham County Purchasing staff for assistance.

Purchases Over $25,000

Purchases over $25,000 are bid through a formal sealed bid process. These bids are posted a minimum of l0 days prior to bid opening and the contract award is subject to approval by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners. Bids are posted on the Georgia Procurement Registry, Savannah Morning News, the County's Government Channel, and posted on the County's Bonfire portal. Bid tabulations for current bids are posted on the County's Bonfire Portal with the bid document. Bid and bid tabulations prior to our Bonfire implementation will be located in the archive section of our website - Chatham County Purchasing & Contracting.

A public bid opening is held for formal sealed bids at the time and place specified in the bid documents. Bids must be submitted prior to the deadline in order to be accepted. Please see instructions on each individual solicitation.

Annual contracts are used to purchase many goods and services which the County buys repetitively over the course of a year. Annual contracts are bid for estimated quantities of commodities, equipment, or services at a firm price, for a specified period of time, and are usually for one year with four possible renewals. Awards are made to qualified single or multiple vendors who meet specifications and conditions. Estimated quantities are based on prior usage by County Departments but are not guaranteed.

Insurance Provisions

• Download the Insurance Provisions

Chatham County Purchasing Ordinance

• Download the Chatham County Purchasing Ordinance

Purchases Under $25,000

Purchases under $25,000 are considered small purchases. Small purchases may be handled using telephone quotes or written quotations depending on the technical nature of the requested item. A minimum of three vendors are contacted.

A vendor may contact the Purchasing Department to request that your firm be included for items you are interested in furnishing to the County. A list of Purchasing personnel and their phone numbers are included on the Purchasing website.

Departmental Purchase

County Departments have the authority to purchase up to $2500. If you sell small dollar items which are not covered under an annual contract, you may be able to sell directly to a County Department. Your first contact, however should be the County's Purchasing Department who can advise how the County buys the item you are selling and who to contact.

Construction Services

Construction services are processed under the competitive bid process described earlier for purchases of $25,000 or more.

Construction contractors are required to post performance and payment bonds in an amount equal to the contract award unless the contract is under $100,000 or if it is a paving project which is subject to Georgia DOT bonding requirements. Construction bidders are also required to post a 5% bid bond at the time of bid submission. Evidence of liability and worker's compensation insurance are also required prior to bid award. Any waiver of bonds will be noted clearly in the solicitation.

Goals are established for construction projects for utilization of minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBE). General Contractors must meet the project goal or provide Good Faith Effort documentation. An M/WBE Directory is maintained by the County's M/WBE office. The list may be obtained by contacting the M/WBE Coordinator, Connell C. Heyward, at (912) 652-7828.

It is the policy of Chatham County to provide minority and women-owned business enterprises with equal opportunity for participating in selling goods and services to Chatham County. Bidders are required to make "Good Faith Efforts" to subcontract, where applicable, or purchase supplies from these businesses. County bids require the bidder to submit certain documentation with their bid to ensure compliance with this policy.

The County has established a Local, Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise program in which the mission is to increase Local, Minority and Women-Owned Business (M/WBE) participation in the County's procurement process. The program provides information, technical assistance, training opportunities and certification to M/WBEs. These businesses should first register online as a vendor.

For more information, contact the County's M/WBE Coordinator, Connell C. Heyward, at (912) 652-7828, email: cheyward@chathamcounty.org.

Visit the M/WBE Website

Chatham County has local vendor preference which allows the lowest local bidder (defined as located within Chatham County) to match the bid submitted by the non-local bidder and therefore be awarded the contract. Local Vendor Preference does not apply to construction projects.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners welcomes the opportunity to do business with interested merchants and businesses in the County's communities. The County's Purchasing Division is interested in fostering participation by all qualified business persons offering commodities and services that may be used by the various County departments.