City of San Antonio
Purchasing & General Services
 

Annual Contracts: Materials, supplies and services continually used will be posted in a formal bid process. City Council will award the term of the contract to the lowest responsible bidder.

Assistance to Bidders: Information and assistance in bid preparation is available through the Purchasing Department for your needs.

If you have questions on starting or expanding a business, need guidance on funding sources, or have inquiries about permits, the City's Economic Development Center is available for your needs available.  Their number is 210-207-8080.

Bidders' List: Lists of vendors are maintained by the Purchasing Department. Your firm may be added to these lists by downloading the appropriate form or requesting in person the application form.

Bids will not be considered from vendors owing any delinquent taxes to the City of San Antonio.

Insurance and Bonding: The City of San Antonio occasionally will solicit bids that require insurance and bonding. When this is necessary, requirements will be listed in the bid solicitation.

 

Invoice Payments: To insure prompt payment:

• Deliver merchandise to the respective Department.

• The Accounting Division must have acknowledgement of receipt of merchandise from the respective Department.

• Receipt of Invoices must be in duplicate and sent to the City of San Antonio, Finance Department -- Accounting Division, P.O. Box 839976, San Antonio, Texas. 78283-3976.

• Invoices must show a proper purchase order number, a complete description, quantity, unit price, and extension.

• The City of San Antonio honors all payment discounts it can reasonably meet.

One-Source Purchase: Materials, supplies or services valued under $25,000 and provided by a single source may be bought by the Purchasing Director or a representative without competitive bids.  One-source materials valued over $25,000 will be presented to City Council for approval.  

Presentations and Demonstrations: Contact the Purchasing department if you would like to give a presentation on your product.  You can review the list of commodities by buyer on the COSA Purchasing Website for the appropriate person to contract matching your product for presentation.

Samples: If you wish to submit a trial sample of your  product, it must be presented at no cost to the city and clearly marked "SAMPLE".  Samples will not be returned until after the award has been made.

Sale of Salvage: Scrap metals, used equipment, and obsolete materials owned by the City are sold through the Purchasing Department.  The City utilizes reverse and forward auctions, bids, and quotations to dispose of obsolete materials.

Small Business Outreach Division managed by the Economic Development Department: It is the policy of the City of San Antonio to give small and/or minority businesses maximum opportunities to bid on City contracts.  Firms owned by women, disabled, Hispanic, African American or other ethnic origins are encouraged to submit bids.   The City has established the Small Business Development Advocacy (SPEDA) program in an effort to increase the participation of such vendors in the City contracting initiatives.

Taxes: The City of San Antonio is exempt from all Federal Excise Tax and the State of Texas Limited Sales Excise and Use Tax.  Exemption certificates are available with an authorized purchase order number.   

Testing and Inspections: The City may visit a bidder's facility to insure the qualification of the bidder.  Periodically, products may be tested for quality.  Any product deemed defective or below standard will be rejected and returned to the supplier.

P.O. Box 839966  •  San Antonio, Texas 78283-3966
Office: (210) 207-7260 • Fax: (210) 207-7270

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