​The County Office of Education purchases a wide variety of merchandise through a centralized purchasing system. The purpose of this guide is to acquaint you with the County Office of Education's purchasing policies and procedures and explain how you can do business with the County Office of Education. Our goal is to assist you in your marketing efforts and promote a partnership between you and the County Office of Education. If this guide does not answer all of your questions, please ask us. You may also want to download this guide in Word format. 

• CENTRALIZED PURCHASING

  Procurement of supplies, materials, equipment, and general services is centralized in the Internal Business Services/Purchasing Services Department under the Purchasing Manager. Please note that funds for the acquisition of goods or services may not be committed by any other Department of the County Office of Education but Purchasing. Therefore, payments will not be made for goods or services delivered without an authorized purchase order number. 

• PURCHASING HOURS OF OPERATION

  Office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PST Monday through Friday. To save time and ensure you receive adequate attention, we recommend that you make a definite appointment before coming to the Purchasing Unit. Courtesy visits are not encouraged as they can disrupt the daily workflow and in many cases, the person you want to see will be unavailable. You may contact the Buyers directly by phone or e-mail. This information may be found on the "Purchasing Staff" page of this website.

• NEW VENDOR REGISTRATION

  Purchasing maintains a list of interested vendors. The COE's New Vendor Application Form may be viewed and printed from this site in .pdf format. Upon receipt of the completed form, your firm’s name will be included in the vendor list. The SCCOE will strive to notify vendors of upcoming bids or quotations; however, the SCCOE does not guarantee notification to vendors for every bid or quotation. Failure to respond to three (3) requests for quotes or bids may result in removal from the vendor list. Return all requests and mark them as “No Bid” to remain on the list.

• METHODS OF PROCUREMENT

  • PETTY CASH
    County Office of Education personnel is authorized to make purchases up to $200 in cash.
  • BLANKET PURCHASE ORDER
    This is a line of credit established with a variety of vendors to allow County Office of Education personnel to obtain unanticipated supplies or services directly from vendors on an as-needed basis for a specific period not to exceed a specific dollar amount. Competitive price quotations may be solicited and the award may be made to other than the lowest priced vendor based on criteria such as the location of the vendor to the requesting department and completeness of inventory.
  • FORMAL BIDDING
    Formal bidding procedures are utilized when the cost of supplies, materials, or equipment required on a single purchase exceeds $114,500. The process required in receiving sealed bids, publicly opening the bids, and awarding the purchase to the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications
  • INFORMAL BIDDING
    This informal process for a single purchase differs from formal bidding in that quotations are solicited from at least three (3) vendors when practical. These quotes can be obtained either by telephone, fax, or mail and are not normally advertised. The award is made to the lowest responsible vendor meeting specifications
  • REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
    This is used primarily for services and highly technical commodities or services. An RFP differs from a formal bid in that proposals may be solicited in a one or two-step process. The award can be to other than the lowest-priced vendor. The following criteria are considered when evaluating which proposal is the most advantageous to the County Office of Education.
    • The cost to the County Office of Education
    • Quality of the proposed service
    • Capabilities and expertise of the vendor
    • The ability of the vendor to perform
    • Past service records/references
    • The proposal that best meets all the requirements of the County Office of Education
      
      Read our Bidding Tips to learn more.
      

• SHIPPING

  All orders must be delivered to the address specified on the purchase order. Vendors should not deliver goods to an alternate address unless authorized by Purchasing, as the processing of your payment will be delayed.  PURCHASE ORDER CHANGES
  
  The purchase order is the County Office of Education’s contract with you. Any changes to the contract must be approved in writing by the General Services Department/Purchasing Unit.

• BILLING AND PAYMENT

  The purchase order number MUST appear on all invoices, shipping tags, and all correspondence relevant to the order. Payment is made only upon delivery and acceptance of all material, equipment, or services as specified in the purchase order. Every attempt will be made by the County Office of Education to process payments within 30 days. Invoices and billing inquiries must be directed to:
  
  Accounting Services, MC 242
  1290 Ridder Park Drive,
  San Jose CA  95131
  or by email at accountingvendorinvoices@sccoe.org or by fax at 1(408) 453-6718 
  
  Read the purchase order to obtain the correct address to submit invoices. Do not assume the address is the same as a previous purchase order. The purchase order also indicates who to contact if you have questions regarding payment of invoices. Invoices may be returned to the vendor if mailed incorrectly. 

• TAX

  The Santa Clara County Office of Education pays California State sales and use taxes when applicable and is exempt from Federal Excise tax. 

• INSURANCE

  Vendors providing services for the County Office of Education will be required to submit proof of insurance coverage as specified by the County Office of Education Risk Manager. Questions on the County Office of Education requirements can be answered by calling (408) 453-6925. 

• BID AND PERFORMANCE

  Bonds may be required when it is necessary to protect the interest of the County Office of Education. Most contracts issued by the General Services Department/Purchasing Unit do not require bonding. 

• GIFTS AND GRATUITIES

  The County Office of Education maintains a strict policy prohibiting the acceptance by its employees of gifts and/or gratuities from any vendor or potential vendor. 

• MINORITY, WOMAN-OWNED, SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESS

  The Santa Clara County Office of Education is committed to promoting business with minority, woman-owned, small, and local businesses. Purchasing staff will answer general questions you may have on the County Office of Education purchasing processes and procedures.