Policies and Procedures
State Bid Law
Section 41-16-20 of the Code of Alabama, Public Contracts, (as amended by Act 94-207) states that “All contracts of whatever nature for labor, services, work, or for the purchase or lease of materials, equipment, supplies or other personal property, involving fifteen thousand ($15,000.00) or more, made by or on behalf of any state department, board, bureau, commission, committee, institution, corporation, authority, or office shall, except as otherwise provided in this article, be let by free and open competitive bidding, on sealed bids, to the lowest responsible bidder.” The College’s policy requires bidding for purchases of $15,000 or more.
On items that must be bid, full specifications and names of vendors who can furnish the items should be provided to the Purchasing Department. At least two weeks is usually allowed from the day requests for quotations are mailed until the day of opening bids.
The bid process is not limited to items over $15,000.00. Purchasing will solicit formal quotations for any items, regardless of price, for which competitive bidding might lower the costs.
A complete copy of the Alabama Competitive Bid Law is located at the following:
Competitive Bid Laws, State of Alabama (PDF)
Vendor’s Bid List Application
All vendors are encouraged to complete the College’s Vendor Application for bids, and indicate the type of goods and services on which they would like to receive notification of bidding opportunities. The application can be submitted by completing the vendor application.
Please note: This list will be used for internal purposes only. Inclusion in the database is not a guarantee that a company will receive a bid. It is still the responsibility of the vendor to monitor the Current Bids page to locate information for all open bids.
Bid Opening
Presence at public bid openings is not required, although vendors are welcome to attend. Bid results will be on the SSCC web page in the Awarded Bids section.
Bid openings are held in the Volkert Conference Room located on the 3rd floor of the Martin Campus.
Receipt of Bids
All formal advertised bids will be received ONLY in the location designated in the bid documents. The bid shall be submitted in a sealed envelope identified with the bid name/number prior to the date and time specified in the bid instructions. Bids received after the scheduled time will not be opened or considered. Bid responses must be accompanied by a completed Alabama State Disclosure Form. Proposals (RFPs) must have an ORIGINAL signature and must be returned to Shelton State Community College. Emailed or faxed responses are not accepted.
Award
The purchase of goods and/or services shall be made to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder(s) based on bid specifications as determined by the College. The evaluation of responses for award may be based upon price, terms, specification, past performance of supplier, compatibility of bid items with existing equipment or materials, and where appropriate, delivery or completion time. After bids have been reviewed and analyzed, the bid will be awarded. The vendor of the winning bid will be notified by mail and on the SSCC website in the Awarded Bids section.
Relief of Bidders
A vendor may be relieved of a bid at the discretion of the College in which a mistake was made in filling out the bid and which was not due to an error in judgment or in reading the specifications. A bidder who is relieved from a bid may be prohibited from participating in other bids.
Supplier Diversity
The College encourages minority/disadvantaged vendors to participate in the bid process. The College will give every reasonable opportunity for minority/disadvantaged vendors to submit bids as suppliers.
Sole Source Justification Requirements
A “Sole Source” purchase means that only one supplier (source), to the best of the requester’s knowledge and belief, based upon thorough research, (i.e. conducting a market survey), is capable of delivering the required product or service. Similar types of goods and services may exist, but only one supplier, for reasons of expertise, and / or standardization, quality, compatibility with existing equipment, specifications, or availability, is the only source that is acceptable to meet a specific need.
Sole Source Justification Form
Shipping/Receiving
The College’s shipping and receiving hours are 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on Friday. For large shipments, appointments should be made with receiving personnel at Shelton State Community College at 205.391.2238.
Contact
Delane Bailey, Purchasing Department
9500 Old Greensboro Road
Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
Phone: 205.391.2975
Fax: 205.391.2368
Office hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.