Procurement & Public Contracts

The Procurement and Public Contracts Department provides a central purchasing role for the City.

We strive to ensure taxpayers receive the best value for each dollar spent by purchasing quality products and services at the lowest possible cost. We work to make sure City procurements are achieved using an open, fair, and competitive process while following all legal requirements.

Bid Opportunities Surplus Property

Doing Business with the City of Bend

The Procurement and Public Contracts Department is located on the second floor of City Hall and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please email us at purchasing@bendoregon.gov to find out how to do business with the City.

What does the City purchase?

How do I find out about business opportunities?

The City of Bend utilizes Bonfire Interactive (Bonfire) for its eProcurement solution. Formal procurements (normally purchases expected to be over $100,000) will be posted in the eProcurement portal. To get on the Procurement and Public Contract Department vendor list to obtain automatic bid notices, and to submit bids electronically, please visit Bonfire (https://bendoregon.bonfirehub.com/).

To assist with registration and submission of responses, learn how to get started with Bonfire, and watch this 5-minute training video. For questions or support when using the platform, access the online knowledge base, search the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or contact the Bonfire support team at support@gobonfire.com or by calling 1-800-354-8010.

For alternative bid submittal information please contact Procurement at 541-385-6677.

How does the City purchase goods and services?

City Departments are authorized to issue Purchase Orders for items under $10,000. Quotes are encouraged when practical. Purchases over $10,000 but under $100,000 require three (3) quotes. These opportunities are currently sourced by staff and the best way for the City to be aware of your interest in doing business with the City is to email the department at purchasing@bendoregon.gov or registering with Bonfire. They can also assist you to ensure you are aware of any contracting requirements for the goods or services discussed.

Bid Opportunities

The City of Bend utilizes an eProcurement system powered by Bonfire. Visit the City of Bend's procurement portal for a list of open public opportunities:

Current Bid Opportunities

Bonfire Bid/Proposal Submission Instructions

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Sealed Bids and Proposals are to be submitted online to City of Bend eProcurement portal, Bonfire, at https://bendoregon.bonfirehub.com no later than due date and time listed in solicitation document. All Bids and Proposal will be electronically date and time stamped as they are submitted. Bids and Proposals cannot be accepted if submitted by hard copy, mail, facsimile, or e-mail, unless previous arrangements have been made with the Issuing Officer two business days prior to the bid opening or proposals being due.

Important Notes:

Logging in and/or uploading your file(s) does not mean your Bid/Proposal is submitted. Bidders must successfully upload all the file(s) and MUST click the submit button before the closing time.
You will receive an email confirmation receipt with a unique confirmation number once you finalize your submission. This will confirm that you have successfully submitted your Bid or Proposal.
If the Requested Information is listed as “required,” you will not be able to complete your Bid or Proposal submission until the requirement is met.
Uploading large documents may take significant time, depending on the size of the file(s) and your Internet connection speed. Please plan accordingly!
Please note the type and number of files allowed. The maximum upload file size is 1000 MB.Please do not embed any documents within your uploaded files, as they will not be accessible or evaluated
Minimum system requirements: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox. Java Script must be enabled.
Mac users: When a Bid Table is required for a bid submission, in order for it to be formatted correctly you will need to download Microsoft Excel.The Bid Tables will not work with another Spreadsheet tool.
Emails received from Bonfire do not have attachments; click the View Opportunity link and login to Bonfire to view attachments under the Messages section, then click Vendor Discussions.You can then download the message attachment.
The City will announce awards of solicitations via Bonfire.

Need Help? Please contact Bonfire directly at Support@GoBonfire.com or 1.800.654.8010 x 2 for technical questions or issues related to your submission. You can also visit their help forum at vendorsupport.gobonfire.com/

Frequently Asked Questions about eProcurement

What is eProcurement?

The City of Bend is required to follow a complex set of laws, rules, and regulations when procuring goods and services from third-party vendors. eProcurement software systems are used by many government agencies to assist with compliance and enhance their procurement methods. These types of systems also help the City broaden their pool of vendors which increases vendor participation, diversity, and competitive pricing.

The City has partnered with Bonfire to create a procurement portal that will allow you to receive notifications of business opportunities and submit bids and proposals to City of Bend digitally. eProcurement is the same as traditional procurement; however, eProcurement does all processes online on a centralized platform.

What are the benefits of eProcurement?

If my company is a registered City of Bend vendor, do I also need to register with Bonfire?

Do I need to be registered on Bonfire and who can I contact if I have problems with my registration or need my password reset?

Bonfire Vendor Registration Training

Q&A from April 12 and 19, 2023 Vendor Trainings:

Can you please briefly review the Commodity Codes section; it appears there are subcategories to the more generic ones and just curious how you suggest we optimize these in our profile so we get the jobs we want. Also are the "submissions" only accepted in a PDF format when we upload or are other formats accepted?

Bonfire advised using the first level commodity code and not the subcategory commodity code to make your selection. The City will plan on not limiting the type of document that can be uploaded so all respondents will be able to upload word, excel or pdf.

If I am unable to submit a bid, how do I handle this?

If the vendor question timeline is closed you will not be able to submit a question in Bonfire to the Issuing Officer, please email the issuing officer directly in this instance.

Do individual members of an organization/company need to register for Bonfire or just one account for all members? For instance, one company can have multiple sales employees that could be interested in solicitations.

Each individual in a company will need to register for their own account.

How much time should I allow to upload submission files?

Give yourself as much time as possible. Bonfire can save your progress on submissions, so as you complete the different documents, you can begin uploading.

How do I find bid opportunities?

There are a few ways you can stay current with City solicitations.

Please see the Current Bid Opportunities
Once you are registered with Bonfire you will select commodity codes that pertain to your business and as solicitations become available you will be notified by the commodity codes you selected in Bonfire. Commodity codes are numbers/codes that describe goods or services. A commodity code describes a specific product your business provides. The City of Bend utilizes a 5-digit NIGP commodity code.

How the City of Bend Pays

Delivery

Under normal circumstances, the City does not issue payment until the item has been delivered to the correct location and accepted as being in appropriate condition and in compliance with the order.

Invoicing

The supplier shall submit invoices for each order to:

City of Bend
Accounts Payable
P.O. Box 1458
Bend, Oregon 97709

Invoices shall include:

Purchase Order number
Name of the City department requesting the goods or services
Complete description of goods or services provided
Quantity, unit price and extensions
Discount terms
Invoice number and date of invoice
Suppliers name, address, telephone, fax and email

Invoices can also be sent electronically to ap@bendoregon.gov.

Payment

Payment is issued by Accounts Payable in a timely manner. The general policy is to make no prepayments or accept C.O.D.s. Payments are made within 30 days from receipt of invoice. If you have any questions concerning the payment of an invoice, contact Accounts Payable at 541-388-5509.

Terms & Conditions for goods and services

Surplus Property

The City of Bend surplus program reuses items whenever possible, sells non-useable items, and recycles items that are no longer functioning. For the sale of surplus items the City utilizes two online auction companies:

GovDeals PublicSurplus

Interested individuals must register with each site in order to bid on surplus items.

All property is offered as-is, where-is. The City makes no warranty, or representation of any kind, expressed or implied, as to the merchantability or fitness for any purpose of the property offered for sale. The buyer is not entitled to any payment for loss of profit or any other monetary damages—special, direct, indirect, or consequential. No refunds or adjustments will be made to any award/purchase.

Helpful Links

Oregon Revised Statutes

State of Oregon Contractors Board

Bureau of Labor and Industries - Prevailing Wage Rates

City of Bend Business Registration

Qualified Contractors List

Department Mission

Provide strategic procurement services to ensure our colleagues have the goods and services they need to efficiently run our City and foster public trust.

We Value: Client Partnership, Integrity, and Innovation