Purchasing Department

 

The City of New Bedford Purchasing Department seeks to meet the procurement needs of the School and City departments as quickly, efficiently, and cost effectively as possible by assisting them with the procurement of all goods, services, and construction necessary to perform their operational functions.

Purchasing works closely with all City and School departments to develop Invitation for Bids, Requests for Proposals, and other solicitations, enabling departments to receive the goods and services they need at the best quality and price while ensuring compliance with all Massachusetts General Laws as they relate to advertising, specifications, bid openings, contract coordination and full contract execution. Approximately 170 contracts are issued annually.

All purchase orders are reviewed and processed by this department, and the staff ensures expenditures are in compliance with departmental budgets to eliminate overspending. Approximately 8,000 purchase orders are processed per fiscal year.

Purchasing strives to promote environmental stewardship through sustainable procurement policies. The department has digitized many of its processes in an effort to eliminate paper waste and promote ease of access to documents, and continues to seek efficiencies. Long-term, the department endeavors to establish a digital platform in which vendors can submit bids and proposals electronically, search for payment information, submit certified payroll for contract compliance, and more.

The City’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) resides within the Purchasing Department. The contract compliance team monitors contractor participation towards the City’s EEO goals and ensures that laborers working on public works construction projects within the City are being paid prevailing wage rates in accordance with state and federal law.

The Purchasing Department upholds The New Bedford Way Statement of Values; namely: accountability, integrity, innovation, continuous improvement, teamwork, and respect. As public servants, the team prides itself on earning and maintaining the public’s trust and always aims to conduct business to the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and transparency.