Become a District Vendor

How to Do Business with the District

The District manages a centralized Purchasing Office who has the general responsibility for the purchase of all material, supplies, equipment and services. The Purchasing Office is committed to ensuring that our business practices are performed with the highest degree of professional ethics, integrity and competency. We are committed to providing superior customer service, utilizing best procurement practices, building solid business partnerships, networking with other procurement professionals; and continued advocacy of small business development.

COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AGREEMENTS

Much of the procurement activity of the Purchasing Office is achieved through various cooperative purchasing agreements. Many public agencies, school district and municipalities utilize these cooperatives for purchasing, to help ensure legal compliance and to reduce overall costs of bidding and purchasing. All cooperative purchasing agreements are approved by The Governing Board prior to use.

SUPPLIER/CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION

The District partnered with OpenGov to streamline our procurement and vendor registration process which eliminated a paper intensive and manual process.

Suppliers/Contractors that register through OpenGov can maintain their profiles at no cost. Based on the profile parameters set by the company, they will be electronically notified of all bids that match the set profile.
Suppliers/Contractors can register through this website by clicking on the OpenGov link in the right hand corner of District’s Purchasing & Bids Departments website or by clicking on this link https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/hartdistrict.

W-9

All Suppliers and Contractors/Consultants need to submit a W-9 before a Purchase Order can be issued. It is used to collect identifying information to help file information returns with the IRS. It requests the name, address, and taxpayer identification information of a taxpayer (in the form of an Employer Identification Number or Social Security Number.

TAXPAYER ID NUMBER VERIFICATION

The Purchasing Office will verify that the Taxpayer ID Number (TIN) and the name of any 1099 reportable supplier is consistent with Internal Revenue Service information. The IRS matches the information we provide on a suppliers’ 1099-MISC form with information the supplier reports on their federal income tax return. Any differences, however insignificant, may result in IRS penalties. In order to avoid penalties, it is imperative that the information provided to the District on a W9 matches EXACTLY with how it appears on the income tax return submitted to the IRS. The District is making every effort to ensure that the information we report to the IRS is a match prior to making any payments. Please refer to the instructions at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iw9.pdf for more information on the information that should be provided.

SALES CALLS

Office hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To conserve time and ensure the vendor adequate attention, we urge all vendors to make an appointment before coming to the Purchasing Office. Some purchasing decisions are made by individual campuses or departments. Thus, the Purchasing Office may direct you to contact a campus or department directly.

PURCHASE ORDERS ARE REQUIRED

A Purchase Order is required for all purchases. Only the Purchasing Office has the authority to issue or revise Purchase Orders.

Purchases made by the Facilities/Maintenance Departments for emergency repair parts or materials necessary for continuing work in progress also require Purchase Order numbers.
Purchase Orders accepted by suppliers without the issuance of a Purchase Order by the Purchasing Office will be considered the responsibility of the supplier and will not be considered an obligation to the District.

EXCEPTION – There may be times during an emergency when an order must be placed after normal business hours or on weekends and holidays. Be assured that true emergency purchases at such times without Purchase Order numbers will be approved. The supplier must obtain the individual’s name and department and request identification if the order is placed in person. Department personnel are instructed to obtain a Purchase Order number from the Purchasing Office the following business day.

BID THRESHOLD FOR PURCHASE ORDERS/CONTRACTS AWARDED

Public Contract Code Section 20111(a) requires school district governing boards to competitively bid and award contracts involving an expenditure of more than $50,000 adjusted for inflation, to the lowest responsible bidder. Contracts subject to competitive bidding are:

Purchase of equipment, materials, or supplies to be furnished, sold, or leased to the school district
Services that are not construction services.
Repairs, including maintenance as defined in Section 20115, that are not Public projects as defined in Section 22022.

The State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) is required to annually adjust the $50,000 amount specified in Section 20111(a) to reflect the percentage change in the annual average value of the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) for State and Local Government purchases of Goods and Services for the United States, as published by the United States Department of Commerce, for the past 12-month period ending in the prior fiscal year. The inflation amount is rounded to the nearest one hundred dollars.

Pursuant to the above calculation, and effective January 1, 2023, the SSPI has determined that the inflation adjusted bid threshold will increase to $109,300.00.

CALIFORNIA UNIFORM CONSTRUCTION COST ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES

The District has adopted the California Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Procedures pursuant to Public Contract Code §22000 and Informal Bidding procedures pursuant to Public Contract Code §22034.

CONTRACTOR/SUBCONTRACTOR PRE-QUALIFICATION PROCEDURES

All general contractors and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (“MEP”) subcontractors (as defined in PCC Section 20111.6) planning to participate in bidding on certain district public projects using funds received under the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 or any funds from a future state school bond, with an expenditure of $1,000,000 or more, to be undertaken by the district, must be pre-qualified prior to submitting bids.

The district accepts pre-qualification applications through the OpenGov portal. A link to the OpenGov online application is available on the district’s Purchasing & Bids Departments website at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/hartdistrict. The Pre-qualification application is completed during the New Vendor Registration process. An application can be completed at any time.

The district currently reviews pre-qualification applications on a quarterly basis, between the following dates: (1) January 1 through January 10; (2) April 1 through April 10; (3) July 1 through July 10; (4) October 1 through October 10. Pre-qualification approval will remain valid for up to one calendar year from the notification date.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF ADVERTISEMENT

Public Notice of a RFP or RFQ solicitation shall be given by advertising the Project via publication, electronic mailing or posting on the District’s OpenGov website. For all competitively bid projects pursuant to PCC20111, the District shall publish at least once per week for two weeks in some newspaper of general circulation.

CONTRACTOR/CONSULTANT MUST ABIDE BY APPLICABLE CALIFORNIA CODES

PREVAILING WAGE: The payment of Prevailing Wages is required in connection with the Project. Contractors and subcontractors will be required to adhere to the prevailing wage rate determinations made by the Director of Industrial Relations pursuant to the California Labor Code. The Contractor agrees to conform to the Labor Code Section 1770 et seq. requirements regarding wages, benefits, on site audits with 48-hour notice, payroll records, and apprentice and trainee employment requirements if the services or the Project or any portion thereof are determined to be a "public work" as that term is defined in the Labor Code. The district will require the Contractor to provide Certified Payroll Records with every application for payment / invoice.

WORKERS COMPENSATION: In accordance with the provisions of California Labor Code Section 3700, Contractor shall secure the payment of compensation to his /her employees. Contractor shall sign and file with Owner the following certificate before performing the work under this Contract: "I am aware of the provisions of Section 3700 of the Labor Code which require every employer to be insured against liability for workers' compensation or to undertake self-insurance according to the provisions of the code, and I will comply with such provisions before starting the work of this contract.” The form of such certificate is included in and made part of the Agreement.

FINGERPRINTING: All Contractors/Consultants and subcontractors will be required to comply with the provisions of Education Code, Sections 45125.1 et seq. regarding Pupil Safety/Fingerprinting. Upon request of the District and prior to any work being started on the Project , the Contractor/Consultant shall either certify to the District that it has complied with the provisions of Education Code Section 45125.1 or seek a waiver from those provisions on the grounds set forth in Section 45121.2 (a)(1) and (2) or that Contractor and its employees and subcontractors will have no contact with school pupils. No waiver will be granted under Education Code Section 45121.1(a)(3). The District, within its sole discretion, will decide whether a waiver is appropriate. Denial of a waiver shall not be grounds for a claim for additional compensation or delay.

IRAN CONTRACTING ACT of 2010: As required by California Public Contract Code Section 2204, the Contractor certifies subject to penalty for perjury that he is not identified on the current list of persons and entities engaging in investment activities in Iran prepared by the California Department of General Services in accordance with subdivision (b) of Public Contract Code Section 2203; or a financial institution that extends, for 45 days or more, credit in the amount of $20,000,000 or more to any other person or entity identified on the current list of persons and entities engaging in investment activities in Iran prepared by the California Department of General Services in accordance with subdivision (b) of Public Contract Code Section 2203, if that person or entity uses or will use the credit to provide goods or services in the energy sector in Iran.

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Prior to commencing any services on District premises, the Contractor/Consultant/Vendor will be required, at his/her expense, to provide and maintain for the duration of the Project or Agreement, insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damages to property which may arise from or in connection with the performance of the work by the

Contractor/Consultant/vendor, his agents, representatives, employees or subcontractors, with an insurer rated by A. M. Best. Contractor/Consultant/vendor shall also require all of his/her subcontractors to procure and maintain the same insurance for the duration of the Project or Agreement. Such A.M. Best rating and insurance limits of coverage shall meet at least the minimum levels of coverage outlined by the Contractor/Consultants contract with the district.

If a contract is not executed for the services provided to the district, the A.M. Best rating and the insurance limits of coverage shall meet at least the minimum levels of coverage outlined in the link “District Minimum Insurance Requirements”.

The insurance must be “occurrence” type. “Claims made” type will not be acceptable.

We trust this provides the general information needed to begin doing business with the District. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We encourage your participation in our procurement and look forward to a positive and productive partnership that supports the education of children in our community.

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