Bid Process
Procurement Services performs all bids to assist departments with the process. To request a bid, please fill out the "Bid Request Form" on the front page of Govs e-Shop. Once the form arrives in our office, we will begin the process. For detailed information on the bid process, please see Section 5 of the Procurement and Contract Services Manual.
Bid Thresholds:
- Informal Solicitations - If the total aggregate amount is between $50,000 and $99,999 (cumulative over five years of expense or revenue), including any renewal terms of multi-year awards, bids are to be solicited from at least three (3) responsive/responsible bidders/proposers.
- Formal Solicitations - If the total aggregate amount is $100,000 or above (cumulative over five years expense or revenue), including any renewal terms of multi-year awards, bids are to be solicited from at least fifteen (15) responsive/responsible bidders/proposers or the number of vendors on the vendor list.
- Federal Grant Threshold - If the total aggregate amount is between $10,000 and $99,999 (cumulative over five years expense or revenue), including any renewal terms of multi-year awards, bids are to be solicited from at least three (3) responsive/responsible bidders/proposers.
Different types of bid requests:
- Invitation to Bid (ITB): The bid awarded to the proposer with the lowest cost. ITB Template
- Request for Proposal (RFP): This process allows the department to evaluate the proposers and score them based on their technical approach, presentations, and cost proposals. Please note that the lowest-cost bidder may win by obtaining more overall points. The RFP process generally takes 4 to 6 months. RFP Template
- Request for Information (RFI): An RFI collects information from vendors about their capabilities. It is a starting point to gather the necessary information before making final project plans. RFI is also used for comparative purposes. The data is gathered to help decide the next steps, such as an ITB or RFP.
Purchasing From Another State of Tennessee Entity's Contract.
APSU may purchase goods or services from a contract awarded by another entity of the State of Tennessee as long as:
- the contract was awarded pursuant to a competitive bidding process;
- the vendor meets the bid specifications, and
- the bid/contract includes language that allows other institutions to purchase under the bid.
This includes contracts from the Tennessee Board of Regents Institutions, University of Tennessee System institutions, State of Tennessee Department of General Services, Locally Governed Institutions (LGI's), and other State of Tennessee entities.
State Wide Contracts (SWC) List
APSU may also use contracts of specific group purchasing entities with which it has established an affiliation through a signed contract or other means determined appropriate by Procurement services.
For a complete list, please click on the sidebar labeled "Procurement Methods" for a list of those cooperatives APSU is a member and other procurement methods.