To qualify as a vendor for Galveston County, interested parties must complete and return a Vendor Qualification Packet via email to prodoc@co.galveston.tx.us or the Galveston County Purchasing Agent, 722 Moody (21st Street), Galveston, TX 77550.

Purchases $5,000 or more but less than $50,000: A minimum of three written quotations are required to be obtained on quotation forms furnished by the Purchasing Department. These forms can be obtained upon request from Purchasing Department.

Upon approval of a Purchasing Department staff member, the requesting department may solicit the quotations or leave the responsibility with the Purchasing Department. If authorized to obtain the quotations, the requesting department must submit the written quotations to the Purchasing Department for review and approval prior to the issuance of a purchase order or an alternate method of payment, e.g., through the use of a P-Card. The requesting department remains responsible for initiating the requisition and requesting the method by which the purchase is to be made.

The County Purchasing Act (Texas Local Government Code, §262.021 et seq.), as amended, provides that notice of a proposed purchase exceeding $50,000 must be published at least once a week in a newspaper of general circulation with the first day of publication being at least 14 days before the date of bid opening. Generally, projects exceeding $50,000 are solicited to the public in the format of an Information to Bid (ITB) or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and advertised in the Galveston Daily News (a newspaper of general circulation within the County of Galveston) and/or other newspapers of general circulation in the county.

Formal sealed competitive written invitations to bids (ITB),

Requests for Proposals (RFP), or Competitive Sealed Proposals, must be secured by the Purchasing Department in accordance with the terms and provisions of the County Purchasing Act. The County Purchasing Act is located at Subchapter C of Chapter 262 of the Texas Local Government Code, currently Sections 262.021 through 262.037. 

Generally, competitive sealed bids (ITB) or Requests for Proposals (RFP) are required although some exceptions exist. Should the Purchasing Agent determine that an exemption to competitive bidding or an RFP is warranted, he/she will make application for the granting of an exemption to the Galveston County Commissioners’ Court as authorized by law.

The Purchasing Department and the end-user department(s) will evaluate the bids received via competitive bidding or the RFP process and the quotes obtained via the exemption process to the competitive bidding statute that has previously been approved by the Commissioners’ Court. The Purchasing Agent will present the bids to the Commissioners’ Court for consideration.

Authority to accept or reject the Purchasing Agent's recommendation

lies exclusively with the Commissioners’ Court.

1.    Go to the Bonfire Portal and register online with Bonfire.  This site has the ability to notify vendors by commodity when an advertised Bid/RFP/RFQ has been placed on the site. Once registered, a password will be assigned to the vendor and Bid/RFP/RFQ documents may be downloaded.

Utilizing this system enables a timely review and receipt of Bid/RFP/RFQ documents. Since more than 90 percent of purchasing jobs are downloaded utilizing the purchasing website, vendors must keep their registration data, such as email addresses, current to receive timely updates concerning documents they have downloaded.

2.    Visit the Purchasing Office and pick up the Bid/RFP document.

Solicitation responses may be submitted by mail, hand delivered, or electronically submitted through our strategic sourcing software partner Bonfire, unless superseded by instructions within the Special Provisions section of the solicitation.  Galveston County solicitations that require electronic responses can be viewed on the Bonfire portal.  Further detailed provisions are referenced within the actual solicitation instructions.   

Hand Delivered or Mailed Responses: 

Hand delivered and mailed responses must be submitted only to the Galveston County Purchasing Agent.  Bids will not be accepted by facsimile transmission.  If by delivery, the Bidder must deliver the Bid to the reception desk in the County Purchasing Agent’s Office.  The delivery and mailing instructions for the Galveston Count Purchasing Agent are as follows: 

Rufus Crowder, CPPO CPPB 

Galveston County Purchasing Agent 

722 Moody, Fifth (5^th) Floor 

Galveston, Texas 77550 

For clarity, mailing date/postmark is not sufficient – Bids must be received by the County Purchasing Agent on or before the submission deadline.  Late Bids will not be accepted and will be returned to the Bidder unopened.  Bids received prior to the submission deadline will be maintained unopened until the specified time for opening. 

The County Purchasing Agent will accept submittals from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST, on each business day up to the submission deadline.  Business days do not include Saturdays and Sundays, and do not include other days in which the County is closed for business in observance of holidays or for other reasons. 

The time-stamp clock within the County Purchasing Agent’s Office shall be the official time clock for the purpose solicitation processes and thus shall be the determinant of whether the Bid was timely received. 

The Bidder should prominently identify the solicitation number and name on the outside of the envelope/mailing package.  If the Bidder fails to identify the solicitation number and name on the outside of the envelope as required, the Purchasing Agent will open the envelope for the sole purpose of identifying the solicitation number for which the submission was made.  The envelope will then be resealed.  No liability will attach to a County office or employee for the premature opening of a Bid. 

If a Bid is not submitted, return this solicitation and state reason (s), otherwise your name may be removed from the Purchasing Agent’s mailing list. 

The Purchasing Agent shall open the Bids on the date and time specified in the procurement timeline.  Bids shall be opened in a manner that avoids disclosure of the contents to competing offerors and that keeps the Bids secret during negotiations.  The Purchasing Agent will examine Bids promptly and thoroughly.  Upon opening, no Bid may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) calendars days after the Bid opening date. 

Electronic Solicitation Submittals: 

The Galveston County Purchasing Department utilizes Bonfire Interactive to distribute and receive certain bids and proposals in an electronic format via an online portal. Please refence the instructions in the actual solicitation document for the proper method used.  

Potential Bidders must register through the online portal to participate electronically. “Hand delivered” or “mailed-in” proposal submittals are still allowed, however, Bidders are strongly encouraged to submit their responses online via Galveston County’s e-Procurement Portal located at https://galvestoncountytx.bonfirehub.com/.  

Registration is currently open and free to the public. Once registered, suppliers will receive automatic email notifications of project opportunities based on the NIGP commodity codes selected by the vendor. Potential Bidders should visit the link below and click on the New Vendor Registration tab to register your business: 

https://galvestoncountytx.bonfirehub.com/portal/ 

There is no cost to register as a vendor. For more detailed clarification and information on how to register and submit your bids and proposals through Bonfire, click on the video link below: 

Submission Video: https://support.gobonfire.com/hc/en-us/articles/203903356-Vendor-Registration-and-Submission- 

Interested parties may attend the public bid openings opening virtually by utilizing the links provided in the solicitation instructions. 

After bids are read and tabulated, they are analyzed to determine the lowest responsive and responsible bid that meets specifications.  The County Purchasing Agent will make the determination of the apparent lowest responsive and responsible bidder.  Bids deemed responsive and responsible are then reviewed by the using department and placed on the Galveston County Commissioners’ Court for award.

To be responsive, a bidder must complete all applicable portions of the Bid as instructed, including any requested supporting documentation, and must meet specifications. The vendor must have the capability in all respects to perform fully the contract requirements. In addition, all goods or services must meet the minimum acceptance quality level as stated in the specifications. Failure to meet the specifications may result in disqualification of the bid.

After the review of the bids, proposals, and qualifications, the using department will submit a recommendation for award to the County Purchasing Agent for presentation to the Galveston County Commissioners Court, as appropriate. Upon approval of the contract by Commissioners Court, the County Purchasing Agent will notify the successful bidder via issuance of a Notice of Award letter followed by a purchase order. The department for which the service and/or material is provided will then administer the performance of the contract to its completion.

Galveston County strives to engage with prime contractors and subcontractors that represent the diverse businesses of the County. We will ensure that historically underutilized minority- and woman-owned businesses (M/WBEs) receive a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the County's procurement process.  The County expects Vendors to make a good faith effort and the Vendor agrees to reasonably assist the County to meet or exceed goals for awarding contracts associated with a project the County procures, operates, maintains, or constructs to M/WBEs. Minority owned and women-owned businesses are encouraged to contact the Galveston County Purchasing Department for opportunities.