Vendors of small-dollar-volume items which the State is likely to use but is unlikely to carry on Catalog Master Agreements/Master Agreements may wish to send their advertisements to agency fiscal officers as well as to the Finance and Administration Cabinet's Division of Material and Procurement Services.
State law requires that all proper invoices be paid within thirty (30) working days. Should a proper invoice not be paid within the prescribed period, the State will pay a one (1) percent per month penalty to the vendor. State agencies are required to notify a vendor if an improper invoice has been received from a vendor.
The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Contract Compliance administers the provisions found at KRS 45.560 � 45.640, known as the Kentucky Equal Employment Opportunity Act. This Act requires any party intending to submit a bid on a contract of $250,000 or more to provide work force data and an affidavit of intent to comply to the office.
Work force data includes an employment utilization report and a breakdown of the bidding party�s existing work force. The work force breakdown reflects the race, sex, age, position held, county and state of residence, and date of employment for each employee. Within ten (10) days after receipt of the employment utilization report and the work force breakdown, the office determines whether the bidding party's work force is reflective of the percentage of available minorities in the area from which the bidding party's employees are drawn.
The bidding party is certified if the office determines that the bidding party�s work force is reflective of the percentage of available minorities in the drawn area. If the office determines that the bidding party's work force reflects an underutilization of minorities, the bidding party and contracting agency are notified, and no certification is issued. The bidding party then has the option of filing an affirmative action plan for recruiting and hiring minorities. The office monitors the bidding party�s achievement of the goals and objectives outlined in the affirmative action plan. Failure to comply with the provisions set forth in the affirmative action plan is an unlawful practice under the EEO Act and constitutes a material breach of the contract.
The equal employment provisions of the EEO Act may be met in part by subcontracting to a minority contractor or subcontractor. This option is only available if the contract in question allows use of subcontractors. A minority contractor or subcontractor is a small business that is owned and controlled by one (1) or more ethnic minorities. The office maintains a minority business enterprise (MBE) directory to assist contractors and vendors in their efforts to identify MBEs. For information contact:
Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Contract Compliance
Capitol Annex, Room 370
Frankfort, KY 40601
Telephone: (502) 564-2874
Facsimile: (502) 564-1055
The Small and Minority Business Division, Economic Development Cabinet, provides a procurement program that identifies construction contracts and procurement opportunities for minority business enterprises within the State. The Division mobilizes and applies education and business related resources and information; develops financial, technical, management and marketing resources of private, state, and local sectors on behalf of the minority business community; and advocates policies, programs, and procedures with favorable legislative and executive impact on minority business enterprises. The Division also provides information on specific programs that are of interest and benefit to small businesses in general; directs potential and existing small businesses to resources that can provide specialized assistance and/or information; and operates a material & procurement information service designed to make Kentucky companies aware of the goods and services that are purchased by State Government.
The Business Information Clearinghouse (BIC), Economic Development Cabinet, provides information on State business licenses, permits and regulations. The BIC offers customized licensing packets including the license and permit applications to fulfill the State requirements, various informational bulletins, services available from State Government and order information of interest to the business. For more information, contact:
Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet
Small and Minority Business Division
67 WILKINSON BLVD
FRANKFORT KY 40601
(502) 564-2064
Business Information Clearinghouse
(502) 564-4252
The purpose of the Kentucky Commission on Women is to promote, encourage, and provide advisory assistance in the establishment of local programs to meet the needs of women; to conduct programs, studies, and conferences which focus on problems and concerns of women; to consult with and advise the Governor, State agencies, and local governments on matters concerning women; to cooperate with the federal government and other states in programs relating to women, and to educate the public on issues relating to women. For more information, contact:
Kentucky Commission on Women
614A SHELBY ST
FRANKFORT KY 40601
(502) 564-6643
We recommend that you use our web site if you have the means to regularly access the Internet. If you have an Internet Service Provider, you can connect to information via the web site. Once attached, you can access bid information from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time. If you do not have your own computer setup, you may take advantage of public resource centers and many of the state's public libraries.
You may use electronic access to:
Look at a list of current Kentucky material & procurement opportunities, select one that looks interesting to you, and either review the bid on-line, or download it to your computer. The resulting document, once printed out to hardcopy at your location may be used as your official bid document. You may also submit your bid electronically through the eProcurement web site for selected solicitations.
Research! The web site allows you to review recent contract award information. Find out what firms have been awarded contracts, as well as the total contract price. The web site also allows you to search for the commodity or service you provide to see if they are already on contract with the state. To access the Division of Material and Procurement Services' web site, enter the following address on your browser's URL line:
Questions and comments may be directed to purchases@mail.state.ky.us or to the Customer Resource Center at 1-877-973-4357, or by email at Finance.CRCGroup@mail.state.ky.us .
All vendors wishing to do business with the Commonwealth must be registered. This allows vendors the opportunity to identify those products and services they wish to offer to the Commonwealth. Vendor registration makes it easier for agencies to find your company.
Vendors may register on the eProcurement web site: https://ky-purchases.com . If a vendor is registering for the first time, they can go to the New Vendor Registration web site on the eProcurement page and provide the requested information. Vendors must provide all mandatory information, as identified by a red " * ". Vendors must also enter an Authentication Code that will allow them to access or edit their registration information online whenever the need arises. Any vendor wishing to submit bid responses online must also enter a Bid Authorization Code. This code represents the company's official electronic signature for submitting formal bids online and should be safeguarded. Both the Authentication Code and Bid Authorization Code are case sensitive, must be at least eight characters in length and contain no special characters (letters and numbers only).
Vendors may enter commodity code information for the their product or services, as well as a commodity category. While this information is optional, vendors who select a commodity category and provide a valid email address with their point of contact will automatically receive an email notification each time a solicitation for their product or service is posted to the web site.
Vendors must also indicate their desired method of payment--either check or EFT. A vendor who wishes to be paid by EFT must provide the requested banking information, including routing and account numbers. If a vendor offers a prompt payment discount, this information may also be entered and will automatically become part of any contract awarded to the vendor.
Previously registered vendors can update their vendor information by accessing the Registered Vendor Area on the eProcurement page. This area requires the vendor to have an authentication code and user ID. A vendor may update their own vendor record by logging on using their TIN - tax identification number (FEIN or SSN) and their authentication code. This area also contains on line bidding. On line bidding allows a vendor to submit a response to a solicitation through the web. The response is protected using SSL - Secure Socket Layer during its transmission. After transmission, it is encrypted and held within Kentucky's firewall until the bid closing date and time, at which point system security will allow appropriate individuals to access it.
The web site allows you immediate access, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time, to the information you need to update your commodities any time you expand your services.
Once you are familiar with the electronic web site, searching for bid opportunities is a simple process. Bid solicitations are located under Browse Business Opportunities to on the Finance Cabinet�s eProcurement page. Be sure to also check Other Business Opportunities where attachments for larger documents are posted. After selecting the Browse Bid Opportunities link, you will be prompted to search for bids either by issuing agency or by commodity category. Searching by issuing agency will allow you to view all bids active in the Commonwealth at the present time or to view only bids issued by a particular issuing agency. If the agency is not listed in the drop down list, there are no active bids for that organization. If you elect to view bid opportunities by commodity category, you will see a list of all commodity categories with a number beside each entry. The number will represent the number of active bids in that category. By selecting the category that best matches your product or service and clicking on the number of bids, you will view only a list of all bids in that category, thereby making your search more efficient.
Most solicitations allow a minimum of two weeks between initial offering and bid opening, so a daily check of new bids is recommended (weekly at the minimum). In addition to checking on the web, all solicitations are posted outside the Bid Room, on the third floor of the Capitol Annex in Frankfort. Solicitations may be downloaded via the web site and printed out at the user's location, with this copy serving as the official bid document. Hardcopy solicitations may be obtained from the:
Division of Material and Procurement Services
Finance and Administration Cabinet
Department for Administration
Division of Material & Procurement Services
Capitol Annex Building
702 CAPITAL AVE RM 367
FRANKFORT KY 40601
Phone: (502) 564-4510
FAX: (502) 564-7209
Hardcopy solicitations may be obtained from the Transportation Cabinet at the following address:
Transportation Purchases
Transportation Cabinet
Department of Fiscal Management
Division of Purchases
501 HIGH ST RM 501
FRANKFORT KY 40622
Phone: (502) 564-4630
Fax: (502) 564-7069
To respond to a bid solicitation:
- Review the solicitation and comply with its provisions and instructions. Remember to attach and acknowledge any pertinent Standard Attachments, as directed in the body of the document.
- Prepare and SIGN RESPONSE IN INK or submit a response online if allowed by the solicitation .
- It is important that you�re bid be easily recognizable, so that it is not misdirected or opened early. The front of the mailing envelope must contain the following information in the lower left-hand corner:
- the solicitation number
- the bid opening date
- Only written or e-mail requests, to the buyer of record, for bid clarifications/questions will be accepted.
The State's eProcurement system allows vendors to submit a bid response on line for selected solicitations. Solicitations that allow on line bid responses will be marked with a "Yes" in the Electronic Bid Permitted field on the Browse Bid Opportunities - Results page. Clicking on the "Yes" link for a particular solicitation will open the Online Bidding login page. A vendor must enter their vendor identification number and their Authentication Code to begin. (Note: The Authentication Code is the same code used to access your vendor information file or update your vendor profile through the on line access system.) Upon successfully completing the login process, the General Solicitation Information page will open. Vendors must enter a contact name and phone number for the person they would like to be contacted for questions regarding their bid on this particular solicitation. (Note: The contact information listed for a particular online response will not update or change the contact information listed in the general vendor profile.)
After providing the vendor contact information for the bid in question, select Next Page to see the Line Item Details. Fill in the required information for each line item, including the Quantity, Unit of Measure, Unit Price, Manufacturer and Model Numbers, as appropriate. The Delivery Days information should be expressed as the number of days required for delivery to the using agency after receipt of order (ARO). If bidding either a discount or a markup from a published catalog price, enter the actual catalog price in the Unit Price field, and a discount (negative number, e.g. -10) or markup (positive number, e.g. 5) percent in the Discount/Markup field for each line. After completing the required information for all lines, select "Calculate" to determine the total cost of your bid. Unless the solicitation specifically states otherwise, you must enter the required information in each line to be considered responsive to the bid.
Once the Line Item Detail information is complete, select Next page or Summary Details link to view the Summary Details. Vendors may enter a summary description for each line item of up to 400 characters (including spaces). If more space is required, a vendor may attach up to four documents to the Detail Summary page by using the "Browse" button for each attachment and selecting the appropriate document (to a maximum of 4 megabytes). If a vendor takes exceptions to any portion of the bid specifications or the general terms and conditions of the bid, they must submit an attachment that explains the exceptions.
Once all bidding information is completed, a vendor may save their bid as either a draft copy (by selecting the "Draft" radio button) or a formal submission. A draft copy may be saved without any further use of passwords. To save a bid and submit it as a Formal Submission, a vendor must enter their correct Bid Authorization Code . After saving the document, the Online Bidding Confirmation page will open. Print a copy of the page and keep it for your records , should there be any question on the date or time a bid was submitted.
All times in the State's eProcurement system are listed in the Eastern Time zone. Vendors must submit online bids in time for the document to be saved as a Formal Submission before the published closing date and time of the solicitation. Each saved document will be given a date and time stamp from the State's eProcurement database server. The database time will be set daily using the Naval Observatory time clock, and it will be the official time clock for the eProcurement system. The system will not allow late submission of online bids. In the event of system outages or power failures, the Commonwealth may extend the bid opening by an amount of time equal to the length of the system failure, but is under no obligation to do so.
A vendor may elect to manually submit a hard copy backup to their electronic online bid. If a vendor exercises this option, they must submit a printed copy of the Online Bidding Confirmation Page with their hard copy bid. In the event there is a discrepancy between the online bid and the hard copy backup received by the Commonwealth, the vendor's bid may be disqualified.
Telegraphic offers will not be considered unless authorized by the solicitation. However, offers may be modified by this means, provided such notice is received prior to the hour and date specified for receipt. Telegraphic modifications cannot mention unit or total price.
Refer only to percentage or numerical change (example: "Reduce unit price of item #1 by $1.00.")
Bid Samples and Descriptive Literature
Samples of items, when required, must be submitted within the time specified, and unless otherwise specified at no expense to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. If not destroyed by testing, samples will be returned at the offeror's request and expense, unless otherwise stated by the solicitation. Unless request for their return is made within thirty (30) days, all samples become the property of the Commonwealth. For online bid responses, all required samples must be submitted to the issuing office of the solicitation by the date and time specified for the bid closing. Samples must be clearly marked with the solicitation number, date and time of closing, and include the vendor's information and a printed copy of the Online Bidding Confirmation Page.
All addenda must be acknowledged! Once a solicitation has been downloaded from the web site, the vendor is responsible for checking the web for modifications to the solicitation. Receipt of a modification to a solicitation by an offeror must be acknowledged by signing and returning the modification, or by letter, telegram or facsimile (when authorized). Such acknowledgments must be received prior to the hour and date specified for receipt of offers. Normally, this acknowledgment can be enclosed with the primary bid document. If the vendor has already responded to the solicitation the vendor must acknowledge the addenda and modify their bid accordingly. Failure to acknowledge modification(s) may cause the bid to be considered non-responsive. For online bid responses, the eProcurement system will correctly reference the current copy of the solicitation at the time the bid response was completed.
Solicitation responses may be modified or withdrawn by written or telegraphic notice (provided the notice is) received prior to the exact hour and date specified for receipt of offers. An offer may also be withdrawn in person by an offeror (with proper identification, and the signing of a receipt) but only if the withdrawal is made prior to the exact hour and date set for receipt of offers. A vendor may modify or withdraw an online bid response at any time prior to the published closing date and time for the solicitation. A draft bid response may be modified or withdrawn by completing a login with the Vendor Identification Number and the Authentication Code. A formal bid response may only be withdrawn by applying the appropriate Bid Authorization Code.
When justified, the Commonwealth may require a material & procurement bond when advertising for bids as surety that a bidder will hold his offer firm for a specified period of time. Additionally, a Performance Bond may be required from the successful bidder. Bond documents for online bid responses may be submitted by a photocopy of the document scanned into an attachment and submitted with the online response or by a separate hard copy submitted manually and arriving prior to the date and time of closing for the solicitation. Hard copy submissions must be marked with the solicitation number, date and time of closing, and vendor information, and include a printed copy of the Online Bidding Confirmation Page.
Bids and modifications of bids (or withdrawal of bids) received at the office designated in the solicitation after the exact hour and date specified for receipt will not be considered for an award or contract, unless:
- No bids are received other than the late bid; and
- The bid is postmarked before the date and time set for the opening of bids: and
- An agency's need is determined to preclude the re-advertisement of bids; and
- The Division of Material and Procurement Services/Division of Transportation Purchases are assured that the specifications and the selection of bidders by the buyer were not the cause for the late offer being the only bid available for consideration; and
- The price is investigated and found to be the best value for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
- The State's eProcurement system does not allow late submission of online bid responses.
Solicitations are opened and read (upon request) on the date specified. Interested bidders are welcome to attend the bid openings. Online bid submissions are also opened and read upon request at the bid opening.
Bids are evaluated and a single Award/Contract or an open-end (term) Catalog Master Agreement/Master Agreement is awarded to the responsible and responsive bidder who offers the Best Value to the Commonwealth, meeting all specifications and conditions of the solicitation. State agencies may issue Delivery Orders against the Catalog Master Agreement/Master Agreement.
A bidder who questions a solicitation or selection for a contract award may file a protest with the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet. A protest or notice of other controversy must be filed within two (2) weeks of the date the protestor knew, or should have known of, the action being protested. All protests must be in writing. The Secretary (or his designee) is empowered to render a conclusive decision, in writing, to the aggrieved party stating the reason(s) for the action taken. Protests regarding bids by the Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases should be addressed to the Secretary of the Transportation Cabinet.
When a State agency first experiences a relatively minor problem or difficulty with a vendor, the agency will contact the subject vendor directly and attempt to informally resolve the problem. If the vendor fails to respond satisfactorily, the agency will create and route an electronic Vendor Tracking Document to the agency that issued the Contract or Master Agreement. The Vendor Tracking Document needs to include steps the agency has taken to resolve the dispute/complaint within the description of the complaint. The issuing agency resolves the complaint and documents the actions taken on the Vendor Tracking Document. This documentation is used for future evaluations and decision-making affecting the vendor.
With the implementation of the web site, bidders may inspect limited contract award information on their personal computers. Complete records may also be reviewed by filing an Open Records Request via fax to the Finance and Administration Cabinet�s Office of the General Counsel, at (502) 564-9875. The bidder will be notified when the records may be inspected at the Files and Records Section in the Division of Material and Procurement Services; Capital Annex Room 373, Frankfort KY. Normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. Copies of these records are available at 10� per copy. Vendors may also incur additional charges for reports that must be generated solely to provide information under the open records request. Transportation Cabinet bids may be inspected at Room 905, State Office Building, 8:00 a.m. � 4:00 p.m. EST.
The Finance and Administration Cabinet includes in all Catalog Master Agreements/Master Agreements, a provision that any political subdivision may participate in such contracts to the same extent as the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The political subdivisions may purchase directly from the vendor that possesses the Catalog Master Agreement or all state agency Master Agreement contract. State agencies are required to use these contracts. Local governments may use these contracts with the consent of the vendor.
General Information
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, conducts its procurement process in accordance with Chapter 45A, Kentucky Model Procurement Code, and resulting Administrative Regulations and Transportation Policies for selected highway maintenance, materials and supplies.
Information for Bidders
- All vendors and contractors wishing to be placed on the Division's various source lists must make a request in writing addressed to:
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Division of Purchases
State Office Building
501 HIGH ST RM 905
FRANKFORT KY 40622or call (502) 564-4630 - 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
Questions can be directed to the buyer listed on the Solicitation. The buyer's telephone number is listed on the Solicitation.
Transportation Cabinet
Division of Contract Procurement
State Office Building
501 HIGH ST RM 902
FRANKFORT KY 40622
or call (502) 564-3500General Information
The Finance and Administration Cabinet, Division of Contracting and Administration, conducts business in accordance with Chapters 45, 45A, and 56 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes, Administrative Regulations, and the Standard Regulations for construction of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Information for Bidders
- After request for and receipt of bid documents, any questions or clarifications may be directed to the Purchasing Agent administering the Invitation to Bid. Most invitations from Contracting and Administration have a technical consultant who will also be able to answer questions. Both names will be listed in the documents, with telephone numbers.
- Bids must be received before the specified closing hour and date for receipt of bids. All bids are time stamped showing the hour and date officially received. The time/date clock on the Bid Receipt Clerk's desk is the official bid time/date receipt indicator.
- Bidder assumes full responsibility for timely delivery of the bid in compliance with the above described procedures and conditions.
- All bid openings are open to the public. All bids received are publicly opened and read aloud on the hour and date prescribed in the Invitation.
- Questions relating to small purchase procedures may be directed to:
General Contracting Manager
Department for Facilities Management
Division of Contracting and Administration
Capitol Annex Building
702 CAPITAL AVE RM 158
FRANKFORT KY 40601
or call (502) 564-3050These small purchase construction services have up to a $40,000 limit.
All construction projects exceeding $25,000 are advertised the Finance and Administration Cabinet's eProcurement Page . Also, lists are published by the various commercial and trade reporting agencies.
