Catawba County Purchasing Division: How to Do Business with Us

It is the intent of Catawba County Purchasing to make vendor-county relations pleasant, professional and profitable for both the vendor and the County. The purpose of the Purchasing Division is to maintain continuity of services and supplies to the various County departments by purchasing at the lowest cost consistent with the quality and quantity required.

All qualified vendors and sales representative are invited to call on Purchasing, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. An appointment prior to arrival is strongly encouraged.

PURCHASING POLICIES

The staff of the Purchasing Division is committed to the following:

To conduct all purchasing activities according to the N.C. General Statues and County Code.

To conduct all purchasing activities in such a manner as to develop and maintain good public, vendor and internal relationships.

To encourage fair and open competition by legitimate and ethical means.

To maintain purchasing's integrity at all times, keep free from any personal obligations to vendors, and respect their confidence.

To respect purchasing's authority at all times and not use it for private and advantage or gain.

To promote the goodwill of the Purchasing Division at all times.

SALES CALL INSTRUCTIONS

Salesperson can be expected to:

Call in advance and make an appointment at a time convenient to the purchaser during normal business hours.

Complete a vendor form and update vendor contact information as needed.

State clearly when making the appointment that it is to be a sales call, and give a brief description of the product or service offered.

Have a brief presentation prepared to explain the essential features of the product or service.

The purchaser can be expected to: Be available for appointments during normal business hours on reasonable notice.

Be on time to receive the salesperson.

Listen attentively to the presentation and try to determine whether the product or service will benefit the county.

Have appropriate staff personnel at the meeting, or arrange a future meeting so that the product can be adequately evaluated.

CATAWBA COUNTY CODE (does not include construction projects)

The N.C. General Statutes and Catawba County code require the following:

The County is not bound by any commitment to a vendor by a department.

A purchase order is required for all purchases valued at $1,000 and above for all County departments.

Purchases of equipment, supplies, or materials valued at $90,000 and above are processed by the Purchasing Agent through a formal bid process.

Formal bids require written specifications, legal advertisement, sealed bids, and in some situations a bid bond is required. Once bids are opened, these bids are available for public inspection.

Informal bids are for items less than $90,000 and are confidential until bid award.

The County Manager is authorized to award bids for purchases of supplies and equipment less than $250,000.

The Catawba County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

CODE OF ETHICS

The staff of the Purchasing Department is committed to the following Code of Ethics:

To conduct all purchasing activities according to applicable laws, rules,
regulations, and policies of Catawba County and the State of North Carolina.

To uphold the practices and principles of the professional purchaser.

To conduct all purchasing activities in such a manner as to develop and maintain good public, vendor and internal relationships.

To encourage fair and open competition by legitimate and ethical means.

To extend honest, courteous and impartial treatment to all interested and qualified suppliers.

To maintain purchasing integrity at all times, keep free from any personal obligations to vendors, and respect their confidence.

To promote the goodwill of the Purchasing Division at all times.

To respect purchasing authority at all times, and not use it for private advantage or gain.