• Direct Award: Direct negotiation through local suppliers, when available 

• Intermediate Solicitation: Informal RFP or request for quotes from three or more vendors

• Formal Solicitation: Requests for Proposal, Invitations to Bid, and Requests for Quotes

• Price Agreements: Competitive RFP selection of on-call contractors and consultants to perform work on an as-needed basis through task orders.

• Cooperative Purchasing: The City leverages the purchasing power and solicitation processes of other entities to “piggy-back” their procurements and benefit the City through negotiated contracts that offer competitive pricing.

 See the City’s Purchasing Thresholds to match spending amounts with the types of purchases above.

Our Procurement & Contracting Services Team is driven by collaboration, innovation, equity, and transparency. We promote fair and open competition, ensuring that all vendors have opportunities to do business with the City, regardless of their size or background. 

Oregon’s Public Contracting Code and the City’s Public Contracting Rules govern our processes to create transparency and accountability to the public.

• Fairness & Inclusivity: The City strives to eliminate biases, discrimination, and historically marginalized groups, including but not limited to race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and veteran status.

• Diversity & Representation: Through its Supplier Diversity Program, the City values and actively seeks diversity in contracting. We are creating inclusive environment that encourages the participation of businesses owned by women, people of color, and veterans.

• Transparency & Accountability: We provide clear and accessible information about our contracting opportunities and the criteria and evaluation methods used to award contracts. 

• Social, Environmental, and Economic Impact: We prioritize contracts that create meaningful and sustainable impacts on our communities — including job creation, wealth generation, and the promotion of local businesses — while minimizing the environmental impact of our operations.

• Capacity Building & Support: We recognize that equitable contracting involves more than just providing opportunities — it also requires building the capacity of underrepresented businesses. We collaborate with community-based organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders to create programs and initiatives that support and enhance the skills and capabilities of diverse contractors to compete for and win larger projects.

• Continuous Learning & Improvement: We seek feedback from the contracting community, monitoring our progress, and evaluating the outcomes of our efforts. We hope you’ll let us know what’s working and what’s not.