Bid Opportunities
Please be patient as we populate our bids on our vendor registration and solicitation system, Vendor Registry. For any questions or concerns, please call (843) 255-2350.
A competitive procurement shall be made by the County from responsive and responsible local (resident) vendors in Beaufort County for procurement, if such bid does not exceed the lowest qualified bid from a non-local vendor by more than five percent (5%) or $10,000, whichever is less of the lowest non-local bidder. The local vendor has the descretion to match the bid submitted by the non-local vendor and receive the contract award. A vendor shall be deemed to be a "local vendor", if such vendor is an individual, partnership, association, or corporation that is authorized to transact business within the state of South Carolina, maintains an office in Beaufort County, and maintains a representative inventory of commodities within Beaufort County and has paid all taxes duly assessed.
When purchasing from state or GSA contract, the County is allowed to purchase like items from a Beaufort County local vendor as long as the local vendor is willing to meet or beat the state or GSA contract pricing. In cases where two or more local vendors are involved, the Purchasing Director will determine the best method to use for a tie breaker, either a coin toss or lottery drawing. When practical, a quotation will be solicited from other than the previous supplier prior to placing a repeat order.
Posted solicitations are separated into two generalized categories: Sealed Submissions (Bids, Proposals, Request for Qualifications) and Request for Quotes.
Sealed Submissions
Solicitations for purchases of $35,000 or more require sealed submissions from vendors (unless the product or service is on state, GSA or cooperative contract). These solicitations can be posted as Invitations to Bid, Requests for Letters of Interest, Requests for Proposals, or Requests for Qualifications. Detailed instructions for submitting responses are outlined in the body of each solicitation posted. Please pay close attention to these instructions to avoid rejection of your submission. Electronic submissions are accepted for these solicitations.
Click here to view Current Sealed Submission Solicitations & Requests for Quotes
Request For Quotes
Requests for Quotes are posted online for purchases between $3,000 and $34,999. These purchases do not require sealed submissions. If the Request for Quotes is not posted on Vendor Registry quoted pricing can be emailed. If the Request for Quotes is posted on Vendor Registry then the quoted pricing must be submitted through Vendor Registry. Additional instructions can be found in the body of each Request for Quotes. Please refer to the posted documents for specific instructions and specifications.
Click here to view Current Sealed Submission Solicitations & Requests for Quotes
Vendors Must Be Registered
Vendors must be registered with the County in order to respond to solicitations. Quotes, bids, qualifications, or proposals submitted by businesses that are not registered with the County may be rejected. While every effort is made to ensure that registered vendors receive email notifications of solicitations when posted to the website, the County cannot guarantee receipt of these notifications. Additionally, vendors will not receive automatic email notification when an addendum is posted. Vendors are responsible for checking the website for posted addenda and must respond to all additions and alterations specified. Vendor registration can be completed online.
The system allows you to quickly register and update details such as what products and services you provide as well as your contact information. This will enable us to notify you of important bid opportunities in the future.
If you have any questions regarding the registration process, please call Vendor Registry at (844) 802-9202.
Click here for Vendor Registration