Common Vendor Questions

Procurement Services maintains a two year list of pre-qualified suppliers or contractors for goods and services required throughout the year. You are invited to download the bid documents from our Euna Procurement (Bonfire) - Procurement Portal and submit the requested documents to be added to the applicable list. If your business does not align to one of the pre-qualifications categories and there are no open bid opportunities you may email Procurement Services at buyer@vernon.ca expressing your interest. Please include the following information:

• Full company name
• Address
• Phone, email, website link
• Sales and technical support contacts
• Authorized product lines/brand name
• Commodity type, quality
• Brochures/corporate profile
• Area of service, delivery
• Does your organization identify as a diverse supplier group?

We value the opportunity to work with local businesses and welcome participation in all City’s procurement opportunities.  

The City of Vernon Procurement Policy and activities are governed by trade agreements, including CFTA, CETA, and NWPTA which establish thresholds for public competition.  The City is committed to open, fair, and inclusive procurement practices and encourages participation from local businesses including diverse supplier groups.  

If you are interested in becoming a supplier or service provider for the City of Vernon, please see the question above: “How do I become a supplier or service provider to the City?”

All open procurement bid opportunities are listed on the City’s website under Bid Opportunities and bid documents are available on Euna Procurement (Bonfire) - Procurement Portal

The City of Vernon will post open procurement bid opportunities on the City’s website under Bid Opportunities and through the Procurement Portal Euna Procurement (Bonfire)

For some purchases, advertisements may also be found in the local newspapers, BC Bid, CivicInfo BC, or on Bid Central

A copy of the City's Procurement Policy can be found here. 

All standard terms and conditions are available from the City website. These documents have been posted for convenience, however, on occasion the City may make changes to the posted standard terms and conditions or issue supplemental special conditions. It is the vendor or contractor’s responsibility to ensure they review the bid and/or contract documents to ensure they have the most recent terms and conditions. 

All open procurement bid opportunities are posted to the City website. Once the contract has been executed the results will be posted under Bid Results or Annual Contracts for multi-year services. Posting results may take up to three weeks.

For the majority of used equipment and surplus material, the City uses GovDeals, BC Auction, or Local Area Auctioneers. Notice of disposals can be found on the City’s website under All Open Bid Opportunities. The item details are provided on the auction website along with bid closing date and time. Bidders must register (at no cost) on the auction site to be eligible to bid.

The City will also consider the use of other disposal methods including:

• Kiijii
• Castanet
• Auto Trader
• Donation

The City advertises all disposal items under All Open Bid Opportunities (look for DISPOSAL under the Project Description).

Any person, business, or corporate entity, under most circumstances, is eligible to become a City vendor.

Typical documentation required for contractors providing services would include, but not be limited to:

• Proof of a City of Vernon or inter-community business license
• Copy of current WorkSafe BC clearance letter
• Certificate of insurance – evidence of commercial general liability, automobile and/or professional errors & omissions liability insurance
• A prime contractor assignment (if applicable)

In an effort to take advantage of large-volume pricing, the City often issues a request for quote to establish annual contracts. The term of these annual contracts and supply agreements are based on bid specifications and requirements and may result in multi-year terms with renewal options.

In order to provide the many services that it does to residents and visitors alike, the City purchases a wide variety of goods and services.

Goods and services are broken down into the following general categories:

• Consumable supplies - Products that have a one-time life cycle; typical examples are paper products, office supplies, cleaning supplies and fuel
• General supplies - Items such as tools, uniforms, office machines, furniture, and smaller pieces of equipment
• Capital Assets - These are items not previously described, having a value in excess of $10,000; this includes improvements to City-owned roads, land and buildings, vehicles, and larger pieces of equipment
• Services - These include professional services provided by consultants such as; environmental, architectural, design and engineering services;  also included are general services such as janitorial, snow removal, landscape maintenance and line painting