PURCHASING THRESHOLDS
City employees are required to solicit quotations, bids, or proposals for items costing $10,000 and greater to obtain the quality of materials and/or services consistent with the city’s needs, in a timely manner and at the best value. Purchases will be made using sound purchasing judgment without favor or prejudice, to ensure that public money is spent efficiently and effectively. Potential vendors will be given an opportunity to provide quotations, bids or proposals and will be treated fairly in the process. For a listing of bid and proposal opportunities Click Here.
VENDOR REGISTRATION FORM
In order for your company to receive payment, the Finance Department must have a Vendor Registration Form on file. For more information and to download the packet Click Here.
PURCHASE ORDER REQUIREMENT
City employees are required to provide vendors with an authorized purchase order for purchases in the amount of $10,000 and greater. Vendor invoices must include the purchase order number when presented to the City for payment.
CITY ACCOUNTS
Vendors shall establish one City Account with the billing name, address and contact information given below. Vendors should not create multiple accounts for the City of Cedar Rapids. Vendors shall send original invoices via US mail to the physical address, send invoices electronically to the email address, or fax invoices to the fax number.
The City reserves the right to reject any invoice not sent to the locations below.
City of Cedar Rapids
Finance Department – Accounts Payable
101 First Street SE
PO Box 2148
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2148
Fax: 319-286-5300
Phone: 319-286-5013
Email: accountspayable@cedar-rapids.org
Primary Contact:
Jenni Vogt, Vendor Account Specialist
Phone: 319-286-5013
Email j.vogt@cedar-rapids.org
Secondary Contact:
Alyson Eadie, Accounts Payable Program Manager
Phone: 319-286-5096
Email: a.eadie@cedar-rapids.org
BILLING THE CITY
Invoices, statements, past due notices, account balance issues, etc. should be sent to the contact information listed under the CITY ACCOUNTS section. Using the proper address and contact information will assist the City in providing timely payment according to payment terms. The City reserves the right to either reject or adjust due dates according to the date the invoice is received by Accounts Payable when the invoice is sent to an address other than City Finance Department – Accounts Payable Division (see CITY ACCOUNTS section).
Terms of payment are stated on the purchase order or in the contract. The standard term of payment is Net 45 days.
INVOICE CONTENT
Vendor invoices shall clearly state the business name, physical address, remittance name, address, and invoice date. The invoices shall also provide detailed information as applicable to the goods and services purchased to include, but not limited to, purchase date, ship date, unit prices and quantities, detailed description of items and extended totals. All invoices shall include the City’s purchase order number.
Contract Work: The City shall not be billed for work performed prior to the effective date of the contract. Vendors shall obtain an authorized purchase order in addition to the signed contract. Invoices submitted under certain contract types such as a time and materials contract will require additional documentation including, but not limited to, timesheets and copies of receipts for materials purchased to support the invoice charges. Invoices shall state the terms of payment negotiated in the contract.
All contract invoices shall include the contract number assigned by the Finance Department - Accounts Payable Division. Incomplete invoices, invoices missing documentation or invoices with calculation errors may be returned to the vendor for correction.
INVOICE FORM FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES ONLY
The Cedar Rapids Invoice Form (CRCIF) is a standardized excel spreadsheet tailored specifically for Professional Service Providers. This form should only be used by companies who are under contract with the City where this CRCIF is required as part of the invoicing process.
SALES TAX EXEMPTION
The City of Cedar Rapids is a municipality and claims exemption from Iowa sales/use tax as a political subdivision of the State of Iowa.
Vendors awarded a contract related to a public improvement construction project may submit a request to the Accounts Payable Division accountspayable@cedar-rapids.org to register the contract with the Iowa Department of Revenue. Sales tax exemption certificates will be issued to the contractor and subcontractors for use in purchasing materials in performing the contract.
PAYMENT
Payments are issued to vendors by check, ACH Deposit or MasterCard credit card (see Procurement Card Program section). Check and ACH payments are approved by the City Council at regularly scheduled Council meetings. Council meetings are generally held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. Checks are mailed on the Thursday following the Council meeting. ACH payments are settled on the due date or the last business day prior to the due date. Questions about City checks or ACH payments may be directed to 319-286-5013 or emailed to accountspayable@cedar-rapids.org.
Vendors desiring to pick up checks from the Accounts Payable Division must make arrangements in advance by calling 319-286-5013. The individual picking up the check must present a statement signed by an authorized representative of the company and a driver’s license to confirm identification.
All payments approved by the City Council are published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette two weeks following the Council meeting. The Council meeting schedule can be found at:
http://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/city_council/city_council_meetings/index.php.
Detailed information on the City’s cash disbursements can be found on the Finance web site at:
http://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_a_-_f/finance/city_expenditures.php.
PROCUREMENT CARD PROGRAM
Authorized City buyers are issued a MasterCard credit card to make small dollar purchases. The City’s credit cards are restricted from certain establishments based on the vendor’s merchant category code (MCC) and by dollar limits assigned to the card. Vendors shall verify the identity of the cardholder when purchases are made in person by asking the cardholder to present his or her City badge. When purchases are not made in person, vendors shall use all prudent methods to verify the individual authorizing payment is the individual named on the credit card.
Purchases equal to or greater than $10,000 require the City buyers to present authorized purchase orders (see PURCHASE ORDER REQUIREMENT section) when purchasing using the credit card.
A detailed receipt/invoice shall be given to document the credit card charge. The receipt/invoice shall include all the required information as stated in the section titled Invoice Content.
SALES VISITS
Sales representatives are a valuable source of information in obtaining bids, specifications, state of the art advancements and product improvements. The Purchasing Services Division values your visits. However, it is recommended that as a professional courtesy, sales representatives call us for an appointment at (319) 286-5021 in order to productively utilize your time and ours.
GRATUITIES OR GIFTS
Vendors should not offer discounts on goods and/or services for personal purchases made by City employees unless the discounts are offered to the general public. In order to maintain integrity and to continue to foster ethical and equal opportunities among the business community, City employees and City departments are prohibited from accepting any gratuities, in any form, from any vendor or potential vendor either directly or indirectly. For more detailed information, please refer to Chapter 68B.22 of the Code of Iowa, Gifts Accepted or Received. The City of Cedar Rapids also respectfully requests that vendors do not send gifts such as calendars, candy, flowers, etc. for holidays or other special occasions. Gifts received will be returned to the vendor.
BUY LOCAL PROGRAM
The City of Cedar Rapids has adopted a Buy Local Program for the procurement of goods and/or services by competitive bid, quote or proposal. The City of Cedar Rapids shall give preference to a responsive bid from a business located within Linn County, Iowa over an acceptable low bid submitted by a business located outside Linn County. Click HERE for more information.
PROTEST PROCEDURE - CITY OF CEDAR RAPIDS
Click HERE for the Protest Procedure
TIE BID PROCEDURE - CITY OF CEDAR RAPIDS
Click HERE for the Tie Bid Procedure
