Objectives
The principle objective of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Purchasing Unit is the acquisition of quality goods and services at the lowest cost; we are constantly seeking new sources of supply. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office welcomes your participation in these efforts and promises to treat all vendors fairly.

Purchasing Procedures
Once a need is identified, acquisitions made through the Clay County Sheriff’s Office require competitive quotes or bids and approvals prior to issuance of a Purchase Order or contract. A Purchase Order is the primary means of procurement. For your own protection, you should always make certain that a purchase order has been issued to your company before making deliveries of service or merchandise or incurring any expenses with the exception of emergency situations.

• Purchases in the aggregate amount of $0 to $299.99 should be evidenced by verbal quotes from a minimum of three (3) vendors. A Purchase Order will be issued. (Purchases up to $50.00 may be paid from petty cash.)
• Purchases in the aggregate amount of $300.00 to $2,999.00 require written or verbal quotes from a minimum of three (3) vendors. A Purchase Order will be issued.
• Purchases in the aggregate amount of $3,000.00 to $9,999.99 require written quotes from a minimum of three (3) vendors. A Purchase Order will be issued
• Purchases in the aggregate amount of $10,000.00 or greater may require a formal sealed bid in the form of Invitations to Bid or Request for Proposals (RFP). All Bids and RFP’s are advertised in a newspaper of county wide distribution at least 10 days prior to the bid closing date. Bids and RFP’s can also be viewed through this web site and are also available for pick up at:
  
  The Clay County Sheriff’s Office
  901 North Orange Avenue
  Green Cove Springs, FL 32043 or by calling
  (904) 213-6029, Fax (904) 213-6478
  Hours of Operation 8:00am - 5:00pm, Monday through Friday

Submitting a Bid
All Bids and RFP’s must be submitted in a sealed envelope and identified as indicated in the specifications. These may be delivered by mail or personally. All bids will be opened publicly on the date and time indicated in the specifications. Bids received after the specified date and time will not be eligible.

Taxes
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is exempt from the payment of all federal excise taxes and sales taxes of the State of Florida. The Sheriff’s Office will provide exemption certificates or provide our Tax ID Number when requested.

Shipping/Terms
All quotes must identify shipping costs separately. Terms are normally net 30.

Code of Ethics
Public purchasing officials are required to maintain high standards of ethics and conduct and maintain complete independence and impartiality in dealings with vendors, both in fact and in appearance, in order to preserve the integrity of the competitive process and to ensure there is public confidence that contracts are awarded equitably and economically. The following are excerpts from Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes, Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees:

Section 112.313(2), Florida Statutes, states:

Solicitation or Acceptance of Gifts - No public officer, employee of an agency, or candidate for nomination or election shall solicit or accept anything of value to the recipient, including a gift, loan, reward, promise of future employment, favor or service, based upon any understanding that the vote, official action, or judgment of the public officer, employee or candidate would be influenced thereby.

Section 112,313(4), Florida Statutes, states:

Unauthorized Compensation - No public officer or employee of an agency or his spouse or minor child shall, at any time, accept any compensation, payment, or thing of value when such public officer or employee knows, or, with the exercise of reasonable care, should know, that it was given to influence a vote or other action in which the officer or employee was expected to participate in his official capacity.

In order to avoid the possibility of any misunderstandings regarding compliance with the law and regarding any appearance of impropriety relative to the competitive process for awarding contracts, it is respectfully requested that vendors refrain from offering anything of value to staff of the Sheriff’s Office.