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Doing Business with Barnstable County

The Barnstable County Purchasing Division oversees the purchase of goods and services to the various departments of the County Regional Government as well as the collective purchasing of different commodities annually on behalf of the Towns on the Cape and political subdivisions.

Purchasing collectively is strictly on a voluntary basis and not all Towns participate in all purchases. However participation is encouraged as often as possible to take advantage of large purchases through this collective effort.

When the bids are advertised for goods or services that will be offered to the cooperative, a breakdown of the participating Towns and the approximate quantities for each will always be in the bid document. Because of this the bidder will have a very good idea as to the size of the bid and who the participating Towns will be including addresses and locations. As the lead agency, Barnstable County encourages its bidders to take advantage of the buying power of its cooperative.

Barnstable County has partnered with Bonfire Interactive to provide a procurement portal that will allow vendors and suppliers to access business opportunities and submit bids and proposals to the county digitally.

Vendors are requested to visit the Barnstable County Procurement Portal, then follow the link to the Bonfire vendor registration page to register your company.

Registration is easy and free.  If you have any challenges with the registration process, please contact Bonfire Interactive Support at support@gobonfire.com.

For a quick tutorial on the use of Bonfire please visit Bonfire’s training site specifically for Vendors.

Closed bid results, documents and award information from FY21 are available on the Bonfire page under “Past Public Opportunities”.  Anything prior to FY21 please email Purchasing information.

For Vendors doing business with the Departments within the County Regional Government, Vendor Self Service (VSS) is available to enter and maintain contact and remittance information, discount and payment terms, designated contact persons, view current and prior 1099 data, purchase orders, contracts, invoices, and checks.

To register/login visit: Vendor Self Service

Minority / Women-Owned Businesses & Small, Locally-Owned Businesses

Barnstable County encourages the participation of Minority/ Women Owned Businesses (MBE’s) and small / locally owned businesses. The Commonwealth’s Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) certifies minority business. When registering into the Online Supplier Portal, please indicate the certification that your business has with the State.

The County does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion or country of origin.

Environmentally Preferable Procurement Practices

Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) are a products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. Such products or services may include but are not limited to, those which contain recycled content, minimize waste, conserve energy or water, and reduce the amount of toxins either disposed of or consumed.

The County encourages the procurement of recycled products whenever feasible and when cost, performance and availability are not compromised.

Barnstable County Payment Terms & Conditions

Payment Terms are Net 30 days, however, vendors may offer prompt pay discounts on all goods and services.

Purchase Order Terms & Conditions

County Tied Bid Policy

In the event of a tied bid the County has approved the following policy: County Tied Bid Policy

Where can I get information on a bid?

All of our bids are listed on our e-sourcing website: https://barnstablecounty.bonfirehub.com under “Open Opportunities”.

Who is my point of contact on a bid at the Purchasing Department?

Questions can be submitted directly within the project “Vendor Discussion” in Bonfire.

How can I obtain plans and specifications for a project?

Bids are available on the County’s Bonfire website under the bid project in “Open Opportunities”.

How can I find out who else is bidding for a project?

A bidders list is available directly on the County’s Bonfire website under the bid project in “Open Opportunities”.

How can I find out who’s been awarded a contract?

Once a bid has been awarded, a results document will be uploaded onto Bonfire under the project documents as soon as it’s available.

Where do I send my invoices?

Your invoices are being paid by the department with which you have a contract. In most cases, the Purchasing Division helps assemble a contract but isn’t responsible for payments. Please do not send your invoices to the Purchasing Department unless your contract is with the Purchasing Department.

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