Purchasing and Central Services

 County Office Building, Room 200
39 W. Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614
 Colleen Anderson, Purchasing Manager

 Phone: 585 753-1100
 Fax: 585 753-1104
 [email protected]

Welcome

The Monroe County Division of Purchasing and Central Services is the primary organization within the County authorized to issue public bids, requests for quotations, requests for proposals/qualifications (RFPs), along with processing and releasing purchase orders. The County is comprised of a number of diverse operating units including the Greater Rochester International Airport, Department of Public Health, Social Services, Environmental Services, Parks, Department of Transportation, Facilities Management, Monroe Community Hospital, and the Office of the Sheriff which includes the Monroe County Jail and Correctional Facility. Given the nature of county business, we purchase a wide variety and often times substantial quantity of goods and services.

The Division of Purchasing and Central Services is comprised of two units: the Purchasing Unit and the Contracts Unit. The Purchasing Unit is responsible for administering purchase and public works contracts in accordance with New York State General Municipal Law while the Contracts Unit is responsible for coordinating the execution of Service Contracts, which includes professional services agreements, and agency contracts with not-for-profit agencies.

Where We Are Located

The Purchasing Department is located in Room 200 of the County Office Building (39 W. Main St.) in Downtown Rochester on the corner of West Main and Fitzhugh Streets. You can get to Fitzhugh Street by taking the Plymouth Avenue exits from I-490.

Our Mission

The Monroe County Division or Purchasing and Central Services is committed to securing the highest quality goods and services at the lowest possible cost, in accordance with New York State Law.

Vision Statement

The Monroe County Division of Purchasing and Central Services will leverage technology to automate the process of purchasing for internal user departments and County vendors.

Overview of the Purchasing Process

Purchase and Public Works Contracts: Pursuant to State Law, public bidding is required for purchase contracts exceeding $20,000 and public work contracts in excess of $35,000. Public bidding involves three primary requirements:

  1. Bids must be advertised in the County’s official newspapers (Rochester Business Journal and the Daily Record)
  2. Bids must be received in a sealed envelope and publicly opened and read
  3. The County must make an award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder

For purchase and public works contracts in amounts of more than $500 and less than the public bidding limits, County Buyers in the Purchasing Unit will seek to secure a minimum of three quotations and make an award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. End users in departments typically identify those companies able to provide a particular product or service while Buyers utilize the Vendor Database to identify additional vendors able to provide these products and services. When the quotations are returned to Purchasing, a purchase order is issued to the lowest responsive, responsible vendor.

Service Contracts: The Contracts Unit of the Division of Purchasing and Central Services is responsible for the execution of contracts not subject to public bidding, called Service Contracts. Service Contracts include professional services agreements, and agency contracts for health and human services with not-for-profit agencies and organizations.

Online Purchasing Information

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