Williamson County This page contains information about Williamson County procurement which may be helpful to vendors.

You may want to download a copy of How to do Business with Williamson County - A Guide for Interested Vendors.

How Do I Do Business with Williamson County?

Any successful business relationship requires a mutual understanding of the basic needs and expectations of the related parties. The purchasing department works closely with individual departments, sharing information about general as well as specific needs that you, the individual business person, may have in our business relationship. We too, expect that you are aware of what our requirements and limitations are in regard to purchasing laws and county purchasing policy. It is only when we understand, communicate, and work together, that our relationship becomes mutually beneficial.

A Checklist

• Provide information about your company and what commodities and services you can provide
  a. to county departments 
  b. to the purchasing department

• Familiarize yourself with the period of time that various commodities and services will be publicly bid
• Familiarize yourself with the procedures the county uses in publicly advertising for bids
• Visit this Web site often for updates

• Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up 

Contact Information

The Purchasing Department is located at 301 S.E. Inner Loop, Ste.  106, Georgetown, Texas 78626. The telephone number is (512) 943-3553. Our e-mail address is purchase@wilco.org. Normal business hours are from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

To find contact information for various County departments, please click here to list all departments.

Source Selection

The list of prospective bidders is constantly updated and new prospective bidders are added whenever possible. Vendors who want to be added to the bidders' list for a commodity should

• subscribe to receive requests for bids and proposals on-line
• mail to:
  Purchasing Dept.
  301 S.E. Inner Loop, Ste.  106
  Georgetown, Texas 78626

Bids

Information on bids and proposals may be obtained in several ways:

• The bid schedule and bid packages for some commodities are available on-line.
• The Purchasing Department will e-mail bid and proposal information to all vendors who have subscribed to receive it. Usually information sent this way is available earlier than the following ways.
• The Purchasing Department will advertise bids in two newspapers with general circulation within the county; the first advertisement will be at least two weeks in advance of the Bid Opening Date.
• The Purchasing Department may mail, fax, or e-mail requests for bids to suppliers in a particular category.
• Current bid invitations are available for review by the public at the Purchasing Department during working hours.
• Copies of specific bid invitations may be requested verbally or in writing at any time prior to bid opening.

Completed bids may be submitted by postal mail, hand delivered, or electronically sent to the Purchasing Department. Bid responses will be accepted by fax or e-mail. Please see hereafter. The bid must be received in the Purchasing Department prior to the specified time on the Bid Opening Date.

The County bid openings are open to the public. Vendors interested in submitting bids should review the respective Invitation for Bid (IFB) or Request for Proposal (RFP) information for exact date, time, and location for bid opening.

Instructions for Submitting a Bid Electronically

Williamson County welcomes the submission of electronic bids. To facilitate your participation in the bidding process, the county will accept your bid by facsimile or by e-mail. You should read the following instructions carefully and contact the purchasing office if you have any questions regarding the submission of a bid. The following rules shall apply to any and all bids submitted by facsimile or by e-mail. Failure to follow these specific guidelines may cause the bid to be rejected.

1. You MUST obtain an Authorization Code.  
2. Only one Authorization Code is required per vendor (Your assigned code should be used for all bids that you submit)
3. Your application for an Authorization Code must be received by the purchasing office at least 48 hours prior to the bid closing time.
4. If you are submitting a bid by facsimile, you should send a complete set of the required bid documents to the following facsimile number:
   512-943-1575
   Your faxed bid must have your assigned authorization number on the fax cover sheet.  Your faxed bid MUST be received at least 15 Minutes prior to the Bid Closing Deadline. Vendors submitting by facsimile are responsible for assuring that readable copies of the bid documents are submitted.
5. If you are submitting a bid by E-mail, you should send a complete set of the required bid documents to the following E-mail address:  eBids@wilco.org
   Your e-mail bid must have your assigned authorization number on the subject line of  your email. Your E-mailed bid MUST be received at least 15 Minutes prior to the Bid Closing Deadline. Vendors submitting by E-mail are responsible for assuring that readable copies of the bid documents are submitted.

Awards and Protests

Award of a contract will be made to the bidder who submits the lowest and best bid which conforms to specifications, terms, and conditions of the invitation for bid.

In the case of a protest or dispute, any vendor may write to the Director of Purchasing, 301 S.E. Inner Loop, Ste.  106, Georgetown, Texas 78626, outlining any concerns which may exist.

Price Information

All opened bids which contain price information are available for public inspection at the Purchasing Department during regular working hours. County employees are not required or encouraged to provide bid prices by telephone.

Tax Status

Williamson County claims an exemption from sales taxes because purchases are being made for the exclusive use of the County.

Delivery and Invoices

The purchase order will specify the appropriate delivery address. Substitutions of items specified in a purchase order are not permitted without prior written approval. The County assumes no liability for payments of purchases except those incurred in accordance with current purchasing regulations.

Invoices for materials/supplies delivered should be submitted to the requesting department. Any questions related to invoices may be directed to: Williamson County Accounts Payable, 301 S.E. Inner Loop, Ste.  106, Georgetown, Texas 78626. You may also call Accounts Payable at (512) 943-1557 or (512) 943-1558.

Mission

The mission of the Purchasing Department is to procure goods and services for Williamson County in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible, while adhering to the requirements of County, state, and federal regulations, rules, and procedures. It is the intent of the Purchasing Department to utilize the talents and resources of the individual County departments in the purchasing effort. After all, they are the end users and have a better understanding of their needs. This allows the Purchasing department to:

• oversee the purchasing process and assure that pertinent laws and guidelines are followed
• keep government from growing unnecessarily
• work more closely with interested vendors
   

You may also want to download a copy of the Williamson County Purchasing Manual formatted in Word.

The Purchasing staff consists of the Director of Purchasing and a team of professional support staff.  Our offices are at 301 Inner Loop Annex, Ste. 106 [map ].