Procurement Services

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• Appropriate insurance as directed by the City of Abbotsford
• WorkSafe BC Letter showing good standing
• Prime Delegation letter (if applicable)
• City of Abbotsford Business License
• A Safety Program in place that meets the requirements of WorkSafe BC
• A completed Vendor Profile / Electronic Funds Transfer Application form (EFT)

The Approved Vendor Program is a pre-qualified list that is used on an as needed basis for a variety of services for the City of Abbotsford. Once service providers have been approved they are added to a list that City operations can then directly award smaller work to or be invited to quote on larger jobs. There is no commitment or guarantee of work at any time. To be added to the City’s Approved Vendor Program each company must complete a registration package and submit the required documentation to the City. New applications are accepted continuously throughout each term. To apply for this program and to view any active opportunities go to the BC Bid website and browse for opportunities in Abbotsford.

Examples of services that are accepting registrations:

• Electrical
• Fencing
• HVAC
• Property Clean Up Services

The Hired Equipment Program is an equipment and operator registration process that creates a list of operators that supplement the City’s Engineering and Parks Operations Divisions on as, if and when needed basis. There is no commitment or guarantee of work at any time.

An invitation is advertised on BC Bid once a year. All current registered companies under this program will be sent a letter with the option to continue under this program and retain their place in the rotation. During the registration window new companies may submit registration and current companies have an opportunity to update their rates.

The following equipment categories are available under this program:

• Tandem Dump Trucks
• Mini/Compact Excavators - Less Than 21,000 Lbs (9,526 Kg)
• Excavators - Greater Than 21,000 Lbs (9,526 Kg)
• Excavators (Long Boom) - Greater Than 21,000 Lbs (9,526 Kg)
• Backhoes
• Skid Steers
• Vacuum Trucks (Vacuum Only)
• Vacuum/Flush Combination Trucks
• Hydro Excavation Trucks (Excavation Only Not Combination Trucks)
• Graders
• Water Trucks
• Miscellaneous Equipment (Combination Units)

To be added to the City’s Hired Equipment Program each company must complete a registration package during the registration window and submit the required documentation to the City. Pricing is updated annually.

To register for this program in January of each year, go to Abbotsford's Bonfire Hub or BC Bid and browse for opportunities in Abbotsford. View the full description of the Annual Hired Equipment Guide and Scope of Work.

The Procurement and Supply Services division is a support service for all City Divisions and a liaison between the vendor community and the City. We provide professional expertise in Procurement, Contracts and Supply Chain Management and ensure fair and transparent procurement processes are being followed.

Procurement assists in sourcing supplies, equipment and services to provide the City departments with best overall value and is authorized to issue contracts. The competitive bid process is managed in accordance with municipal guidelines, policies, legislated trade agreements and provincial laws.

The City of Abbotsford posts the majority of competitive goods and services opportunities over $75K and construction projects over $200K on posted on the BC Bid website. 

Competitive opportunity documents are distributed and responses are collected through a cloud base portal called Bonfire. 

More information on how and when competitive bids are issued, can be found in the City of Abbotsford’s Council Policy C002-03, Purchasing, Equipment & Supplies.

The City utilizes two main types of procurement competitions:

1. Tender

   Tenders are generally for projects with very specific mandatory requirements and most often use a low price evaluation scale to award work (low price).

2. Request for Proposal (RFP).

RFP’s often have less mandatory requirements and are evaluated on a number of criteria with less emphasis on price. There is more flexibility with RFP’s to negotiate and clarify items with proponents and no award is guaranteed until execution of a contract.  The RFP evaluation process includes a team of evaluators who conduct an individual evaluation and then come together to discuss their results and form a consensus scoring. For most projects the highest ranked proponent based on all of the disclosed criteria (outlined in the RFP), are awarded the work. In some cases a short list will be developed from the initial evaluation and those Proponents will be further evaluated through interviews or demos. 

All companies will be sent a formal letter of regret or award for competitive opportunities they have submitted a response to, once the appropriate approvals have been completed. Any Proponent is encouraged to request a debrief of their proposal by contacting the Procurement division. Debriefs will outline the areas of strengths and opportunities in the proposals and specific observations of the evaluation team. The intent of the debrief sessions are to assist Proponents to focus on areas of their Proposals that may be developed for future competitions.  

All annual current and awarded opportunities are posted above, on this webpage.

The City of Abbotsford utilizes a Approved Vendor List program for specific services such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, Graphic Output and Painting for its day to day operations. New service type lists are added to this program throughout the year and the list will be updated here.

We also have an annual Hired Equipment Program in which companies can submit their company information including rates to be added to our call out list.

For all other products or services email a brief introduction of your organization or product and it will be forwarded to the appropriate divisions within the City.

Bonfire is a secure portal to manage procurement competitions. Current Bid Opportunities and Awards can be accessed by clicking on the links as advertised in the City of Abbotsford Opportunities on BC Bid and/or in the Current Bid Opportunities on this page.