Purchasing Procedures

All purchases of goods and services shall be made in accordance with rules and regulations as specified in the Anne Arundel County Code and the regulations outlined in the Purchasing Manual.

Contact Information
Purchasing
(410) 222-7620

Purchasing small procurement thresholds:

  • Purchases up to $5,000.00 - one quotation
  • Purchases exceeding $5,000 to $100,000 - attempt to obtain three quotations confirmed in writing
  • Purchases over $100,000 - formal public solicitation requiring advertising in a newspaper of general circulation

Planning is Everyone's Responsibility

Strive to be responsive by planning ahead and undertaking activities that will allow us to address purchase requests in a timely manner even if our using agencies fail to plan

Educate Customers

Educate County agencies on how to better select products or vendors that they can purchase themselves at low dollar values that can allow them to get what they need faster.

Reduce Time

Reduce time by simplifying the process for departments to procure goods or services while ensuring compliance with County policies and procedures.

Generate Savings

Drive growth in savings and increase customer service to the agencies by providing staff with ways to drive additional savings.

Focus on Higher Value Activities

Focus on higher value activities by reducing the amount of touches that occur with low value and low risk transactions to enable County resources to focus on high value and high risk transactions.

Manage Risk

Improve management of risk to County with contract language that enables Purchasing to identify the overall process without adding unnecessary time or delay.

Ensure Customer Friendly Focus

Create a customer-friendly process to conduct business with the County by making it easier for using Agencies and Departments to obtain the goods and services they require.

All capital construction projects require Bid Bonds (5% of proposed price); Performance Bond (100% of award amount) and Labor and Material Bond (50% of award amount).
 
Commodity/Service Invitations for Bids (IFB) and Requests for Proposals (RFP) may require any of the bondsstated above. The requirement will be specified in the IFB or RFP when applicable.

All service and construction contracts require insurance certificates for general liability, workers compensation and may require automobile liability naming the County as an additional insured.

Contractors interested in Capital Construction Contracts are required to register in the County's eProcurement System (PORT)  in order to be added to the list of businesses notified when the County is soliciting bids for Capital Improvement Projects.
 
Architects and Engineers interested in participating in County projects should submit a Modified SF 254 Form identifying the County disciplines for which they wish to be pre-qualified. The form may be obtained by using the A/E Prequalification Instructions at https://www.aacounty.org/central-services/purchasing/purchasing-procedures/ae-prequalification-instructions.
 
All forms should be forwarded to:

Anne Arundel County Purchasing Office
purchasing@aacounty.org
(410) 222-4142