Registering as a Vendor

All Vendors wishing to do business with the City of Hammond must be registered. This allows the opportunity to identify those products and services they wish to offer to the City of Hammond. Vendor registration makes it easier for departments to find your company.

Vendors may register by printing out the Vendor Registration Packet: Vendor Registration Packet. After the Vendor has completed the forms they must be mailed to the following address:

City of Hammond Purchasing Department Vendor Registration P.O. Box 2788 Hammond, LA 70404-2788

Payment Procedures

All invoices received in the Purchasing Department must reference a valid purchase order number in order to be paid. A person.s name, requisition number, or telephone number are not valid purchase order numbers. Invoices without a valid purchase order number are returned to the Vendor and no action is taken in Purchasing.

All requests for purchases and services, regardless of the sources of funding, must be processed through the Purchasing Department on a requisition to obtain a purchase order. No purchase order will be issued if a purchase has already been made.

Except for emergencies or other authorized exemptions, no purchase can be made without a purchase order number. Such purchases are void and not considered an obligation of the City.

Please note that employees outside of the Purchasing Division are not authorized to commit the City to a purchase. The City is not responsible for any unauthorized purchases/deliveries and will not take responsibility for payment.

Bidding Information

A Bid is a response to a request for bids and constitutes the vendor.s offer to sell the City of Hammond specific items or services at a firm price, under the contractural terms and conditions outlined in the bid request. Any purchase of materials or supplies that exceed $20,000.00 require a formal bid unless the purchase is made from the state contract. Please do not erase, correct or write over any prices or figures necessary for the completion of a bid. If a correction is necessary, each one must be initialed. Failure to comply with the requirements may cause your bid to be disqualified.

The Purchasing Department prepares a formal bid packet, prepared with written specifications describing the minimum standards for the products or service being solicited, after meeting with the City Department initiating the purchase. Bid packages will be mailed upon request.

Specifications should set out the essential characteristics of items being purchased but written in a manner to invite open competition. Any manufacturer.s names, trade names, brand names, or catalog numbers used in the specifications are for the purpose of describing and establishing general quality levels. Such references are not intended to be restrictive unless the invitation to bid states that only the brand name will be considered for reasons of compatibility, etc.

Formal bids are published in a local newspaper at least twice. Bids are opened and read aloud by the Purchasing Department at City Hall on the date and time specified in the bid package. The Purchasing Department will recommend to the Director of Administration the responsive bidder to be awarded the bid. If the Director of Administration approves the recommendation of the Purchasing Department, the request to award the bid will be placed on the City Council agenda.

At a regular City Council meeting, the City Council will then review the information supplied by the Purchasing Department and award the bid to the best-qualified responsive bidder.