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Government > Departments > Finance - Purchasing - Solicitation Methods

Finance

Doing Business with the City

The Purchasing Division purchases commodities and services in accordance with City ordinances and Illinois State Statutes. The City procures the goods and services it requires using different solicitation methods, such as:

Formal Solicitations

Formal Invitations to Bid, Request for Proposals, Request for Qualifications are issued when the estimated cost of the good/service exceeds the City's formal bid limit of $20,000. These solicitations are advertised in the Legal Notice section of the Evanston Review. Award of contracts is made to the supplier that provides the lowest responsive and responsible bid, or the proposal that is in the best interests of the City to accept. Award of contracts resulting from the formal solicitation process are submitted to the City Council for review and approval.

Informal Solicitations

For purchases costing less than the City's formal bid limit of $20,000, the Purchasing Division solicits quotes from interested suppliers and places orders/issues contracts to the supplier that provides the lowest responsive and responsible quote, or the proposal that is in the best interests of the City to accept. Items costing less than the formal bid limit are not subject to City Council approval.