Bids and Procurement
In accordance with legal and ethical practices of the procurement profession, the Procurement Department of Harford Community College has the sole authority to issue purchase orders, order supplies, materials and equipment and to obligate the College for contractual services. They are responsible for conducting the procurement function to obtain the greatest value and benefit for the College.
The authorization to make purchases is typically given through the issuance of a College purchase order signed and issued by the Director for Procurement. The College shall honor no purchases or commitments to purchase commodities or services unless directly authorized by the Procurement Department.
It is the policy of HCC that all actual or prospective bidders, respondents, offerors, or contractors that believe that they have been aggrieved by the solicitation or award of a purchase order or contract be offered administrative adjudication.
Formal protests of contract awards shall be made in writing to the Director for Procurement and shall be filed within ten (10) calendar days after the protesting party knows or should have knowledge of the facts giving rise to the protest. Protests filed after ten (10) calendar days will not be considered. The written protest shall include, at a minimum, the following information:
- Clear indication that the communication is a formal, written protest
- The name and address of the protesting party
- Appropriate identification of the procurement such as the solicitation number
- A statement of the reasons for the protest
- Supporting exhibits, evidence, or documents to substantiate any claims
- Signature of the duly authorized officer or agent of the protesting party
The Director for Procurement may request additional information from the protesting party who shall submit the information within established time periods. The protest will be forwarded by the Director for Procurement to the College’s General Counsel for review and recommendation. When a protest has been filed within ten (10) calendar days, and before an award has been made, the procurement process may be suspended at the sole discretion of the Director for Procurement and no award of the contract will be made until the protest has been settled. A decision on a protest shall be made in writing by the Director for Procurement within ten (10) working days after receiving the recommendation from the College’s General Counsel.
An appeal of a decision of the Director for Procurement may be submitted in writing to the College’s Vice President for Finance and Operations. Notification of the intent to appeal a decision of the Director for Procurement shall be communicated to the Director for Procurement, via mail or email, within two (2) business days of receipt of the decision. The actual appeal shall be filed not later than seven (7) calendar days after the receipt of such decision. The appeal shall contain a detailed statement of the factual and legal grounds upon which a reversal or modification is deemed warranted specifying any errors of law or information not previously considered. A decision of an appeal will be made as expeditiously as possible. The decision of the Vice President of Finance and Operations shall be final with respect to administrative remedies.
When a contract or purchase order is awarded on some basis other than price alone, unsuccessful bidders may request a debriefing from the Director for Procurement within a reasonable time. Requests for debriefing shall be made in writing. Debriefings shall be provided at the earliest feasible time after the final recommendation has been made and approved the College’s Board of Trustees (if applicable). The debriefing shall be conducted by the Director for Procurement.
The debriefing shall be limited to discussion of the unsuccessful bidder’s proposal and may not include discussion of a competing bidder’s confidential or proprietary information. The debriefing shall be factual, consistent with the evaluation proposal and may provide information on areas in which the unsuccessful bidder’s proposal was deemed weak or deficient.
The debriefing may not include discussion or dissemination of the thoughts, notes or rankings of individual members of an evaluation committee, but may include a summary of the rationale for the decision and recommended contract award.
To review or obtain copies of Harford Community College records, you must make a written request under Maryland’s Public Information Act (“MPIA”) to the Director for Communications (ndysard@harford.edu).
The MPIA, which gives the public the right to review and obtain copies of disclosable public records, is found in the General Provisions Article, §§4-101 through 4-601, of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
BID BOARD
Harford Community College will advertise/post all large dollar solicitations in the Procurement Department Bid Board links below and on the electronic commerce system, Emaryland Marketplace, administered by the Maryland Department of General Services.
Vendors must register on the EMMA site vendors to receive email notifications of solicitations posted in the category(ies) for which they registered. There is no fee to register. Questions regarding the EMM site may be directed to eMMA.helpdesk@maryland.gov.
Solicitation Documents | Solicitation Results
PROSPECTIVE VENDORS
The Procurement Department, guided by Maryland law, is charged with the responsibility of obtaining the greatest value and benefit for the College, in accordance with legal and ethical practices of the procurement profession. The centralized Procurement Department has the sole authority for issuing purchase orders for materials, supplies, contractual services and equipment for the College.
The Procurement Department actively supports diversity and is committed to promoting a supplier base and business partners that are diverse. The Procurement Department makes every effort to advance equal economic opportunity aimed at increasing utilization of qualified minority and women owned suppliers.
The College is committed to campus-wide sustainability initiatives and has a general preference for recycled and environmentally preferable products.
Vendors requiring completion of credit application information should forward documents to the Procurement Department. Harford Community College is generally exempt from Federal excise and Maryland Sales and Use Tax. A tax exemption certificate is available upon request.