Purchasing Division
The Purchasing Division is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is located on the Ground Floor of City Hall, 111 E. Maple, Independence, Missouri 64051-0519; phone 816-325-7087; fax 816-325-7088.
The Purchasing Division seeks to secure equipment, materials and services for City departments in an efficient, professional and timely manner, and at the lowest cost.
If you wish to contact a member of the staff, a list is included on this website. Click Purchasing Staff.
To provide quality service through effective communication and a cooperative working relationship with all departments and vendors, in order to fulfill the needs of the City of Independence for goods and services in a professional, responsive, timely and cost effective manner, and in accordance with all legal requirements and ethical standards.
Whenever a department of the City requests equipment or materials in excess of $25,000, vendors who have subscribed with the City's third-party provider will be notified. Upon receiving an Invitation to Bid, the vendor should carefully read the entire document. It is the vendor's responsibility to obtain all bonds, insurance, and any other requested documents, as outlined in the Invitation to Bid.
Pre-bid conferences may be held for formal, sealed bids to provide vendors with the opportunity to ask questions regarding the bid. In these cases, the bid solicitation will outline the time and place of the pre-bid conference and indicate if attendance is mandatory in order to participate in the bidding process.
A public bid opening is required for formal, sealed bids. Public bid openings are on the date and time specified in the solicitation in the Purchasing Division offices located on the Ground Floor of City Hall, 111 E. Maple, Independence, Missouri 64051. Bids must be stamped "received" in the Purchasing Division prior to the stated deadline in order to be accepted.
Price agreements are used to purchase many goods and services the City buys repetitively over the course of a year. These agreements are bid for commodities, equipment or services for a specified period of time, usually one year with possible renewals. Awards may be made to qualified, single or multiple vendors who meet specifications and conditions.
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is used in lieu of an Invitation to Bid when sealed bidding is either not practicable or not advantageous to the City. When the City issues a RFP, it will contain a scope of service to be addressed by the proposal. Only the names of the responders will be identified at the opening of the RFP.
Using the process of Request for Proposal must promote overall economy for the purpose intended and encourage maximum practicable competition that satisfies the needs of the City. An award will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the City.
The City of Independence sells its government surplus property through multiple online auction services. Citizens can see the items before they purchase by making an appointment with a Purchasing staff member (816-325-7093).
Purchases between $501 and $25,000 can be processed by a Request for Quotation via telephone, fax or electronic media. Vendors may wish to supply catalogs or other literature regarding their products to the Purchasing staff for review.
A petty cash check or procurement card is normally used to obtain items needed by departments where the cost is $500 or less.
The Purchasing Division does not process public improvement and construction contracts. Public Works generally handles these; however, depending on the project, they may be administered by individual departments.
The City of Independence is exempt from Missouri Sales and Use Tax on purchases.
The federal consent decree and a state settlement agreement regarding alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.