Thank you for your interest in doing business with the County of Los Angeles. This website has been created to acquaint you with the County's purchasing and contracting programs. Specifically, it will address

• how to participate in commodity purchasing and service contracting
  
• how to become a registered vendor
  
• what the County buys
  
• what purchasing and contracting opportunities are available.
  
• what County business requirements are imposed on vendors
  
• where to locate other government resources

The County of Los Angeles is an entity comprised of 38 separate departments that provide a wide range of services and/or facilities to the citizens and employees of the County including law enforcement, public health, animal control, hospital, public libraries, beaches, marinas, parks, golf courses, foster homes, fire stations, paramedic services, probation camps, construction and related crafts, voter registration and elections, tax bills and more. The County does business with large firms, as well as small firms and individual entrepreneurs.

How are commodities and services acquired by the County?

The authority for acquiring commodities and services in the County is found in various sections of the California State Codes and the Los Angeles Code. The Director of the Internal Services Department (ISD) is the Purchasing Agent for the County. This means that ISD is responsible for purchases of commodities (goods and products), as well as contracts for services under $100,000 for all County departments, with some exceptions. Each department has its own procurement unit that interfaces with ISD to purchase these commodities and services. Some individual departments have delegated authority to establish non-agreement purchases of up to $5,000 or $15,000 for commodities and services on their own without involving ISD. The County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors must award service contracts over $100,000.

Architect, engineer, and construction contracts over $75,000 require Board of Supervisor approval. Under that amount, ISD and Public Works have authority to award the contracts.

Cost-effective service privatization contracts over $25,000 (often referred to as Proposition A contracts) require Board of Supervisor approval. Under $25,000 contracts can be awarded by individual departments.

*Not Applicable

1. Proposition "A" Contracts - under $25,000 may be approved by Department Head. Board of Supervisors must approve over $25,000
   Non-Proposition "A" Contracts - under $100,000 may be approved by Purchasing Agent -Over $100,000 must be approved by Board of Supervisors
2. Authority to approve commodities up to either $5,000 or $15,000 per transaction has been delegated to certain departments by the Purchasing Agent

What methods are used to solicit for commodity purchases and service contracts?

The information below illustrates the general guidelines used based on the value of the commodity purchase or service contract for acquisitions not on agreement:

Agreements

It is the policy of the County to develop non-exclusive negotiated agreements whenever the County's best interests are served. These contracts, which are competitively bid, enable County departments to take
advantage of opportunities to acquire supplies, materials, equipment and value-added services at prices
that are substantially lower than through other procurement methods.

Agreements cover a broad range of products within a product category. They allow departments to obtain similar and related products from one or more sources at a competitively bid and negotiated price. Master Agreements are in place for office supplies, personal computers, printing services, janitorial supplies, and building materials, as well as other commodities and services needed by County departments.

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