by Julia Vosnock
October 2008
City’s Purchasing Division is located at the City/County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, NC 28401.
The following guidelines should help you if you wish to do business with the City of Wilmington:
On the Web –Opportunities are available by accessing the City’s webpage, www.wilmingtonnc.gov - “Current bids.” Projects with subcontracting opportunities are indicated by and asterisk (*).
On TV – GTV-8, Time Warner Channel 8, also lists bidding/project opportunities.
Bidder’s List Application – Submit the Bidder’s List Application to the Purchasing Division so we may contact you for goods or services that your business provides. This application can be printed from our web page. Once completed, fax the application to the fax number listed at the top of the form. For Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), see next section.
Prequalification- In order to bid on construction projects with the City over $100,000 General Contractors must be prequalified by the City. The application can be obtained from the City Website or from the Purchasing Office.
Minority, Women, or Disadvantaged, Business Enterprises Certification – If your business is a minority-owned (MBE), woman-owned (WBE), or disadvantaged-owned (DBE), please consider becoming “certified” as a minority firm through the North Carolina Department of Administrations Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB), New Hanover County, NC DOT, or the Small Business Administration. The City of Wilmington does not “certify” businesses; however, we recognize certifications from the above stated entities. Once certified by one of the entities listed above and only if certified, the City of Wilmington will include your company’s name in our M/WBE Directory.
Plans and Specs – Construction Bid Notices and bid documents are available at the Subcontractor’s Plan Room located at McGee Reprographics on 17th Street, as well as, the Purchasing Division Office. Plans and Specs can be purchased from Digital Print & Imaging located on Market Street. Bid packages for Equipment and Services can be obtained from the Purchasing Division Office.
MWBE PROGRAM INFORMATION
The City of Wilmington does not “certify” M/WBE firms, however, we recognize firms certified through New Hanover County, NC DOT, NC Department of Administration’s HUB Office, and the Small Business Administration 8(a) certification.
For your convenience, we have compiled a listing of area certified M/WBE businesses that were found in the M/WBE Directories of New Hanover County, NCDOA (HUB), and NC DOT. You may access these on our web page, www.wilmingtonnc.gov.
New Purchasing Law Information – Effective January 1, 2002, a new statute, G.S. 143-129.2 requires public agencies to comply with more specific and stringent requirements for promoting the use of minority business enterprises as defined in the statute. The law does not establish set asides or quotas but instead requires agencies themselves to make, and to require of contractors, a good faith effort to use minority businesses in major building construction project. The steps that bidders must take to satisfy the good faith efforts requirements are set out in G.S. 143-128.2(f). The law continues to prohibit the award of contracts based on race, sex, and the other listed characteristics.
For additional information on the City’s MWBE Program, please contact Daryle Parker at (910) 342-2735.
