Doing Business with the District

The St. Johns County School District welcomes the opportunity for a business relationship with interested merchants in the community. The Purchasing Department is committed to providing professional and efficient procurement services while supporting the activities of the School District.

In an effort to improve communication with vendors, reduce administrative costs and streamline our procurement process, the St. Johns County School District now publishes all Invitations to Bid (ITB), Requests for Proposals (RFP), Invitations to Negotiate (ITN), Requests for Qualifications (RFQ), Formal Quotes (ITQ) and Sole Source (SS) solicitations through DemandStar. It is the sole responsibility of all vendors to check for current solicitations on the DemandStar website. See our section on Open Bids and RFPs for more information on DemandStar.

A Purchase Order issued by the Purchasing Department or from School Internal Accounts is the only legal authorization for vendors to perform services or provide commodities to the District. A commitment, either written or verbal, from District employees without a Purchase Order issued by the Purchasing Department or from School Internal Accounts does not constitute an obligation by the District to a vendor. Vendors that perform services or provide commodities without a Purchase Order issued by the Purchasing Department or from School Internal Accounts do so at their own risk and at risk of non-payment.


Fingerprinting and Clearance

Vendors and their employees or agents who have access to school grounds when students are present, have direct contact with students, or have access to or control of school funds must remain in compliance with the Florida Statute 1012.465 and School Board Rule 7.142 Background Screening of Non-Instructional Contractors. Additional information is available on the Vendors Clearance Process page.


Invitation to Bid (ITB), Request for Proposals (RFP), Invitation to Negotiate (ITN), and Request for Qualifications (RFQ):

A. Will be advertised in The St. Augustine Record and newspapers in other cities as a particular solicitation dictates.

B. Effective July 1, 2013, all solicitations are published exclusively on the DemandStar web site, at www.demandstar.com.

C. All ITBs, RFPs, ITNs and RFQs submitted must be received and time stamped with the Purchasing Department prior to the time specified in the solicitation.


Purchasing Thresholds

The following purchasing thresholds are used by the District to acquire goods and services:

Purchases Between $10,000 and up to $34,999
Purchasing of commodities and contractual services between $10,000 and up to $34,999 requires three (3) written quotes obtained by the requesting school or department, submitted to the
Purchasing department for review and approval. Although a formal Invitation to Quote initiated from the Purchasing department is not required for this dollar threshold, it may be deemed appropriate based on the complexity or nature of the requirements as determined by the Director of Purchasing or designee.

Purchases Between $35,000 and up to $49,999
Purchasing of commodities and contractual services between $35,000 and up to $49,999 requires an Invitation to Quote to be initiated, facilitated, and awarded through the Purchasing department.

Purchases $50,000 or Greater
For purchases $50,000 or greater a competitive sealed ITB or RFP will be released by the Purchasing Department.

2 CFR 200.320
Per 2 CFR 200.320(a)(1)(iv), non Federal entities may establish a threshold higher than the micro-purchase threshold identified in the FAR in accordance with the requirements of this section.  The non-Federal entity may self-certify a threshold up to $50,000 on an annual basis and must maintain documentation to be made available to the Federal awarding agency and auditors in accordance with  § 200.334.  The District has self-certified the micro-purchase threshold at $50,000 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year to match the threshold established by Rule 6A-1.012(7), Florida Administrative Code.


Exceptions to Competition/Competitive Solicitations

Exceptions to competition/competitive solicitations include but are not limited to:

  1. Solicitation Waived Purchases
    State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (11) (a) waives the purchase by district school boards of professional services which shall include, without limitation, artistic services; academic program reviews; lectures by individuals; auditing services not subject to Section 218.391, F.S.; legal services, including attorney, paralegal, expert witness, court reporting, appraisal or mediator services; and health services involving examination, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, medical consultation or administration; and 6A-1.012 (12) (b) waives the purchase by district school boards of educational services and any type of copyrighted materials including, without limitation, educational tests, textbooks, printed instructional materials, computer software, films, filmstrips, videotapes, dvds, disc or tape recordings, digital recordings, or similar audio-visual materials, and for library and reference books, and printed library cards where such materials are purchased directly from the producer or publisher, the owner of the copyright, an exclusive agent within the state, a governmental agency or a recognized educational institution.
  2. Piggybacking
    State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (6) affords District School Board the right to make purchases at or below the specified prices from contracts awarded by other city or county governmental agencies, other district school boards, community colleges, federal agencies, the public or governmental agencies of any state, or from state university system cooperative bid agreements, when the proposer awarded a contract by another entity defined herein will permit purchases by a district school board at the same terms, conditions, and prices (or below such prices) awarded in such contract, and such purchases are to the economic advantage of the district school board.
  3. Single/Sole Source Purchase
    State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (12) (d) allows commodities or contractual services available only from a single source may be exempted from the competitive solicitation requirements. When a district school board believes that commodities or contractual services are available only from a single source, the district school board shall electronically or otherwise publicly post a description of the commodities or contractual services sought for a period of at least 7 business days. The description must include a request that prospective vendors provide information regarding their ability to supply the commodities or contractual services described. If it is determined in writing by the district school board, after reviewing any information received from prospective vendors, that the commodities or contractual services are available only from a single source, the district school board shall provide notice of its intended decision to enter a single source contract in the manner specified in Section 120.57(3), F.S., and may negotiate on the best terms and conditions with the single source vendor.
  4. State Contracts
    State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012 (2) affords District School Boards the right to purchase commodities or contractual services issued by the Florida Department of Management Services without seeking competitive bids.

Additional Information

This website is designed solely to provide general summary information to those wishing to do business with the St. Johns County School District. As such, it is not binding in either a legal or regulatory sense. The procurement activity of the St. Johns County School District is performed in accordance with applicable law, State Board of Education Rules, the St. Johns County School District Board Rules and other applicable rules and regulations which govern. The information in this website is intended to summarize various areas of procurement services.

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