search

Purchasing

We are pleased you are interested in providing products and services to Denver Public Schools!

The DPS Purchasing function is centralized to serve our District’s procurement needs in an efficient and timely manner, providing processes that brings the District the best purchase value and helps ensure our purchases are in compliance with applicable laws and District policy.

The Purchasing team strives to maximize the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of district funds in purchases, to provide excellent customer service, and to protect the district through standardized policies and procedures

Please note: As per Board Policy DJ, schools and departments must issue an authorized form of payment before ordering goods or services. An authorized form of payment is: Purchase Order (PO) or Purchasing Card (PCard).

Contact Us!

720.423.1310

purchasing@dpsk12.org

Hours:
7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday.

Location:
780 Grant St.
Denver, CO 80203

Supplier Information

Doing Buisness With DPS

Schools and departments must issue an authorized form of payment before ordering goods or services. An authorized form of payment is: Purchase Order (PO) or Purchasing Card (PCard)

PaymentWorks

Denver Public Schools has partnered with PaymentWorks to handle the collection, validation, and management of all supplier information.  PaymentWorks is a cloud-based software that is both easy and free to use.  Suppliers will receive an invitation to register and will be able to enter all of their information safely and securely.

Additional benefits and details can be found on PaymentWorks website: https://www.paymentworks.com/faq/payees/

DPS Policy

The principle objective of Purchasing is to acquire quality goods and services for all district locations through an open, competitive process while adhering to all State of Colorado statutes and Board of Education policies.

DPS Purchasing is a member of the National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), which is dedicated to the establishment and maintenance of ethical standards and professionalism in public purchasing. We are also members of the Cooperative Educational Purchasing Council (CEPC), which is made up of 25 school districts along the Front Range. The mission of the CEPC is to support the educational process and enhance the value of public purchasing through cooperative procurement, high ethical standards, fiscal responsibility, networking and professional growth.

Board policies related to Purchasing operations can be found at the Board site under section DJ.  Click here to view these and other policies.

Any purchases conducted on a federally funded contract or grant shall be checked against a federal debarment list.

Bid Information

District solicitations are advertised on BidNet Direct  

Registration is simple:  

1.  Go to: http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado   

2.  Click on the orange “Register”

3.  Activate your account

Have registration questions or want a FREE account? Contact BidNet Vendor Support:

800-835-4603  (Monday-Friday from 8:00am – 8:00pm EST)

Independent Contractors

All independent contractor agreements are to be processed through Purchasing. Independent contractors, like all other suppliers wanting to do business with DPS must register through PaymentWorks.

Getting Started

Using the Commodity Listing, you can find the Buyer’s name and contact information. You may, at any time, find the appropriate Buyer for the goods or services you provide and contact them.

To protect the staff and program against undue invasion of the school or work day, sales representatives shall not be permitted in schools or other departments for the purpose of making sales unless authorized to do so by the Director of Financial Operations or his/her designee. If special or technical details concerning goods or services to be purchased are required, the involvement of suppliers should be coordinated through the Purchasing Department. Suppliers may send product information through U.S. mail. The schools names and addresses are listed on the District web site at www.dpsk12.org.

Award Of Contract

Bids, proposals, and quotes are formalized by the issuance of a purchase order and/or a contract. No merchandise may be shipped or any services performed without a district purchase order or contract signed by the Director of Financial Operations or appropriate district designee.

PaymentWorks » PaymentWorks - Support » Colorado BidNet » View Open Bids »

Policy Reminders

In accordance with revised purchasing policies established by Purchasing and approved by the Board of Education, purchasing operating procedures have been formalized. These procedures are summarized in each of the next sections. These procedures provide the ‘how to’ in terms of conducting purchasing business in behalf of your department, school or the district.

Board policies related to Purchasing operations can be found at the Board site under section DJ.  Click here to view these and other policies.

  • As per Board Policy DJGA, suppliers are NOT allowed to enter schools or place sales calls to schools without prior written permission from the Director of Financial Operations.
  • As per Board Policy DJ, schools and departments must issue an authorized form of payment before ordering goods or services. An authorized form of payment is: Purchase Order or DPS Visa card.
  • There is no “approved supplier list”. Suppliers do not fill out a supplier application to become an “approved supplier”.
  • Schools/Departments interested in using a particular supplier should insure that the supplier is registered with PaymentWorks. If the supplier is not already registered they may completed a Supplier Invitation Request, to have an invitation sent to the supplier allowing them to register with PaymentWorks.

Fraud, Waste & Abuse Hotline

Given our objectives and responsibilities, we must ensure that we fulfill our commitments while upholding a high standard of integrity and ethical business conduct.  To this extent, all are encouraged to anonymously submit information on potential fraud, waste, and abuse of District property, assets, and resources through Integra Report, link can be found on the DPS Internal Audit Webpage. You can also call the automated phone hotline 24 hours a day at 855-858-3344.

Resources