How to Do Business with the City

Getting Started: Three Steps to Bid

Start bidding on city contracts in three simple steps.

Step 1: Register in eVA

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Your business must be eVA registered and in active status to submit bids.

  • Visit eva.virginia.gov and click "Register Now"
  • Complete your business profile
  • Register for all commodity codes relevant to your business
  • Use a central email address (not a personal email) when registering your company
  • Update your company information in the eVA supplier portal whenever there is a change
  • New to eVA? Watch the eVA "Selling to" training video

Step 2: Find Opportunities

Step 3: Submit Your Bid

  • Review the prior contract (if available) before submitting your bid
  • All submissions must be electronic through eVA
  • Read the solicitation instructions carefully
  • Submit questions at least five days before the deadline
  • Don't wait until the last minute to submit — eVA will provide confirmation when submitted
  • Ensure all required information is included and clearly identifiable (references, credentials, forms, etc.)
  • Ensure the bid or proposal is fully submitted — the eVA system will provide an acknowledgement

Understanding Solicitation Types

All purchases valued at $7,500 or more are competitively sourced. The procurement method depends on the dollar amount:

Small Purchases
Under $7,500
Direct purchase

Informal
$7,500-$199,999
Bids/Proposals may be directly solicited and received; or, publicly posted and received via eVA.

Formal
$200,000+
IFB or RFP Publicly posted on eVA. Bids and Proposals submitted and received via eVA.

Sealed Bids (IFB): Award goes to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. All bid results are posted publicly.

Proposals (RFP): Proposals are evaluated; contract(s) formed via negotiations with selected offerors.

Proposals are evaluated; contract(s) formed via negotiations with selected offerors.

The Bidding Process

Deadlines

  • Deadlines during city closures automatically extend to next business day
  • All bids/proposals must be submitted through eVA before the deadline
  • Late submissions are rejected

Pre-Bid Meetings

  • Pre-bid and pre-proposal meetings may be held virtually or in person
  • See the solicitation document for meeting instructions
  • Attendance is typically optional but recommended

Bid Openings

  • The city may conduct bid openings either in public or virtually
  • Bid tabulations will be posted following the bid opening
  • View recent bid tabulations
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After You Submit: Evaluation and Award

  • For IFBs: Award goes to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder
  • For RFPs: Proposals are evaluated; contract(s) formed via negotiations with selected offerors.
  • Award notification: The city posts award notices on eVA.
  • Public records: After award, all records become public
Request a Debriefing

Any bidder or offeror may request a debriefing within three business days of award notification. Debriefing requests must be submitted in writing to the purchasing agent. You'll learn strengths and weaknesses of your submission, how it compared to other offers, and suggestions for improvement.

If You Win: Contract Execution

After award, you will receive a contract or purchase order. Review it carefully and return all signed documents promptly.

Required documentation may include:

  • Signed contract
  • Certificate of insurance
  • Performance and/or payment bonds (if required)
  • IRS Form W-9 (required for all vendors)

Timeline: Work cannot begin until all required documents are received and the contract is fully executed.

Payment and Preferences

Getting Paid: Three Conditions Must Be Met

1. Purchase Order IssuedThe city issued a purchase order for the goods or services

2. Goods/Services AcceptedThe department received and accepted the goods or services

3. Invoice SubmittedThe supplier submitted a properly completed invoice

⚠️Important: To comply with IRS regulations, Fairfax City must have an IRS Form W-9 on file before any payment can be issued.

Local Microbusiness Preference

Fairfax City does not have a preference or set-aside program for small businesses, women-owned businesses or minority-owned businesses. A fair, open and transparent procurement program is the best approach to making city business opportunities open to all suppliers.

Exception for Certified Local Microbusinesses

Microbusinesses located in Fairfax City that meet ALL of the following requirements may receive orders up to $25,000 without competition if the price is fair and reasonable:

Additional Resources

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Marketing Your Business to the City

The Office of Procurement Services is the central authority for all city purchases and supports all city departments with their procurement requirements. Prospective business partners should understand the importance of getting in front of potential customers — department staff are the subject matter experts who define specifications for business opportunities.

Ways to Market Your Business
  • Attend conferences hosted by the city or procurement professional organizations
  • Send a one-page capability statement to procurement@fairfaxva.gov and ask that it be shared with the appropriate departments
  • Send any existing cooperative contracts that you hold
Understanding Term Contracts

The city maintains a portfolio of term contracts for goods and services that are purchased on an ongoing basis. Term contracts are established through a competitive procurement process (with a few exceptions).

Monitor the Contract Register for expiration dates to identify upcoming competitive bidding opportunities.

Legal Requirements and Policies

Open Records

Procurement proceedings, records, contracts and orders are public records, open to the inspection of any citizen or interested parties, in accordance with the Virginia Public Procurement Act.

When bid and proposal records become public:

  • Bids: Records not available to public until after award. Any bidder may inspect bid records within a reasonable time after bid opening and evaluation but prior to award, except if the city decides not to accept any bids and to rebid.
  • Proposals: Any competitive negotiation offeror may inspect proposal records within a reasonable time after evaluation and negotiation are completed, except if the city decides not to accept any proposals and to re-solicit.
  • After award: All records are public

Protecting trade secrets and proprietary information:

Trade secrets or proprietary information submitted in connection with a procurement transaction shall not be subject to public disclosure under Virginia FOIA; however, the bidder or offeror must invoke the protections of the Virginia Public Procurement Act prior to or upon submission of the data or materials.

  • When to invoke: Must invoke protections before or upon submission
  • What to identify: Must identify the data or material to be protected and state the reason why protection is necessary
  • Cannot designate as proprietary: (a) An entire bid, proposal or prequalification proposal; (b) Any portion that does not contain trade secrets or proprietary information; or (c) Line item prices or total bid, proposal or prequalification application prices

Protests

Procurement proceedings, records, contracts and orders are public records, open to the inspection of any citizen or interested parties, in accordance with the Virginia Public Procurement Act.

When bid and proposal records become public:

  • Bids: Records not available to public until after award. Any bidder may inspect bid records within a reasonable time after bid opening and evaluation but prior to award, except if the city decides not to accept any bids and to rebid.
  • Proposals: Any competitive negotiation offeror may inspect proposal records within a reasonable time after evaluation and negotiation are completed, except if the city decides not to accept any proposals and to re-solicit.
  • After award: All records are public

Protecting trade secrets and proprietary information:

Trade secrets or proprietary information submitted in connection with a procurement transaction shall not be subject to public disclosure under Virginia FOIA; however, the bidder or offeror must invoke the protections of the Virginia Public Procurement Act prior to or upon submission of the data or materials.

  • When to invoke: Must invoke protections before or upon submission
  • What to identify: Must identify the data or material to be protected and state the reason why protection is necessary
  • Cannot designate as proprietary: (a) An entire bid, proposal or prequalification proposal; (b) Any portion that does not contain trade secrets or proprietary information; or (c) Line item prices or total bid, proposal or prequalification application prices

Ethics in Public Procurement

In accordance with Code of Virginia Sections 2.2-4371 and 2.2-4372, the following are prohibited:

  • Gifts to public employees: No bidder, offeror, contractor or subcontractor shall confer upon any public employee having official responsibility for a procurement transaction any payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, service or anything of more than nominal value, present or promised, unless consideration of substantially equal or greater value is exchanged.
  • Kickbacks from suppliers/subcontractors: No contractor or subcontractor shall demand or receive from any of his suppliers or his subcontractors, as an inducement for the award of a subcontract or order, any payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, services or anything, present or promised, unless consideration of substantially equal or greater value is exchanged.
  • Payments not to compete: No person shall demand or receive any payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, services or anything of value in return for an agreement not to compete on a public contract.
  • Kickbacks to suppliers/subcontractors: No subcontractor or supplier shall make kickbacks as described in this section.
  • Recovery of amounts: If a subcontractor or supplier makes a kickback or other prohibited payment, the amount shall be conclusively presumed to have been included in the price of the subcontract or order and ultimately borne by the city and shall be recoverable from both the maker and the recipient. Recovery from one offending party shall not preclude recovery from the other offending parties.

Authority

The purchasing agent has full authority to award all procurement contracts. The Fairfax City Purchasing Resolution is based on the Virginia Public Procurement Act. All qualified firms compete on an equitable basis to ensure the city receives best value.

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