Welcome to Purchasing

Mission Statement

The mission of the Purchasing Department is to procure quality goods and services through a system of purchasing that is consistent, fair, expeditious, and equitable for vendors and user departments, enabling them to maximize value while minimizing the expenditure of public funds.

The primary responsibility of the Purchasing Department is to contract for and procure all supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services required for any and all departments supported by or under the control of the county government which encumbers any of those funds. This office operates under the “County Purchasing Law of 1957”, T.C.A. 5-14-101.

This department is under the direct supervision of the Purchasing Agent who is appointed by the County Mayor with approval of the county legislative body. A county purchasing committee is formed consisting of the County Mayor and four (4) members of whom shall be appointed by the County Mayor.

The Purchasing Department processes requisitions for purchases into Purchase Orders for all budgets within the county government. Purchases over the designated limit of $50,000 must be separately prepared by a sealed bid process. All bids are kept on file for eight years. The Purchasing Department is responsible for the transfer of supplies and/or equipment between county departments and agencies along with the disposal of surplus county property by either sealed bid or public auction. 

The central mail room, operated by the county courier, is also within the Purchasing Department. Outgoing metered mail is processed on a daily basis for approximately 45 departments totaling an estimate of 94,000 pieces of mail per year. The courier also collects & distributes interdepartmental mail to all county departments twice daily.

The county pauper burials and the county indigent cemetery (Oak Rest Cemetery) which is located on Oak Plains Road in Clarksville, Tennessee, is also a responsibility of the Purchasing Department. Pauper Burials are furnished to indigent individuals who are a resident of Montgomery County and have met the certified criteria decided by Urban Ministries. This monetary contribution to the funeral home is split between the county and the City of Clarksville with the county coordinating all burials. Montgomery County offers a plot at Oak Rest Cemetery if necessary and will furnish a foot marker paid for by the county.

The purchasing department also processes the necessary paperwork in order to title, license, insure and provide fuel cards for approximately 450 county vehicles. An updated list of each departments vehicles is regularly reviewed and maintained. Sale, trade, auction or disposal of county owned vehicles is also the responsibility of the Purchasing Agent. 

The Purchasing Department also operates a centralized printing room for the county. Providing printed forms and other printed items needed by county departments for their daily operations.