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 for all budgets within the county government. Requisitions are checked, processed into purchase orders and distributed to the requisitioning department. All purchase orders are filed and kept for five years. Purchases over the designated limit of $25,000 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 93,392 pieces of mail per year. The courier also distributes interdepartmental mail to all county departments twice a day with an average daily amount of 500 envelopes delivered 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, and insure approximately 450 county vehicles. An updated list of each departments vehicles is supplied to each department regularly for review and maintenance of the files. Fuel cards are received, distributed and maintained in the Purchasing Department. When any vehicles are sold, the Purchasing Department accepts payment and completes all necessary paperwork for these transactions.
The Purchasing Department also offers and operates the printing of any paper forms used by county departments, cutting the cost of printing.