Doing Business with the City

Our aim is to provide comprehensive information regarding the diverse array of business opportunities available within our City, all tailored to support your company's objectives. The City's approach to awarding contracts—whether for projects, services, or products—depends on factors such as type, scope, and estimated costs. These may include methods like Formal Sealed Bids, Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Written Quotations, or Telephone Quotations.

Vendor awards can be facilitated through either of the following methods:

  1. Managed by the City's Purchasing Division
  2. Arranged directly by the City department in need of the service or product

Additionally, meeting specific requirements such as licensing, insurance, bonding, etc., may be necessary to qualify for certain City business opportunities. We're committed to ensuring a smooth and transparent process for all parties involved.

Local Vendor Preference

The City Commission has determined and does hereby find that it is in the best interest of the City of Kissimmee, its citizens and the business community of Kissimmee and Osceola County to create and establish a local vendor preference with regard to the procurement of products, materials and services. The preference applies to all procurement by the City of Kissimmee, except as may be exempted by applicable State or Federal Law. Local vendor preference in no way prohibits the City Commission, City Manager or authorized designee to compare quality of materials proposed for purchase and compare qualifications, character, responsibility and fitness of all persons, firms or corporations submitting bids. To qualify as an “Osceola county person, firm and/or corporation”, a vendor must meet one or more of the following criterion:

  1. Have its headquarters, manufacturing facility, or locally owned franchise located in, or having a street address within, the legal boundaries of Osceola County for at least one (1) year immediately prior to the issuance of the request for quotation, proposal or formal bid solicitation. (post office boxes do not qualify as a variable business address); or 
  2.  Employs thirty percent (30%) or more full time employees whose primary residence is located within the legal boundaries of Osceola County; or
  3. If subcontractors are employed, then sixty percent (60%) of those subcontractors must be qualified local subcontractors.

Unless the vendor has been pre-determined by the City to meet the above-referenced criterion, a Local Vendor Affidavit of Eligibility, in a form approved by the City, shall accompany the quotation, proposal or bid submittal in order to be considered for local preference.

The City at anytime, for purposes of validating eligibility, may request the vendor provide additional information including, but not limited to the following most recent information:

  1. A physical business address;
  2. A copy of a current Osceola County, City of Kissimmee or City of St. Cloud Local Business Tax Receipt (formerly known as an “occupational license”) to verify the business location;
  3. Proof of payment of real and/or tangible property tax due to Osceola County;
  4. A copy of the firm’s or corporation’s articles of incorporation and its Florida Certificate of Incorporation. If the company is not incorporated, a list of names and addresses of all owners/partners and percentage of ownership for each as well as a fictitious name registration shall be provided;
  5. A complete list of all employees, an address for each employee, and proof of payment to each employee, such as a payroll and/or cancelled check;
  6. Any other additional information necessary to verify local status.

An Osceola County entity or individual that is awarded a contract by virtue of this local vendor preference shall maintain the above-referenced applicable criteria throughout the term of the awarded contract. Exceptions to this policy shall include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. purchases that are funded in whole or in part by assistance from any federal, state, or local agency that disallows local preference;
  2. purchases made through a cooperative agreement (i.e., one or more agencies combining requirements in order to benefit from discounts that may be obtained through volume purchasing);
  3. purchases made from another state, federal or other governmental agency’s agreements or contracts (i.e. piggy-backing);
  4. purchases subject to Section 287.055, Florida Statutes, the Consultants’ Competitive Negotiation Act, as amended;
  5. professional services contracts;
  6. when only competing local businesses make offers on solicitations or bids;
  7. sole source procurement.

Procurements subject to formal proposal where price is not a primary factor and/or is not part of the criterion are not subject to local vendor preference; however, a firm’s location may be considered in the evaluation criterion.

Not withstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the City reserves its right to reject any bid received as non-responsive at anytime prior to the award of a contract.

When written bids, responses to request for proposals or quotations are received by the City as part of the competitive sealed bid process, and the lowest responsible price is offered by an individual or entity that is not an Osceola County person, firm and/or corporation and the next lowest responsible bidder is an Osceola County person, firm and/or corporation, the Osceola County individual or entity will be given an opportunity to match the lowest price offered. If an offer is made to match the lowest price and the Osceola County individual or entity is otherwise fully qualified and meets all City requirements, the bid shall be awarded to the Osceola County individual or entity at the lowest price.

In order to receive the local vendor preference provided herein, the Osceola County individual or entity that qualifies as the next lowest price bidder hereunder, must unconditionally agree in writing to match the lowest price bid and deliver to the City designated representative by 8:30a.m. on the third regular business day after notification of opportunity to match bid.

 

  
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