Doing Business with the City

The City of Columbia purchases a variety of goods and services. The requirements related to a particular purchase depends upon the amount of the total purchase.

Purchasing thresholds with accompanying purchasing procedure is presented below. Splitting purchases in order to stay under a particular purchasing threshold is prohibited.

Purchasing ThresholdPayment MethodRequirements
Less than $4,000Procurement Card Preferred PO Not Required, Quotes Encouraged
$4,000 to $25,000Invoice or Procurement CardThree written quotes and PO Required
Greater than $25,000Invoice or Procurement CardFormal Bid Process, Council Approval and PO Required

Purchases less than $25,000 are normally handled directly by the user department. If required, the user department must secure a purchase order issued by the Purchasing Agent before an order can be placed.

Formal sealed bids, request for proposals or request for qualifications are handled through the Purchasing Agent.