WELCOME

North Harris Montgomery Community College District (NHMCCD) welcomes the opportunity to inform prospective suppliers of how to do business with us and allow us to receive the full benefit of your services. We are a community college and solicit business from as many sources as possible to assure competition.

We are engaged in procurement activities ranging from small purchases to major contracts and we buy a wide variety of equipment, supplies, and services.

The following information has been prepared to assist you in contacting the appropriate purchasing personnel and to make your visits to our facility productive.

LOCATION

The Purchasing Department is located at the district office at 5000 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, Texas 77381.

Normal Purchasing Department business hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is recommended that you make an appointment before visiting and limit your sales calls to twenty minutes. If you require more than twenty minutes, please so advise when you make the appointment. Upon arrival, please check in with the receptionist located on the first floor of Building 1.

HOW TO MARKET TO NORTH HARRIS MONTGOMERY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT COLLEGES AND DIVISIONS

The Purchasing Department is not a marketing representative of any vendor. Vendors must determine whether their products or services can directly or indirectly support the colleges and department.

If your product directly supports instruction or research in a particular field, your prospective customers would probably learn about your products from trade shows, trade publications, advertising, direct contact by you or personal contacts within their specialized community.

NHMCCD employs a number of people who perform professional services. However, a department may need specialists (individual or company) for a specific purpose that cannot be performed by internal personnel, e.g. development of a unique software program, a specialized executive search or market survey, etc. Departments generate requirements for professionals with unique talent or experience and identify the individual or firm needed. For those types of services, your best contact is the college or department that may require your specific professional services.

NHMCCDs professors, instructors, researchers and administrators are knowledgeable about what they want. It is customary for a department representative to research products and services (including costs) before sending a requisition to the Purchasing Department. If your product directly satisfies a need in instruction or research your marketing effort must address this fact.

The Purchasing Department uses various types of orders to acquire products and services from outside sources, including purchase orders, blanket orders, and change orders. The source of funds determines in part the rules that apply to the purchase. The dollar threshold at which formal bids are required is higher for local funds than it is for state funds.

HOW WE LIKE VENDORS TO APPROACH US

NHMCCD is comprised of smaller decentralized decision making entities, colleges and divisions. For many standard supply items the purchasing department may already have negotiated volume discounts with manufacturers and distributors. For other items, quality, service and specialized inventory are key to meeting the needs of departments and to doing business.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A SALES CALL, OR PERSONALLY VISIT A COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVE:

Please always have an appointment before making an "in person" visit. Note that names and phone numbers are listed below.

If you want to demonstrate your product, contact the Purchasing Department to see if special arrangement can be made, e.g. referral to individuals to contact to arrange for your demonstration, or coordinating participation by several colleges or departments.

BID LIST REGISTRATION

Vendors are encouraged to complete the application for bid list registration here at this site. Vendors can also contact the Purchasing Department and indicate the particular commodities or services that they are interested in supplying to the College. It is through this process that our bid lists are compiled. If possible, visitation and discussion with persons in the Purchasing Department is desirable.

GENERAL PURCHASING PROCEDURES

All purchases of goods and services require a purchase order number.

Purchase orders are issued by the Purchasing Department. Vendors should verify the purchase order number before delivering goods or services requested by a college or department employee. Unless a purchase order number is issued, no contract exists between vendor and the college.

When a delivery is made, a receiving report signed by the NHMCCD representative who received the products or service is required to be sent to the Accounts Payable Department before an invoice can be paid.

Vendors should send all invoices to the NHMCCD Accounts Payable Department in accordance with the prices and terms on the purchase order.

ISSUING PURCHASE ORDERS

Purchases Under $10,000

The requesting department determines the product needed and prepares a requisition with the description of the material or services to be purchased.

The Purchasing Department prices the materials and prepares a purchase order.

Purchase Orders over $2,500 $10,000 require at least three written quotations from any vendor.

NHMCCD encourages Minority Vendor participation on all orders.

Purchases $10,000 or More

Purchases $10,000 $ 24,999 require three quotations from the Approved Vendors List or through a bid or RFP.

Purchase Orders exceeding $24,999 require advertisement and must adhere to the competitive bid process.

The Purchasing Department advertises all bids in one daily newspaper with county wide circulation. Advertisements are also placed in minority newspapers and bid notices and specifications are sent to the Houston Business Council and numerous minority groups, organizations and associations.

Bids are publicly opened at least two weeks from the date of advertisement in the newspaper. After the bid opening, the bids are tabulated and a recommendation for award of bid to the lowest responsible bidder is prepared. The term is then taken to the North Harris Montgomery Community College Board of Trustees for approval of award. After approval by the Board of Trustees, purchase orders are issued

CODE OF ETHICS

1. To give first consideration to the objectives and policies of my institution.
2. To strive to obtain the maximum ultimate value of each dollar of expenditure.
3. To decline personal gifts and gratuities.
4. To grant all competitive bidders equal consideration insofar as the established policies of my institution permit, and to regard each transaction on its own merits.
5. To conduct business with potential and current suppliers in an atmosphere of good faith, devoid of intentional misrepresentation.
6. To demand honesty in sales representation whether offered through the medium of a verbal or written statement, an advertisement, or a sample of the product; and to be honest in return.
7. To use only by consent original ideas and designs devised by one vendor for competitive purchasing purposes.
8. To make every reasonable effort to negotiate an equitable and mutually agreeable settlement of any controversy with a supplier; and be willing to submit any major controversies to third party review, insofar as the established policies of my institution permit.
9. To accord a prompt and courteous reception insofar as conditions permit to all who call on legitimate business missions.
10. To cooperate with trade and industrial associations, governmental and private agencies engaged in the promotion and development of sound business methods.
11. To foster and promote fair, ethical and legal trade practices.
12. To counsel and cooperate with NAEB members and to promote a spirit of unity among them.