The District places orders through purchase
orders and by the use of Visa procurement
cards. Schools may purchase using school
purchase orders and internal accounts funds.
BAY DISTRICT SCHOOLS
PURCHASING DEPARTMENT
Bay District Schools is the public education entity
for Bay County, Florida. The public schools of
the District serve approximately 28,000 students
in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, plus adult
and vocational education. The District is a midsize district that ranks number 16 in the State of
Florida. The Nelson Building located at 1311
Balboa Avenue, Panama City, FL, 32401 houses
the Superintendent’s office and staff.
The Purchasing Department is located at the
R.L. Young School Service Center, 1150 West
17th Street, Panama City, FL 32405. Our office
hours are from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday
through Friday. For appointments, please call
(850) 767-4207. The Purchasing Department
fax number is (850) 872-7752. Information about
the Bay District Schools Purchasing Department
including past and current bids, awards, and
contacts can be found on the District Internet
webpage at www.bay.k12.fl.us.
We welcome all vendors who desire to do
business with the District.
We maintain
procedures which foster fair and open
competition, inspiring public confidence that all
contracts are awarded in the best interest of the
District. Contracts and bids are awarded to
vendors who comply with specifications, terms
and conditions and who have the capacity to
deliver the product or service at the best price.
Pertinent District Policies
All purchases made from District funds are the
responsibility of the Superintendent or the
Purchasing Agent. Along with these two, only
the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant
Purchasing Agent are authorized to sign District
purchase orders or contracts. Principals have
limited authority to sign for obligations created
against school internal accounts.
State of Florida law requires source selection by
competitive sealed bids or RFPs and School
Board approval for all purchases exceeding
$25,000.
District Policies require source
selection by informal bids, which may be written
or verbal, and Chief Financial Officer approval
for all purchases exceeding $12,500 but less
than $25,000. District Policies allow informal
methods of source selection and Chief Financial
Officer or Purchasing Agent approval for all
purchases of less than $12,500. Exceptions to
these source selection processes include
purchases in accordance with awards or
contracts of the State Department of
Management Services, awards or contracts of
other public agencies, or approved sole source.
Purchase Orders
Requests for purchase orders are initiated at the
school or department level and approved by the
Purchasing Agent.
No services are to be
rendered or product delivered until a purchase
order has been issued. The purchase order will
clearly identify what is being ordered and the
terms and conditions of the purchase. The
purchase order serves as a contract between the
vendor and the District and is forwarded to the
vendor by the Purchasing Department.
Vendors should contact the school or
department who initiated the request if there is a
question about the information stated on the
purchase order. The requestor is identified in
the “ship to” field of the purchase order.
Tax Exemption
Bay District Schools is exempt form all federal
excise and state sales taxes (State of Florida
Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption # 858012621726C-2). A copy of the certificate can
be sent to you upon request. Our Federal
Employer Identification Number is 59-6000511.
Payments
Payments are made through the Accounts
Payable department at 1311 Balboa Avenue,
Panama City, FL 32401. All invoices are to be
sent to Accounts Payable at this address.
Payments are typically made within 14 days of
receipt of goods and invoices. Questions about
payments should be directed to Accounts
Payable by calling (850) 767-4219.
Construction Bids
Construction bids are handled through the
District Facilities Department located at the
District administrative office building, 1311
Balboa Avenue, Panama City, FL, 32401. For
information about construction bids contact the
Facilities Department by calling (850) 767-5538.
Vendor Registration
The process of registering as a vendor with Bay
District Schools is simple. Vendor registration is
handled in the Purchasing Department and is
accomplished by completing and returning the
Vendor Registration Form and IRS W-9 Form.
These forms provide the District with the basic
information required by the IRS. Only vendors
who have registered with the District Purchasing
Department may be issued purchase orders and
subsequently payment.
Bidder Registration
The District Purchasing Department maintains
bidder lists for a variety of categories of goods
and services that the District is regularly in need
of. When need arises, invitations to bid are sent
to those vendors who have submitted a request
to the Purchasing Department that they be
included on the bidder list for the specific
category of good or service being requested. A
vendor may request addition to bidder lists of
their desire by completing the Vendor
Registration for Bidder’s List on the District
Purchasing Department website, or, sending a
letter requesting addition to a bidder list.
Visiting District Property
District School Board Policy requires that all
salesmen receive permission to visit school
campuses from the Superintendent’s office. The
Superintendent has delegated this responsibility
to the Public Information Department located in
the District administrative office building, 1311
Balboa Avenue, Panama City, FL, 32401.
Vendors must receive a letter authorizing site
visits before going to a school.
Working on District Property
Prior to performing any work or services on
District property, all suppliers and contractors
must:
1. submit evidence of compliance with our
Insurance requirements
2. submit a completed W9 form
3. complete the fingerprinting and background
check process required by Florida Statutes
and District Policies.
Insurance Requirements for Vendors
Vendors shall provide evidence of compliance
with District insurance requirements by providing
Certificates of Insurance.
Certificates shall
contain a provision for notification to the District
30 days prior to any material change in coverage
or cancellation. Bay District Schools must be
named as additional insured on the auto liability
policy. Policies shall remain in force during the
period the vendor will provide work or services at
a District site.

Workers
Compensation:
Workers’
Compensation
Insurance
shall
be
maintained and shall include Employers
Liability coverage with minimum limits of
bodily injury by accident, $100,000; bodily
injury by disease, $500,000 policy limit;
bodily injury by disease, $100,000 per
employee.

Public Liability: Public Liability Insurance
(Comprehensive General Liability Form)
shall be maintained against bodily injury,
personal injury and property damage in
limits of not less than $250,000 per
occurrence with a minimum of $1,000,000
aggregate.
 Automobile Liability: Automobile Liability
Insurance shall be maintained for all owned,
non-owned and hired vehicles to include
bodily injury and property damage liability in
limits of not less than $1,000,000 combined
single limit on one incident and uninsured
motorists coverage in limits of not less than
$1,000,000 per accident.
NOTE: The coverage and limits stated may
vary depending on the type of work or
service being performed. Always check with
the Purchasing Department for confirmation
of coverage and limits required.
FINGERPRINTING/BACKGROUND CHECK
The company agrees to comply with all
requirements of Section 1012.465, Florida
Statutes (also known as the Jessica Lunsford
Act), by certifying that employees who will be on
the school grounds when students are present,
may have direct contact with students or have
access to or control school funds have
completed the background screening required by
the referenced statutes and meet the standards
established by the statutes. This certification will
be provided by the Purchasing Department in
advance of the vendor providing any services
while students are present.
The vendor will bear the cost of acquiring the
background screening required and any fee
imposed by the Florida Dept. of Law
Enforcement to maintain the fingerprints provided with respect to vendor and it’s employees.
The vendor will follow procedures for obtaining
employee background screenings as established
by the District’s Human Resources Department.
Where: Bay District Schools Young Center
1140 W 17th St., Panama City, FL
When: Monday – Thursday, 7:30 – 4:00pm
Contact: Doris Hill, 850-767-4347
Cost:
Contact Ms. Hill regarding cost and
breakdown for payment.
Bay District Schools Human Resources
Department will review all applications and notify
the vendor of acceptance or non-acceptance of a
proposed employee.