Approved Brands List Program

For certain products, Purchasing Operations will establish an Approved Brands List of acceptable products that have been tested and approved as meeting the State's requirements. The Approved Brands List is established prior to issuing an ITB for the product. Any vendor may submit products for review and testing for possible inclusion on an Approved Brands List. Notice of Approved Brands List opportunities will be posted on the ITB screen of Purchasing Operations web site. Upon issuance of an ITB, only bids for those products included on the Approved Brands List will be considered for award.

Approved Alternates

The ITB may include a detailed or generic specification and may give one or more commonly known brand names followed by the words "or approved alternate". An approved alternate must be essentially the same in quality, design, and performance as the brand specified in the solicitation. If the bidder quotes an item which varies from the named brand, the bidder is responsible for identifying those variations as well as the brand offered. Purchasing Operations will only approve an alternate brand if the bidder provides information establishing to Purchasing Operations' satisfaction that the alternate is equal to, or better than, the named brand. Acceptance or rejection of an approved alternate is the responsibility of Purchasing Operations.

If the words "Do Not Substitute" follow a referenced brand, Purchasing Operations will only accept bids for the referenced brand and will not consider bids for alternates.

Vendor Prequalification Programs

For certain services, Purchasing Operations will establish a Prequalified Vendor List that consists of vendors determined to be capable and qualified to perform those services. Any vendor may submit proposals for review for possible inclusion on a Prequalified Vendor List. Notice of Vendor Prequalification opportunities will be posted on the ITB screen of Purchasing Operations web site. Upon issuance of an ITB, only vendors included on the Prequalified Vendor List will be considered for award.

Bid Deposits and Performance Bonds

A solicitation may require a bid deposit or performance bond. The processes relating to bid deposits and performances bonds will be identified in the ITB.