Doing Business With Mines
The Colorado School of Mines offers various opportunities for companies to provide one-time or ongoing goods and services. Please review the following information regarding our procurement processes and contact us with any questions.
Purchasing at Mines is decentralized; all procurement is initiated and managed by individual campus departments. Consequently, the Procurement department does not execute campus-wide purchases or mandate the use of specific suppliers.
The Colorado School of Mines is proud to do business with companies of all sizes for a multitude of different goods and services.
FAQs
Do I need to register as a Supplier to do business with Mines?
It depends…
Up to $5,000.00 – Some faculty, staff and students have a Mines’ credit card (“OneCard”) with a purchase limit of $4,999.99. Companies do not need to be registered supplier if the purchase is being done by OneCard.
More than $5,000.00 – For any purchase of $5,000.00 or more, a purchase order (“PO”) must be issued. A company must be a registered supplier in order for a PO to be issued.
Contracts/Agreements – Regardless of costs, if an agreement must be signed, the company must be a registered supplier.
I own a small business. Can I do business with Mines?
Yes! Mines does business with companies of all sizes. It doesn’t matter whether you are company of one, have 100 employees or100 locations across the globe. If your company offers competitive rates, and quality goods or services that Mines needs, let’s do business.
If you are a small business, please see our “HOW TO REGISTER ON SAM.GOV” section below.
What is SAM.gov Self-certification?
SAM.gov a is database that is managed by the federal government and allows agencies and contractors to find providers for goods or services based on factors such as location, size, experience, etc.
If you are a small business, please see our “HOW TO REGISTER ON SAM.GOV” section below.
How do I respond to a solicitation (RFP, IFB, DQ, etc)?
Mines uses Bidnet Direct to publish all solicitations for goods and services. On average, Mines posts more than 100 solicitations per year.
If you are interested in submitting a bid or proposal to Mines, we encourage you to sign up for Bidnet Direct using the directions below. If you have been invited to respond to a solicitation by an e-mail from Mines Procurement, you may sign up for a free account and respond. However, to receive future notification regarding solicitations in your industry from Mines and other agencies, you will have to subscribe to Bidnet Direct.
Please see our “HOW TO SIGN UP ON BIDNET” section below.
How does my company become a pre-qualified Supplier for trades?
The Office of Design & Construction (“ODC”) posts a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) annually to pre-qualify various trades for construction projects under $500,000 for ODC, as well as for repair/maintenance tasks for Facilities Management (FM) and Environmental Health & Safety (“EHS”). This is referred to as the “Standing Order Contractor Program.”
Becoming a pre-qualified vendor does not guarantee your company will be selected to provide goods or services. However, if your company is on the ODC per-qualified list, Mines can request official quotes from companies listed in a trade category and select the company who provides the best value – a solicitation is not required regardless of total cost.
To review general information and trade Categories, please review the STANDING ORDER CONTRACTOR PROGRAM INFORMATION.
How to Become a Supplier
Mines partners with PaymentWorks to manage the collection and validation of all supplier information. PaymentWorks is easy and free to use. Suppliers and organizations that receive payments from Mines will receive an invitation to register via email and will be able to enter all of their information safely and securely.
Please note that becoming a registered supplier with Mines does not guarantee that your company will be engaged for goods and/or services by Mines.
For information about PaymentWorks, please visit the “PaymentWorks Vendor Portal.”
How to Register with SAM.gov
Mines encourage all businesses to register with the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM.gov), which is the primary database of vendors doing business with the federal government.
Registration is often referred to as “self-certifying,” and is especially important if you operate a small business. SAM.gov allows Government agencies and contractors to search for your company based on your ability, size, location, experience, ownership, HUBZone Programs and more.
There is no cost to register with SAM.gov.
How to Sign Up on Bidnet
Per Federal and State law, all solicitations must be posted publicly. Mines posts all of our solicitations exclusively on Bidnet Direct. To submit a bid or proposal on Bidnet, you must be registered.
There is no cost to sign up for a “Limited” account, which will allow you to respond to a solicitation and receive notifications for other solicitations.
For help signing up for a “Limited” account, please review the BIDNET REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS.
To learn more about Mines Solicitations, please review Section 6.0 “DEFINITIONS” and “EXHIBIT 1 – Procurement Procedures” of the MINES PROCUREMENT POLICY.