Office of Contract Administration

Q: Who do I contact?

A: How the City buys something, and which departments you should contact, depend on what kinds of services or products you sell.

1. Products and General Services
Contracts for products and general services (which include janitorial, security guard, pest control) are generally awarded by Purchasing based on competitive bidding. Also, departments can place their own orders for many products up to $5,000. To get started, your firm should be in our vendor file. To do that, please click on Contact Us send us an e-mail asking for the vendor profile package.

2. Construction
Several City departments award contracts for construction, and they base their awards on competitive bidding. Those departments are:
Airport - Bureau of Design and Construction - (650) 737-7829
Airport - Facilities Operations and Maintenance - (650) 737-7855
Port, Engineering Division - (415) 274-0544
Public Transportation Comm., which includes the Municipal Railway - Contract Administration - Admin. Engineer - (415) 554-0721
Public Utilities Comm. (city, not state) - Hetch Hetchy, Water, Clean Water - (415) 554-3148
Public Works - (415) 554-6229
Recreation and Park - (415) 831-2772

3. Architects and Engineers
The departments listed under "Construction" above also award contracts to architects and engineers, usually based on a Request-for-Proposal process.

4. Professional Services
Although Purchasing awards contracts for professional services, the vendor selection decision is made by the City department which receives the service. The selection decision is usually made by a Request-for-Proposal process. There are more than 50 separate City departments, and you would need to contact each one.

Q: After I call the appropriate City department, what forms do I have to fill out?

A: Go to the Forms Center for more information.