Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans
Account Services Consumer Information Field Work Bids and Business General Information Contact Us Home
background Bids and Business

Current Bid Specifications
are available here
Vendor Registration Form
is available here








Purchases

The Sewerage and Water Board purchases goods and services using four different methods. The methods listed below are the most common forms for purchases. However, individual purchases may use stricter methods, such as formal bids, when appropriate. State law and Board policies govern the procedures used for purchases.
  • For purchases under $5,000 three or more price quotes are obtained. The order is sent to the vendor with the lowest quote.

  • For purchases from $5,000 to $15,000 price quotes may be obtained or a bid request issued. If a bid request is issued, it follows the procedures noted below.

  • For goods over $20,000 a bid request is written and advertised in the Times-Picayune. Copies of the bid request are also mailed to known vendors The vendor with the lowest qualifying bid is recommended to the Board of Directors for award of the bid. The Board of Directors has final authority to award or deny the bid.

  • For professional services a Request For Proposals (RFP) is written and advertised in the Times-Picayune. Copies of the RFP are also mailed to known vendors. Proposals are evaluated using critieria described in the RFP. The evaluation may consider price, level of service offered, qualifications of the bidder, and other factors. One or more vendors may be recommended to the Board of Directors for award of the bid. The Board of Directors has final authority to award or deny the bid.

    In some cases, a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) may be written before the RFP. The Request For Qualifications is used to identify companies qualified to do the work. In such cases, only qualified companies are permitted to respond with pricing proposals.
Copies of the bid requests and RFPs can be obtained from the Purchasing Department. A list of bid specifications for goods and services is provided below.


Common Errors Made When Submitting Bids
  • Prices must be written in words and numbers (like writing a check). Bids that do not have the prices written in words can be rejected.

  • The specifications and all attachments must be attached. If you do not attach the specifications to the bid or proposal, it can be rejected.

  • DBE participation percentage must be included on the proper form. Bids that do not include the form, do not show the percentage and description of work, or do not provide an explanation of efforts to obtain DBE partners when there is no participation can be rejected.

  • DBE participants must always be subcontractors. The prime contractor does not count toward DBE participation, even if the prime contractor is DBE certified.
The Board may reject any and all bids if they are deemed not in the best interest of the Sewerage and Water Board.


Capital Program and Contracts

The largest purchases made by the Board are for capital improvements to the underground piping, buildings, and other facilities. The specifications for capital improvements normally include extensive technical information such as large scale engineering drawings which are not easily viewed and analyzed in electronic form.

Capital program bid requests are advertised in the Times-Picayune. In addition, copies of the bid specifications are mailed to known vendors.


Disadvantaged Business Program

The S&WB strongly encourages participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) on all bids and RFPs. Goals for participation are included in the bid documents.

The Economically Disadvantaged Business Program certifies businesses as DBEs and oversees compliance with goals and contractual requirements. Certification by other government agencies does not confer automatic DBE certification by the S&WB. Use the links below to obtain a listing of DBE vendors approved by the S&WB.
Participation is done, by definition, by subcontractors. A prime contractor cannot fulfill the participation goal. A DBE certified company acting as the prime contractor must subcontract with other DBE companies to meet the bid goal.

The application for certification as a disadvantaged business is available here. For more information about the certification process, contact the Economically Disadvantaged Business Program.

The RE-CERTIFICATION application is available here.


Goods and Services

You can request bid specifications for goods and services on this site. Summary information is provided along with an electronic form to register your request to receive individual specifications.

Registration is required to ensure that any amendments or other information related to the bid is sent to all interested parties.


Price Quotes

Small purchases are made by obtaining price quotes from at least three different vendors. The vendor who has the items available at the lowest price receives a purchase order.

The firms contacted are selected from a list of vendors who can provide the items. Firms are rotated on the list so each firm has the same chance of being contacted.

If you would like to be included on the list of firms available for price quotes, please contact the Purchasing Department to register the products you can provide.