SOLICITATIONS
The Division of Purchasing publicly posts the City’s formal solicitations on the State of Hawaii – Hawaii Awards & Notices Data System (HANDS) for goods, services, construction, grants, concessions and other types of solicitations. HANDS gathers information from multiple state and county platforms and displays it all in one place.
Small Purchase procurements (goods and services under $100,000 or construction under $250,000) are publicly posted on the City’s Vendor Self Service website.
Please register your organization in Vendor Self Service (VSS) to create a vendor account. A vendor account is needed in order to be awarded any contract or receive payments, regardless if the solicitation is posted in VSS or HANDS. VSS registration and other related help guides are available. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact the Purchasing Help Desk at 808-768-5535 or email bfspurchasing@honolulu.gov.
auctions
For public auction of the City’s surplus items, please visit the Vendor Self Service (VSS) website. Vendors are advised that there are some changes to the system and help guides are available on the VSS website. For more information contact the Auction Line at (808) 768-3962. For VSS registration assistance, contact the Help Desk at (808) 768-5535.
For public auction of Unclaimed and Abandoned Vehicles, please visit the Department of Customer Services website for more information.
Policies on Gifts and Conflicts of Interest
At the City and County of Honolulu, we value our relationships with our vendors, contractors, and suppliers. As we all work together toward serving the citizens of the City & County of Honolulu, we can promote and operate by the highest ethical standards and do what’s right for our community.
We kindly ask for your consideration of the City & County’s Standards of Conduct that highlight our commitment to high ethical standards. Consistent with our standards, all of us at the City & County are unable to accept gifts, favors, or gratuities beyond nominal value.
As an alternative, we encourage you to consider making a contribution to your favorite non-profit organization supporting our local community.
Through our joint commitment to high ethical standards, please let us know at any time if there are any potential conflicts of interest arising from personal relationships your company may have with City & County employees so we can mutually find solutions to prevent or resolve the conflict. Please contact the Honolulu Ethics Commission at 808-768-9242 or ethics@honolulu.gov for assistance.
Mahalo in advance for your understanding and more importantly, for your continued partnership as we work towards creating a stronger, more resilient community.
Employment Opportunities
The Division of Purchasing is currently seeking applications from any individuals interested in pursuing a career in centralized procurement. If you would like more information about the available positions or if you are interested in submitting a resume, please email us at bfspurchasing@honolulu.gov.
Notice to small and minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms:
If your company is a small and minority business, women’s business enterprise or a labor surplus area firm and is interested in being notified of the posting of City’s solicitations for federally funded projects, please email bfspurchasing@honolulu.gov. In the email, provide your company’s legal name, the category your company qualifies under, and the email contact to be notified at.
The City will make reasonable efforts to notify your company when a federally funded solicitation is posted. By being on this email contact list, you may also receive notifications of projects that do not pertain to your company’s interests. At any time, you may email a request to be removed from this list.
If you have not done so already, please register your organization in Vendor Self Service (VSS). A vendor account is needed in order to be awarded a contract or receive payments. VSS registration and other related help guides are available here: Help Guides.
To do business with the City, you may be required to be in compliance with applicable laws including Federal and Hawaii State tax, labor, and business registration requirements. To ensure compliance, we recommend that you register with the State of Hawaii Compliance Express System (http://vendors.ehawaii.gov).
The City also contracts millions of dollars in federal transportation funds. As a result, the City is required to have a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program which establishes non-discrimination practices and measures. A DBE is defined as a for-profit small business where minorities, women and other socially and economically disadvantaged persons own at least a 51% interest and also control management and daily business operations. Here is more information about the HDBE Program, Policy Statement and Minority Owned Financial Institutions.