Questions & Answers

Onvia Demandstar maintains the City of Wasilla’s vendor database (bidders list). Businesses may register their goods or services based on the National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) code with Onvia DemandStar. When the city releases an ITB or RFP that matches the selected NIGP code, the vendor is automatically notified that there is a bid available for their goods or services. The business can then download the ITB or RFP documents off the Internet, or have it emailed or faxed to them from the City. The status of the ITB/RFP as well as the plan holder’s lists is kept current on the Demand Star website. Direct inquiries can be made via e-mail by contacting the Purchasing/Contracting Officer. The cost for this service is $30 per borough/state each year. Businesses interested in opportunities with the City of Wasilla should purchase access for the State of Alaska or the vendor may choose to monitor the city's web site on their own at no cost. All of the city's bids for commodities are posted on the web site.

NO! A company or individual that submits a bid MUST be on the official City of Wasilla planholders list which is maintained at the City. Failure to be on the list will be cause for their bid to be deemed non-responsive. In addition, any copies of this bid, attachments or addendums obtained from any source other than www.cityofwasilla.com/purchasing or the City of Wasilla Purchasing Officer are not valid.

The city uses competitive means for the purchase of all goods and services as required by Wasilla Municipal Code 5.08. The city also utilizes contracts and price agreements established by the State of Alaska, the Western States Contracting Alliance and other cooperatives or agencies when it is deemed to be in the best interest of the City. The city believes in open, fair competition and strives to ensure that all vendors have equal opportunity to compete for city business.

The City of Wasilla operates under a decentralized purchasing system. This means purchasing decision up to $5,000 is made independently by the departments in the city (with the exception of Management Information System purchases). When the estimated amount for goods or services is between $5,000 and $9,999, departments are required to obtain three quotes prior to purchase. The departments may utilize the services of the Purchasing/Contracting Officer (PCO) for this process or may do it themselves; however, when this processed is selected, the PCO must sign off on the final product prior to purchasing or contracting.

For purchases beyond $10,000, the city requires all departments to contact the PCO who will utilize the city's bid process according to Wasilla Municipal Code 5.08. The bid process is initiated through either an Invitation to Bid (ITB), utilized when the city knows the specifications for the purchase; or a Request for Proposal (RFP), utilized when the exact specifications or process is unknown.

Click HERE to view all City of Wasilla solicitations (Invitation to Bid & Request for Proposals).