Clerk Purchasing Department

Doing Business with Court and Operational Services
Clerk of the Circuit Court, Pinellas County


 

DOING BUSINESS WITH US

Purchasing Department

The Clerk of the Circuit Court Purchasing Department is responsible for centralized procurement of goods and services for all Clerk Departments. The Purchasing Department shall obtain the goods and services it needs in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible within a fair and equitable environment for all vendors wishing to do business with the Clerk.

Location

Clearwater Courthouse

Clerk of the Circuit Court
315 Court Street
Room 400-B
Clearwater, FL 33756
 

Contact

Karen Freytag, Purchasing Officer

Telephone: (727) 464-4815
Email: kfreytag@mypinellasclerk.org

Department Ethics

The Clerk’s office adheres to the State’s Ethics Laws and County Ordinances establishing codes of ethics or dealing with conflicts of interest [Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes, and Sections 2-1-78 through 2-1-83, County Code (Ordinance No. 86 6)], as well as rules adopted by the Pinellas County Personnel Board and the Employee Advisory Council and to the Code of Ethics of the NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement.

Procurement Links & Documents

  • DemandStar (link is: www.demandstar.com )
  • GovQuote (link is: www.govquote.us )
  • ePayables enrollment form
  • Tax Exempt Certificate
  • W-9 Form, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification

What the Clerk Buys

  • Office Equipment and Supplies
  • Office Furniture
  • Computer Accessories and Supplies
  • Computer Software and Hardware
  • Copy paper and specialized paper to support the Clerk’s Print Shop
  • Managed Print Services
  • Printers, copiers, scanners and maintenance services
  • Microfilm, film, boxes for storage of records

The Clerk may procure commodities, materials, equipment, and services from the State of Florida, Federal Government (GSA) and other governmental entity contracts when deemed to be in the best interest of the Clerk’s Office.

The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court has purchasing functions independent of the Pinellas County Government Procurement Division. However, the Clerk may exercise its authority to make purchases using contracts established by Pinellas County Government.

BIDS & QUOTES

Formal Bids ($100,000 +)

The Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court Purchasing Department uses Demandstar for all formal Invitation to Quote (ITQ), Invitation to Bid (ITB), and Request for Proposal (RFP) notifications and document distribution services. Vendors may register with Demandstar to be made available of formal solicitation opportunities; www.demandstar.com.

You may find our agency on Demandstar under, “Clerk of the Circuit Court, Pinellas County, FL”.

It is the vendors’ sole responsibility to be apprised of the solicitation requirements and any addenda issued. Through DemandStar the notices of solicitations are sent by e-mail to the selection of bidders who have fully registered with DemandStar, who may then view the bid documents online. Bidders who have been informed of a bid's availability in any other manner are responsible for registering with DemandStar in order to view the bid documents.

Quotes (less than $100,000)

The Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court Purchasing Department uses the GovQuote web tool to secure QUOTES for goods and services. This site is NOT used for bids, only for the collection of quotes for goods and services.

Please register to ensure you receive notification for requests for quotes at: www.govquote.us.

You may find our agency on GovQuote under, “Clerk of the Circuit Court, Pinellas County Florida”.

Registration and use of GovQuote is a free service to secure quotes that do not require a formal quote or bid process.

How the Clerk Buys

Small Dollar purchases (up to $5,000) may be accomplished by user departments with Clerk issued Visa cards. Receipts or invoices for Visa purchases should be sent to individual cardholders.

Purchases up to $100,000 are purchased through an informal quote process.

Purchases over $100,000 are procured with a formal solicitation.

The Clerk may procure commodities, materials, equipment, and services from the State of Florida, Federal Government (GSA) and other governmental entity contracts when deemed to be in the best interest of the Clerk’s Office.

Typically, the Clerk procures goods and services through the issuance of a Purchase Order. A Purchase Order (PO) sent from the Clerk to a vendor with a request for an order is a binding contract between both parties. The type of item, the quantity, agreed upon price, and any additional requirements are printed on the purchase order. The vendor should reference this Purchase Order number on any correspondence with the Clerk.

Public Records

The Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court is subject to the Florida Public Records law (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes), and all documents, materials, and data submitted to any solicitation as part of the response are governed by the disclosure, exemption and confidentiality provisions relating to public records in Florida Statutes.

SUBMITTING INVOICES

Payment Information

The Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court has a centralized invoice entry and payment processing function within the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Finance Division, Accounts Payable Department.

Please submit your invoices DIRECTLY to the Accounts Payable Department for expedited processing.

The Clerk’s payment terms are Net 45 per Florida Statutes 218.70 - 218.80, “Local Prompt Payment Act”.

Payments are made by check through the US mail. The Clerk can also offer ACH payments or in conjunction with Bank of America a credit card based payment method through the Clerk’s ePaybles program.

Submission of Invoices May be by Either Mail or Email:

MAIL

Finance Division, Accounts Payable

Clerk of the Circuit Court, Pinellas County
PO Box 2438
Clearwater, FL 33757
 

What Information Should You Include on your Invoice?

In addition to typical invoice information (vendor name, remittance address, invoice number and date, amount due, and details on goods or services), you must include the following information on your invoice to ensure prompt payment:

  • Purchase Order number
  • Clerk Department that ordered goods or services (i.e. Technology, Civil Court Records)
  • Contact Name and phone number from the Clerk Department that placed order

If your invoice is missing any of this information, payment may be delayed.

Electronic Payment (ePayables)

Pinellas County offers invoice payment options including payment via ePayables, or ePay. This is a credit card based payment system. To be eligible, your company has to accept credit card payments. Payment via ePay is much faster than other payment methods.

How does it work? We will issue a unique credit card number to your company. After you submit your invoice, you will receive an email telling you that you have an ePay transaction to take. You process this payment like any other credit card transaction, and you receive your funds right away. The credit card account we give you will have a zero balance. When a payment is authorized, your credit balance will be the amount of your invoice. After you take the payment, the balance goes back to zero.

Is there a cost to participate in the program? Pinellas County does not charge to participate in the program; however, normal merchant fees charged by your credit card processer may apply.

ePayables Enrollment Form

VENDOR RELATIONS

iSupplier Portal

As a vendor to Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court you can access the Oracle iSupplier Portal to view your transactions with the Clerk. The iSupplier Portal (iSP) is an Internet self-service tool which gives vendors’ the ability to directly access and search records on the current status or history of Purchase Orders, Invoices, Payments, and Agreements for your company.

For further details on how to subscribe contact the Clerk’s Procurement Officer, Karen Freytag, 727-464-4779, kfreytag@mypinellasclerk.org

Download iSupplier Document

Vendor Insurance Requirements

All vendors doing business with the Clerk should be business entities properly licensed, insured and registered as required by law and authorized to do business in the State of Florida. Unless otherwise specified, all vendors must possess the required insurance coverages as specified by the Florida Statutes including Workers Compensation, Automobile, and Professional/General Liability.

Additional insurance coverage types and increased insurance limits will be assessed on a case-by-case basis as may be determined by the Clerk based on the type of the goods/services being procured.

Pinellas County Small Business Enterprise

Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) has a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Program. Applications for the SBE Program can be found at their website: https://www.pced.org/page/sbe

Equal Opportunity for Vendors

The Clerk Office believes that Vendors should be afforded equal opportunity to submit quotations and are to compete on equal terms.

Eligible Vendors

The Clerk will purchase only from vendors who have adequate financial strength, high ethical standards, and a record of adhering to specifications, maintaining shipping promises, and providing complete service.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Human Rights

The Clerk’s Office recognizes its obligations under the Equal Employment Opportunity and Human Rights laws and will fulfill those obligations to the best of its ability.

Pinellas County Clerk of the Court – iSupplier Portal

As a Supplier to Pinellas County Clerk of the Court you can access the Oracle iSupplier Portal to view your transactions with the Clerk. The iSupplier Portal (iSP) is an Internet self-service tool, which gives Suppliers’ the ability to directly access and search records on the current status or history of Purchase Orders, Invoices, Payments, and Agreements for your company.

Benefits of the iSupplier Self Service Portal

  • Suppliers can view invoices and payments; both current and historic
  • Suppliers have immediate access to their information in a central location
  • Access is available 24 x 7 (through the self-service internet portal)
  • Reduces paperwork, emails, and phone calls
  • Suppliers have the ability to update company information (i.e. mailing address, company contacts)

Getting Started - Registration

To access the iSupplier (self service) portal, please send an email to the Supplier Management Team.

Your email request must include the following information:

Company Name Include DBA (Doing Business As) names, if applicable.
Example: XYZ Corporation, DBA XYZ Home Repair
Contact Name, Title First name, last name and title of the authorized contact(s) within your company that will be using the portal.
Email Address Valid email address of designated contact(s)
Phone / Fax 10 digit telephone (and/or fax number) for the designated contact(s)

Once your request has been received a confirmation email will be sent to the designated contact(s) providing the username and password with a link to the Pinellas County iSupplier website along with a brief tutorial.

The Supplier Management Team will provide instruction about navigating iSupplier to view transactions with the Pinellas County Clerk of the Court (CCC).

Contact for Pinellas County iSupplier

Supplier Management Team (FinanceSupplierMgmt@pinellascounty.org)