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Purchasing Home

Fiscal Services

Purchasing

Purchasing oversees buying across the district, in line with federal and state law and district regulations. That covers supplies, materials, equipment, and contracted services for every school and department.

Never order before the purchase order is issued. A purchase order is the district's authorisation to buy. If you place an order without one, the district has no obligation to pay it — and the cost can land on you personally.

How to buy something

For district staff. Five steps, in this order.

  1. Confirm you have budget

    Check the account has funds before you start. Your budget analyst can confirm the account string and available balance.

  2. Enter a requisition in Galaxy

    Requisitions come to Purchasing electronically. Include a full description, quantity, and a current quote where you have one.

  3. Get the right number of quotes

    Thresholds set by law determine how many quotes or whether a formal bid is required. Call Purchasing before you commit to anything sizeable — this is the step that most often has to be undone.

  4. Wait for the purchase order

    A purchase order is the district's authorisation to buy. Ordering before the PO is issued puts the cost on you personally and may not be reimbursable.

  5. Receive and confirm

    Confirm receipt so Accounts Payable can match the invoice to the PO and pay the vendor.

How many quotes do I need? Dollar thresholds for quotes, informal bids, and formal bids are set by the Public Contract Code and adjust annually. Purchasing holds the current figures — call before assuming which level applies.

Contracts and agreements

Only certain people can sign

Site and department staff cannot sign contracts on the district's behalf, however small. Send agreements to Purchasing before anyone signs anything.

Watch for auto-renewal

Software and service agreements frequently renew automatically unless cancelled within a notice window. Tell Purchasing the renewal date when the contract is set up.

Cooperative contracts save time

The district can often buy through existing cooperative contracts that have already been competitively bid. Ask before starting a bid of your own.

Sole source needs justification

If only one supplier can genuinely meet the need, that has to be documented. Being the vendor you prefer does not qualify.

Active bids & RFQ/Ps

As necessary, Alvord Unified goes out to bid for materials, equipment, or public works projects. Current opportunities are listed below.

No open solicitations right now.

There are no open solicitations posted at the moment. New opportunities are posted here when they are released — check back, or call Purchasing to ask what is coming up.

CUPCCAA & prequalification

Alvord Unified participates in the California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (CUPCCAA). Contractors on the district's registered list are invited to bid on informal public works projects, so registering is how a contractor gets asked in the first place.

Contractors: registering is how you get invited. Under CUPCCAA the district invites registered contractors to bid on informal public works projects. If you are not on the list, you will not hear about them.

Doing business with the district

For suppliers and contractors who would like to work with Alvord Unified.

  1. Send us your information

    Contact Purchasing with what you supply, your pricing, and any cooperative contracts you hold. There is no fee to be considered.

  2. Return a completed W-9

    The district cannot issue payment without one. This is the step vendors most often miss.

  3. Watch for solicitations

    Formal opportunities are posted on this page. Public works contractors should also register through CUPCCAA to be invited to informal bids.

  4. Wait for a purchase order

    Never begin work or ship goods on a verbal request from a school site. Without a purchase order the district has no obligation to pay, and staff have no authority to commit funds.

The form every new vendor needs

The purchasing team

Purchasing & Contracts Manager
Adonna CalderonContracts, bids, and high-value purchases
Phone
(951) 509-6029Purchasing & Contracts Manager
Senior Buyer
Vickie Turner — (951) 509-5040Quotes, purchase orders, and sourcing
Purchasing Assistant
Sam Martinez — (951) 509-5157Requisition processing and purchase order status
Hours
Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.9 KPC Parkway, Corona, CA 92879

Full details in the staff directory.