The Contracts Administration and Materials Management Department (CAMM) of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) conducts all purchasing activities for OCTA.
CAMM develops and issues solicitations for all goods, inventory items, consultant and professional services, and public works (construction) projects. The Procurement Administrators employed in CAMM are responsible for these purchasing activities and are the primary point of contact for vendors. The Procurement Administrator conducts pre-proposal or pre-bid meetings to discuss and clarify the OCTA’s requirements. In addition, the Procurement Administrator negotiates contract terms, meets with vendors to resolve contractual differences and issues amendments to existing contracts. The Procurement Administrator is also available to meet with a firm whose proposal was not selected to debrief them on their proposal’s strengths and weaknesses.
CAMM’s staff makes every effort to obtain the maximum value for each dollar expended, considering the factors of price, quality, applicability, availability, support service, pertinent laws and regulations. CAMM’s staff also ensures that performance satisfaction is obtained by working closely with OCTA project managers to develop specifications that are detailed and clearly written, yet are sufficiently broad to promote competition among many vendors. OCTA purchases are made in two competitive ways:
- Informal Solicitations - Requirements $50,000 or less
- Formal Solicitations - Requirements over $50,000
PURCHASE ORDERS AND CONTRACTS
Purchase orders or contracts are issued after an award is made to the successful firm. A copy of the signed document will be sent to the firm. The firm and OCTA are contractually bound to the terms and conditions of the signed document.
BID ADVERTISEMENTS
The Orange County Register is our legal newspaper of record for all routine advertised solicitations. OCTA also posts solicitations on CAMM NET’s View Procurements page.
Sometimes a specific project may necessitate that OCTA also advertise in an additional newspaper or trade publication. Solicitation announcements are published twice prior to the bid or proposal submission date.
VENDOR ORIENTATION
If you are interested in learning more about CAMM and how business is conducted at OCTA, contact CAMM’s Business Relations Administrator at (714) 560-5657 to register to attend OCTA’s Vendor Orientation Meeting. Once a month OCTA conducts the Vendor Orientation Meeting where firms are given a presentation explaining OCTA’s procurement process and an overview of CAMM NET. Only CAMM is authorized to commit OCTA for the purchase of equipment, materials or supplies.
VENDOR BID LIST DATABASE
Vendor registration is handled through CAMM’s on-line procurement system. To register go to OCTA’s homepage, “octa.net”. Then click on the CAMM NET link. Once inside CAMM NET, simple instructions will guide the vendor through registration. Being on the database guarantees that a vendor will be notified of all solicitations within the specific commodity that the vendor has requested notification on. It is the responsibility of the vendor to keep its business profile updated within the CAMM NET system.
SOME POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Read all solicitation packages and on-line solicitation requirements and instructions carefully. Be sure you can comply with all requirements before you respond. If you have any questions, be sure to contact the procurement administrator responsible for the project.
- Be sure your offer arrives on time. All solicitation packages state the date and time the offer is due to CAMM. Do not depend on the U.S. Postal Service or a courier service for offers which cannot be submitted on-line. Hand delivery is strongly recommended. OCTA does not accept late offers/bids.
- Make your sales investment wisely. Always contact CAMM before you spend time and money creating expensive demonstrations, designs, layouts or presentations.
- Pre-bid and pre-proposal meetings are held for larger, more complicated requirements. At these meetings, the specifications are explained in detail and an opportunity exists to ask questions on any items in the solicitations.
- Check CAMM NET often to view the list of current open solicitations.
- In accordance with OCTA’s code of ethics, employees will not accept gifts or entertainment. Vendors are requested to not make any such offers to employees.
CAMM STAFF
Below is a listing of OCTA’s procurement staff. Questions regarding specific procurements should be directed to the procurement administrator identified on the solicitation. For general questions or comments contact the department manager.
