Doing Business With Mines
How to do business with mines
There are multiple ways that companies can work with the Colorado School of Mines to provide one-time or ongoing goods and services. Please read through the information provided and let us know if you have any questions.
Procurement does not make campus-wide purchases or require campus departments to use certain vendors. All purchases are initiated by and the responsibility of the departments.
Please note that submitting a W-9 to Mines or being listed in the Mines vendor system, does not make the vendor an approved vendor at Mines, and does not indicate that Mines has done or will do business with the vendor. Departments are not required to select vendors already in the Mines vendor system.
The Colorado School of Mines is proud to do business with companies of all sizes for a multitude of different goods and services.
frequently asked questions (faq)
Do I need to register as a vendor to do business with Mines?
It depends…
Up to $5,000.00 – Some faculty, staff and students have a Mines’ credit card (“OneCard”) that has a $5,000.00 purchase limit. Companies do not need to be registered vendor if the purchase is being done by OneCard.
More than $5,000.00 – For any purchase exceeding $5,000.00, a purchase order (“PO”) must be issued. A company must be a registered vendor in order for a PO to be issued.
Contracts/Agreements – Regardless of costs, if an agreement must be signed, the company must be a registered vendor.
I own a small business, Can I do business with mines?
Yes! Mines does business with companies of all sizes. It doesn’t matter whether you are company of one, have 100 employees or100 locations across the globe. If your company offers competitive rates, and quality goods or services that Mines needs, let’s do business.
If you are a small business, please see our “HOW TO REGISTER ON SAM.GOV” section below.
What is SAm.gov Self-certification?
SAM.gov a is database that is managed by the federal government and allows agencies and contractors to find providers for goods or services based on factors such as location, size, experience, etc.
If you are a small business, please see our “HOW TO REGISTER ON SAM.GOV” section below.
How do i respond to a solicitation (RFP, IFB, DQ, etc.)?
Mines uses Bidnet Direct to publish all solicitations for goods and services. On average, Mines posts more than 100 solicitations per year.
If you are interested in submitting a bid or proposal to Mines, we encourage you to sign up for Bidnet Direct using the directions below. If you have been invited to respond to a solicitation by an e-mail from Mines Procurement, you may sign up for a free account and respond. However, to receive future notification regarding solicitations in your industry from Mines and other agencies, you will have to subscribe to Bidnet Direct.
Please see our “HOW TO SIGN UP ON BIDNET” section below.
How does my company become a pre-qualified vendor for trades?
The Office of Design & Construction (“ODC”) posts a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) annually to pre-qualify various trades for construction projects under $500,000 for ODC, as well as for repair/maintenance tasks for Facilities Management (FM) and Environmental Health & Safety (“EHS”). This is referred to as the “Standing Order Contractor Program.”
Becoming a pre-qualified vendor does not guarantee your company will be selected to provide goods or services. However, if your company is on the ODC per-qualified list, Mines can request official quotes from companies listed in a trade category and select the company who provides the best value – a solicitation is not required regardless of total cost.
To review general information and trade Categories, please review the STANDING ORDER CONTRACTOR PROGRAM INFORMATION.
How to Become a vendor
Submit your W-9 (domestic), W-8BEN (foreign individual) or W-8BEN-E (foreign entity) and your company will be added to the Mines vendor system. Please note that becoming a registered vendor with Mines does not guarantee that your company will be engaged for goods and/or services by Mines.
How to REGISTER WITH SAM.GOv
Mines encourage all businesses to register with the federal government’s System for Award Management (SAM.gov), which is the primary database of vendors doing business with the federal government.
Registration is often referred to as “self-certifying,” and is especially important if you operate a small business. SAM.gov allows Government agencies and contractors to search for your company based on your ability, size, location, experience, ownership, HUBZone Programs and more.
There is no cost to register with SAM.gov.
How to Sign up on bidnet
Per Federal and State law, all solicitations must be posted publicly. Mines posts all of our solicitations exclusively on Bidnet Direct. To submit a bid or proposal on Bidnet, you must be registered.
There is no cost to sign up for a “Limited” account, which will allow you to respond to a solicitation. However, in order to receive notifications when solicitations in your industry, you will have to sign up for a paid account ($9-$43/mo).
For help signing up for a “Limited” account, please review the BIDNET SIGN-UP INSTRUCTIONS.
To learn more about Mines Solicitations, please review Section 6.0 “DEFINITIONS” and “EXHIBIT 1 – Procurement Procedures” of the MINES PROCUREMENT POLICY.