Doing Business with the City of Eugene

Review our guide on doing business with the City: 6 Tips for finding, understanding & responding to solicitations Opens a New Window. 

Finding Opportunities

Suppliers interested in doing business with the City can find solicitations and documents on the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN) or on the City of Eugene website. Review our guide for help getting started: Finding Opportunities: City of Eugene Solicitations Opens a New Window. 

COBID Certification

We encourage all eligible suppliers to gain certification as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), Emerging Small
Business (ESB), and/or a Service Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (SDVBE) through the State of Oregon Certification Office of Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID). Opens a New Window. 

Qualified Pools

This is a pool of contractors that can provide Exempt Personal Services, which are services requiring specialized technical, creative, professional or communication skills. Contractors submit a Statement of Qualifications in response to a solicitation, which is then reviewed for a determination of acceptance or rejection. If accepted into a Qualified Pool, City staff may contact you to discuss a project and may directly award a contract of up to $100,000 in a fiscal year. Find out more about the open opportunities here.

Confused about Solicitation Acronyms?

ITB: Invitation To Bid

RFQ: Request for Quotation

These types are used when the agency has a good idea of what is needed for a project, and the specification is well-defined. Contract award is based primarily upon price (as opposed to supplier qualifications or design suggestions)

RFP: Request for Proposal

IRFP: Informal Request for Proposal

These types are used when the agency doesn't know what is needed and is seeking a solution. Contract award is based primarily upon factors other than price (such as merit of solution)

RFI: Request for Information

An RFI is  seeking information, which will be used to help craft an accurate solicitation (one that will lead to a contract award). No contract award will come directly from an RFI.

RFQu: Request for Qualification

An RFQu is an invitation to suppliers to become members of a Qualified Pool. A Qualified Pool may be used as resource to find qualified suppliers to contact for a future solicitation (one that will lead to a contract award). No contract award will come directly from an RFQu

Contracting Alliance for Diversity & Equity (CADE)

CADE is an alliance of government and public agencies within Lane County dedicated to removing barriers in contracting. The alliance was developed as a component of the Equity in Contracting Program, with the intent to: 

• organize and develop goals around equity and accessibility in contracting
• garner support for increasing the COBID-certified business directory
• open up communication and collaboration between agencies

CADE meets every two months to share information and hear from local speakers, and plans events throughout the year. Visit the CADE website Opens a New Window.  for more information about regional partners, upcoming events relevant to the business community, and resources about how to do business with local government.