Q. I have some basic questions regarding competitive bidding with the City of Newport.

A. By State Law and City Ordinance, the City of Newport is obligated to purchase by Public Bidding: Construction projects over $10,000 and Items or Services over $4,000.00. All bids are publicly opened at the advertised time and are then made available for public examination at any time.

Analysis of bid results are posted after the bid openings and are made available within the Bid Tabulations area on left Navigation Bar (Bid tabulations are listed by year bid), or interested parties may call for (401) 845-5414 or by email to magin@cityofnewport.com for assistance.

All bids are advertised in: the Providence Journal, the Newport Daily News, and specialized Trade Newspapers or in some or any combination of all the aforementioned. Award guidelines of Municipal Contracts, under The General Laws of RI, can be viewed via the navigation bar at left. Bids are also posted to registered vendors on the City website.

Q. I have some basic questions regarding the Vendor information needed for submitting bid responses to the City of Newport.

A. Vendors may call the Purchasing Division at (401) 845-5414 or email to magin@cityofnewport.com to request information on current and future bids.

Anyone interested in bidding with the City of Newport, may send a letter addressed to the Purchasing Division, stating what type of merchandise or services they would be interested in bidding on, or how to be notified of any upcoming bids or request for quotations.

A. After a bid is opened, the Department requiring the goods or services makes a determination as to the lowest evaluated or responsive bidder in the case of merchandise, or the highest qualified firm in the case of services.

The Department Head then makes a recommendation to the City Council, who, ultimately, awards a bid. The successful vendor is then notified of the award and of any further requirement prior to a Purchase Order/Contract being issued.

Q. I have some basic questions regarding how Prevailing Wages work with the City of Newport.

A. Any construction over $1,000.00 is required by state law to pay state prevailing wage. A current copy of the most recent Prevailing Wages scale is obtained from the State of Rhode Island, Department of Labor and Training, Division of Professional Regulation or at the Davis-Bacon Wage Determination link.

It is also available by request for each construction bid document. All vendors supplying construction services must submit certified payrolls from any contractor and subcontractor who do work on the project. No payments are made until all payrolls are up to date and correct.