Contracts and Purchasing

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The NYCPS system meets its needs for goods and services through purchases from outside vendors. These vendors may be contracted, meaning they go through a formal procurement process and enter into a formal contract, or non-contracted, meaning the procurement process is informal. Below is general information for schools, and for vendors looking to do business with us.

Purchasing at NYCPS is governed by the Procurement Policy and Procedures, and vendors, as well as DOE employees, are expected to be aware of and follow our procurement rules.

Vendors and schools may call the Vendor Hotline with questions about working with the DOE or making purchases with new vendors. The Vendor Hotline is open from 9am-5pm on all school days and over the summer.

Schools looking to make purchases from contracts or small purchases from a non-contracted vendor can follow the links below for more information.

Vendor Hotline Contact Info

For Schools and Central Offices

For All Vendors – Prospective and Current

Forms

Software Data Privacy and Security Process

Federal and state laws and regulations impose requirements on the DOE and certain outside parties to ensure students' personally identifiable information (PII) and certain staff PII (specifically, identifiable annual professional performance review data of principals, assistant principals and teachers) remain confidential and secure. The DOE has a standardized compliance review process for vetting any outside parties (contracted and non-contracted) who receive or access data from the DOE. This compliance process helps ensure that outside parties safeguard any and all protected information pursuant to federal, state, and local regulations.

The DOE is committed to protecting PII while giving schools the flexibility to purchase and use the tools and products that work best for their communities. Effective July 1, 2023 all vendors of third-party software will be required to complete DOE’s compliance process and OTI’s Cloud Review Process before conducting business with the DOE. This is to ensure all vendors safeguard any and all protected information pursuant to FERPA, New York State Education Law 2-d and Chancellor’s Regulation A-820. This applies to all third-party software, including purchases under $25k and free or donated software.

This process applies to contracted and non-contracted vendors, as well as outside parties that offer products and services for free.

Please visit the Data Privacy and Security Compliance Process page for more information and to get started.

For Prospective Vendors

Open Solicitations & Notices of Intent

For Current Vendors

Payment Information

Electronic Funds Transfer/Direct Deposit for Vendor Payments

We have always encouraged vendors to enroll to receive electronic payments rather than paper checks. New York City law passed in 2007 now REQUIRES participation in the program for most contracts, so if you have not signed up for electronic payments yet, please do so through the link below.

Sign-up for Electronic Payments From the DOE

Contract Financing

The New York City Department of Education is pleased to participate in a service offered by the Department of Small Business Services, called Contract Financing, which provides short-term, working-capital for upfront expenses such as insurance, labor, and equipment for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises(M/WBEs) and other small businesses awarded contracts with the NYC Department of Education. Find out more about Contract Financing on the NYCBusiness website.

Invoicing Process: Accounts Payable Office

The Accounts Payable Office is no longer accepting paper-based invoices via mail. All invoices must be e-mailed to the Account’s Payables Office based on the location where products were delivered or services were provided. Where practicable, vendors must limit their submission to one file attachment, as a PDF formatted file with supporting documentation per invoice; e.g. a one-file attachment may include 50 pages (required documentation) in a single file. Vendors are to name the attachment and indicate the following on the subject line of the email: “Vendor Name, PO Number, and Invoice Number.”

Vendors can submit their invoices to one of the following email addresses based on the school location where the service was rendered or product was delivered:

Vendors should use the inboxes above for invoice submission only, all vendor inquiries should be sent to VendorHotline@schools.nyc.gov.

DOE will honor all commitments for products that have been delivered and services rendered.

Invoice Processing: All Other DOE Offices

If your PO requires invoicing to an address other than Accounts Payable at 65 Court Street, Rm 1502, Brooklyn NY 11201, your payment may be processed directly by another office. Vendors with POs that require invoicing to another office should continue to submit those invoices as normal, unless contacted by that office to arrange for alternative electronic delivery of invoices.

Vendors who use Vendor Portal or EDI for invoicing should continue to submit those invoices as normal.

Supporting Documentation

The following documentation is required in order to process payment. Please note that we are now requiring Proof of Delivery (POD) for all commodity deliveries until further notice:

  • Invoice (Commodity Vendors & Professional Services)
    • Vendor name, address, phone number and/or e-mail
    • Invoice date
    • Unique Invoice number
    • Purchase order number
    • Date of service or delivery
    • Itemized list of services or items with unit price or service fee
    • Credits if applicable
    • Total amount due
    • Payment remittance address
  • Proof of Delivery (Commodity Vendors)
    • Packaging Slip
    • Tracking information from UPS, FedEx, USPS or freight carrier

DOE conducts business with an array of vendors who provide a variety of products and services. Payments will be issued to vendors with Certified Purchase Orders. Below are examples of additional documents that may be required per the vendor’s contractual terms and/or the type of products or services rendered. Please note there are other products and/or services beyond the list below:

Vendor TypeDocumentation
CommoditiesPackaging Slip / POD
FoodAgenda & Sign-In Sheet
Trips/AdmissionList of attendees
Service/MaintenanceService Agreement
Professional ServicesScope of work, service dates & sign-in sheet

Contractual Requirements

Contractors are reminded that they remain bound by the terms and conditions of their contracts with the New York City Department of Education, including, but not limited to, their obligations pursuant to the payment and cost provisions.

E-Rate

The Office of Federal and State Regulatory Compliance (OFSRC) oversees the DOE’s participation in the E-Rate program.

To report misuse of E-Rate funding please call 1-718-625-2682 or 1-888-203-8100, or visit the universal service administrative company whistleblower webpage.

Helpful Links