2 of 16

Contracting rules are governed by Chapter 17-1400 of the Philadelphia Code

Chapter 17-1400 governs laws regarding:

-Advertising of new contract opportunities

-Announcing the selection of winning applicants

-Providing publicly the bases for selecting the chosen applicant

Non-competitively bid contracts: Not subject to Section 8-200 of the Home Rule Charter (sealed bid, lowest responsible bidder); mainly for professional services.

3 of 16

eContract Philly is the external website where:

Contract opportunities /RFPs are advertised
Applications/proposals are submitted
Disclosure forms are submitted
Notices of intent to contract are made public

ACIS is the internal contract management system where:

Contracts opportunities/RFPs are processed
Departments process notices of contract opportunity
Contracts are processed for execution

4 of 16

Types of Contracts

Professional Services Contracts

Consulting, legal services, health, accounting/auditing, computer, architecture and engineering
Twelve month period, not bound by fiscal year
Advertised and awarded by the contracting department
Contracts can be advertised or non advertised/exempted
Up to 3 one-year renewals

Miscellaneous Purchase Order (MP/MPO)

$34,000 or less
Term is only one fiscal year
Cannot be renewed
Advertised and awarded by the contracting department
Informal Competitive Process

5 of 16

Steps in Contract Development

Identify need for contracted services
Draft notice of contract opportunity (RFP)
RFP reviewed by applicable departments (OEO, Law, OIT, ) (OEO promotes economic development of minority , women and disabled business. They set the ranges of minority participation in contracts.)
Post opportunity on eContract Philly for 15 days/ 30 days if contract value is 1 million dollars or more
Review applications/select winning applicant
Post Notice of Intent to Contract on eContract Philly (8 days)
Begin contract conformance process

6 of 16

eContract Philly Website and Intranet Contracting Resources

www.phila.gov/contracts
https://secure.phila.gov/econtract
http://intranet.city.phila.local/sites/citynet/_layouts/15/start.aspx#/SitePages/ACIS.aspx
http://intranet.city.phila.local/sites/citynet/_layouts/15/start.aspx#/Templates1/Forms/AllItems.aspx

7 of 16

Contract Drafting Methods

Law Draft: contracts which the Law Department is responsible for drafting.
Department Draft: contracts which the department is responsible for drafting. The following departments are department draft: Health, DBH, Human Services, OSH, OHCD, MOCS.

8 of 16

The conformance manager initiates the contract process in ACIS

Vendor
Contract term
Amount of compensation
Funding information
Scope of Services
Budget

9 of 16

Scope of Services Template

Implemented in FY13
Promote uniformity in contracts and ease of identifying what tasks are being performed.

10 of 16

ACIS Workflow Steps Department Draft/ Non Advertised Contract

Routed- conformance manager begins process in ACIS.
Department Review- authorized signer for department reviews and forwards to next step. (1 day)
Exemption Review- depending on exemption reason, the contract is routed to either the City Solicitor, Finance Director or Department Authorized Signer for approval. (1 day)
Procurement Review- Procurement Commissioner reviews to ensure contract services are not services that should fall under Procurement bid contracts (1 day)
Law Contract Review- Attorney reviews contract for legal accuracy. (12 days)
External Negotiation- documents are sent to vendor for signature-conformance manager forwards when signed documents are returned. (13 days)
Budget Verification- Budget analyst verifies contract’s compliance with the department’s budget. (2 days)
Encumbrance Verification- verification that the appropriate encumbrances have been entered and approved. (1 day)
Approval as to Form -Law Department checks contract to make sure no unauthorized changes have been made and documents have been executed properly. (7 days)
Initial Certification -Finance certifies that funds are available for the contract. (4 days)
Final Certification -Finance does a second step to verify funding availability. (1 day)
Finance Review -Contract is reviewed by the Finance Director. (1 day)
Department Signs Contract -Department head signs contract. (4 days)
Conformance -Contract is conformed by the department and copies are distributed. (5 days)

11 of 16

ACIS Workflow Steps Law Draft/Advertised Contract

Routed
Department Posting Approval (1 day)
Ready to Post (1 day)
Opportunity Posted* (15 days)
Contract Awaiting Award* (2 days)
Department Review (1 day)
Award Posted (2 days)
Procurement Review (1 day)
Law Contract Assignment* (3 days)
Law Draft* (12 days)
Internal Negotiation* (1 day)
Contract Package Assembly* (3 days)
External Negotiation (13 days)
Budget Verification (2 days)
Encumbrance Verification (1 day)
Approval as to Form (7 days)
Initial Certification (4 days)
Final Certification (1 day)
Finance Review (1 day)
Department Signs Contract (4 days)
Conformance (5 days)

12 of 16

ACIS Workflow Steps Unadvertised MP

Routed
Department Review
MP Approval (Law, Procurement, Finance)
MP Package Assembled and Mailed
External Negotiation
Department Signs MP
Conformance

13 of 16

Contract Renewals/Amendments

Up to 4 one-year renewals
Revised scope
Revised budget

14 of 16

Conformed Contract

Contract documents include:

Provider Agreement
Scope of Services
Budget
City of Philadelphia Contract General Provisions

Copies and the contract are distributed to:

Vendor
Law
Health
Controller’s Office (copy)
Finance (copy)
Scan/upload executed copy in ACIS

Contracts must be fully conformed before payments can be made to the vendor.

Invoices need to be directly related to the services defined under the contract.

15 of 16

Exceptions to the General Provisions/ Terms and Conditions

Insurance exceptions are reviewed by Risk Management.
Other exceptions are reviewed by the Law Department.

1 of 16