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Purchasing & Contracting

Public Works Contracting

The Public Works Contracting Division is part of the Purchasing & Contracting Department. Its mission is to help the City achieve its Strategic Plan goals and objectives by providing superior services and to support City departments in the centralized acquisition of construction and related professional services in furtherance of the of Capital Improvements Program (CIP).

The division is responsible for the City's centralized procurement of CIP construction and associated professional consulting services, as well as contract management functions to ensure that contracts meet the City's CIP needs. To meet these needs, the division conducts the advertisement and award of construction and professional services requirements in conformance with the City's Charter and Municipal Code, including:

  • Advertising bid packages;
  • Coordinating job walks and bid openings for all of the City's construction projects;
  • Verifying the appropriate inclusion of insurance and bonds;
  • Determining bid and proposal awardees; and
  • Handling bidder and proposal inquiries or protests associated with the procurement process.

Construction Contract Services

The Construction Contract Services manages the advertising and award of construction contracts. Upon execution of City of San Diego construction contracts, a Limited Notice to Proceed (NTP) is issued to the contractor. Once the limited NTP is provided, the Engineering and Capital Projects Department, Field Engineering Division begins managing the construction contract. The Construction Management & Field Services Division will then schedule a pre-construction meeting and issues the notice to proceed to the contractor.

For questions and information, contact PWD-PWC-Construction@sandiego.gov.

Architectural & Engineering Professional Consultant Services

The Consultant Contract Services section manages architectural, engineering, and related professional service consultant contracts.

For questions and information, contact PWD-PWC-AE@sandiego.gov.

Vendor Registration and Bid Opportunities

Visit the City's vendor portal to register as a vendor and view bid opportunities.


Bids and Contracting Opportunities

The City of San Diego provides you with direct access to bidding and contracting opportunities on all its construction projects. Whether your business is contracting, subcontracting or consulting, you have an opportunity to partner with the City.

Visit the City’s designated vendor portal(link is external) to view, at no cost, construction and architectural & engineering (A&E) consultant contracts currently open for bid.

To bid on upcoming CIP construction projects or other infrastructure project contracting opportunities, your business should:

  1. Become prequalified to be able to bid on construction projects
  2. Register as a vendor (Suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants, manufacturers, distributors and dealers) are required to register and qualify to conduct business with the City.
  3. Visit the Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) program for information on small construction contract bid opportunities and benefits such as restricted bidding, bid discounts and preference points when bidding on City contracts.
  4. View(link is external) the construction, architectural & engineering (A&E) and consultant contracts currently open for bid.

Construction Contract Types

The City of San Diego makes use of several types of construction contracts and methods of construction delivery, commonly used in the engineering and construction industry, to execute its Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and other construction projects.

Contractor Prequalification Program

The program ensures compliance with Municipal Code §22.3004(a). The code requires contractors desiring to bid as prime contractors on City of San Diego public works projects to be qualified based on: financial strength; technical expertise; experience; a satisfactory record of past performance; and compliance with the law.

Doing CIP Business with the City of San Diego

The City of San Diego works on hundreds of Capital Improvements Program (CIP) projects throughout the year. These projects cover a wide variety of infrastructure needs serving the residents of San Diego. Learn more about the process and how to participate as a contractor.

Awarded CIP Construction, Architectural & Engineering (A&E), and Consultant Contracts 

  • A&E and Other Consultant Contracts - This list contains all A&E and other consultant contracts entered into by the City valued at more than $25,000.
  • Construction Contracts - This list provides a summary of all the existing CIP construction contracts greater than $25,000 in an electronic, searchable format.