About Purchasing

ABOUT US

To create economies through volume buying, to promote competitive bidding, and to provide more efficient public service, the County Board has established the Purchasing Division via Minnesota State Statute 375.72.

The county purchasing department shall perform all acts necessary to purchase or contract for all supplies, materials, equipment, and contractual services required by any or all county offices, departments or agencies. 

That being said, the Purchasing Division has the privilege of working with 14+ St. Louis County Departments and Divisions, separate agencies such as Arrowhead Regional Corrections, St. Louis and Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority, and many others. Our team works in tandem with employees in 60+ different worksites, throughout the county's 6,860 miles every single day.

AGENCY CERTIFICATION

Did you know that the St. Louis County Purchasing Division is certifed by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council?

Through its Agency Certification Award program, the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) identifies organizations that have earned the distinguished and unique honor of achieving and/or maintaining a high percentage of staff that are UPPCC Certified. This program was developed to recognize those organizations that have made a concerted effort to achieve procurement excellence.

To qualify for and achieve the UPPCC Agency Certification Award, a minimum of 75% of the agency’s qualifying procurement department staff must be UPPCC certified.

The UPPCC Agency Certification Award is an annual recognition for which qualifying agencies must apply every year for consideration. The Sterling Agency Award, is an advanced level of recognition reserved for those agencies that apply for and achieve UPPCC Agency Certification Award recognition for three consecutive years.