How to Become a CPS Vendor

The Department of Procurement does not accept unsolicited vendor applications. This means we do not on-board vendors who have not won a contract through our Solicitation process or who schools do not have the intent to use. There are two ways to become a vendor for Chicago Public Schools:

  1. Participate in and be awarded a contract through one of our Open To Public Solicitation Events


    2. If your firm is interested in participating in a pool as a pre-qualified vendor, please monitor the Current Solicitation Opportunities (Open-To-The Public) for RFQ/RFP availability. Periodically, RFQs or RFPs are issued to create and/or add to pre-qualified pools. All Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are issued through the Department of Procurement.


  2. Obtain a CPS Principal, CPS Network Chief, or CPS Department Director Level Sponsorship - If a School, Network or Department has the intent to use your goods or services, they must reach out to Procurement to begin the process. The sponsoring CPS Principal, CPS Network Chief, or CPS Department Director can contact Procurement at purchasing@cps.edu with an email requesting the formal documentation (if they do not already have it) to complete the sponsorship with a subject heading "Vendor Sponsorship Application Request." This process must be initiated by the Principal, Network Chief, or Department Director, not the vendor.


    3. Once sponsorship information has been submitted by a Principal, Chief or Director, the Procurement team will review the vendor sponsorship request. If the sponsorship is accepted, a CPS Supplier Application will be sent to the prospective vendor for completion. If the sponsorship request is not accepted, Procurement will notify the sponsor with a reason for the rejection. Only applications sent directly by Procurement will be processed.

    This process must also be followed for vendors who need to be reactivated for a school or department to use.

Important Reminders for Vendors

  • Vendors must comply with all applicable laws, ordinances and statutes.
  • Potential vendors who are not participating in a solicitation event MUST be sponsored by a Principal, Chief, or Director. It is the responsibility of the Principal, Chief, or Director to submit the formal sponsorship documentation.
  • Do not start any work without an approved PO. If you deliver goods and/or provide services without an approved purchase order, payment is not guaranteed or invoice processing will be delayed.
  • Vendors will become inactive within 12 months of no activity. Inactive vendors must follow the same process as a new vendor.
  • Do not attempt to bypass the procurement rules in anyway. This is Stringing, which is strictly prohibited and against Federal and State law.
  • All vendors are subject to the Procurement spend limits ($10,000 for biddable goods and $25,000 for non-biddable goods or services), unless authorized by a fully executed Board contract. Biddable purchases cannot exceed $10k annual cumulative total with non-strategic source suppliers. See Board Rule 7.2.1. Non-biddable purchases cannot exceed $25k annual cumulative total (single FY) with non-strategic source suppliers without additional procurement approvals through a CPOR. See Board Rule 7.2.1.
  • Pursuant to the Debarment Policy of the Chicago Public Schools (08-1217-PO1), the vendors on the Debarred Vendor list have been disqualified and are prohibited from doing business with CPS.
  • Vendors also must comply with the Chicago Public Schools' Code of Ethics Policy and Indebtedness Policy.
  • All vendors must comply with the Remedial Plan For Minority And Women Business Enterprise Economic Participation (M/WBE Program). In order to be designated as a minority or women-owned business, you must be certified by the City of Chicago. For information on becoming certified by the City, please read about M/WBE certification at the City's web site. More information about the M/WBE Program is available.
  • Vendors must submit a valid Certificate of Insurance to our certificate monitoring service (Topiary) to confirm that you and/your firm are compliant with our Insurance Requirements.