Please contact our Accounting department at  410.222.5236 or fax 410.222.5601.

Please visit our vendor information self-serve portal.

AACPS has both centralized and decentralized purchasing operations.  Each school or department has separate purchasing authority for smaller items.  If the purchase exceeds $1,000, then the purchasing office gets involved. Procurement credit cards with predetermined limits are also used throughout the organization by authorized personnel.

Competitive Limits:
   Category I:  Less than $5,000 - Competition at the discretion of the buyer
   Category II:  $5,000 to $25,000 - Requires three quotes
   Category III:  More than $25,000 - Requires competitive bidding process

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please begin by reading through our website and registering for a vendor account. Vendor registration information may be found on this website. If you still have questions, then please contact the purchasing office to schedule an appointment with the appropriate buyer. In addition, each school has independent, but limited, purchasing authority. If you are interested in marketing to the schools, you must schedule an appointment first. Please do not make unscheduled visits to schools because it disrupts the school day. 

In accordance with Board Regulation DEC-RA, Board members and employees of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools may not accept gifts, entertainment, gratuities, travel, living expense, fees or honoraria from suppliers or contractors for any reason, including for addresses or papers given before supplier audiences.  Giving or offering a gift or series of gifts to a Board official or AACPS employee is improper and may result in disqualification from future work on the grounds that the donor/offeror is no longer a responsible bidder or vendor.

A gift is defined as a single gift or series of gifts that exceed $20 in value in a calendar year from any person, entity, or employee of an entity that is under the authority of the school system or has or is negotiating a contract with the school system.  

Bids cannot be submitted online, but the Purchasing Office operates through a financial management software package (Advantage Financial) that tracks orders from requisition to payment.

Procurement cards may NOT be used for the following:
  1.   Cash advances
  2.   Rental or lease of land, buildings, or vehicles
  3.   Purchase of telecommunications (telephone) services
  4.   Items for personal use
  5.   Dues for professional or trade organizations
  6.   Splitting transactions
  7.   Computer hardware and software (Restriction is to ensure conformance with standards developed by TIS only.
        This does not include your mouse, cables, classroom software, etc.…)
  8.   Temporary personnel
  9.   Travel expenses
 10.  Gift Cards
 11.  Printing procurements handled by the Design and Print Services Office (Note: School based printing is permissible.)
 12.  Textbooks ("3200" and "3205" Accounts) Except ghost accounts specifically issued for Single Textbook Program Adoption
 13.  Construction and architect/engineering services