On March 28, 2018, 2017 Wisconsin Act 146 was signed into law, modifying certain provisions of Ch. 16, Wis. Stats. related to the procurement of signs. New State procurement policy was issued as [PIM18002].
- Orders under $3,500 may be placed on a ‘Best Judgement’ basis with the vendor best able to meet your needs.
- Official sealed bidding is now required for sign purchases over $3,500 (see below regarding UWM’s contract).
The $3,500 threshold applies to the total known amount that you would spend on signage at the time the bid is prepared. Campus must follow existing UWM and State policies as they relate to serial contracting.
UWM’s Print & Copy Services offers Banner/Sign printing. As an internal service provider, the $3,500 threshold does not apply to orders placed with Print & Copy Services. Visit Print & Copy Services site to determine whether your sign/banner can be handled by an internal provider before considering an external supplier.
In addition to Print & Copy Services, UWM has four Signage Vendors available on competitively bid contract P21-012-O26 who can be used for orders above $3,500. In order to comply with the new law and State policy, you must request quotes from at least three vendors, and the job must be awarded to the lowest cost vendor OR an official sealed bid must be completed by Purchasing. The recommendation when reaching out for a quotation would be to send an email to all the contractors at the same time in a group email and to give them a deadline to respond to you with a quote or to express interest in bidding. The contacts for the contracted vendors are:
Milwaukee Sign Company: kelly@milwaukeesigncompany.net
Olympus Group: Andy.kieck@olympusgrp.com
Pixelwerx: danj@pixelwerx.net
West Allis Blue: kari@westallisblue.com
Questions related to this commodity should be directed to Pam Loignon x.5212, loignon@uwm.edu.