Introduction

Sullivan County is a government municipality within the State of Tennessee. The Sullivan County Purchasing Agent is elected by majority vote from the twenty-four (24) members of the Sullivan County Commission beginning the third Monday of the 1947 April term, and every two (2) years thereafter.

The Office of the Sullivan County Purchasing Agent is governed by the 1947 Private Acts of Sullivan County, as amended in 1998, and in accordance to Tennessee Code Annotated chapters pertaining to procurement and other related responsibilities, not otherwise identified in the 1947 Private Acts.    

It is the duty of the Sullivan County Purchasing Agent to adopt the standards, classify the requirements and authorize the procurement for all supplies, materials, equipment, commodities, services, professional services, leases/rentals, contracts and construction projects, as well as disposition of real and/or personal surplus property, for all Sullivan County Departments, including the Department of Education. The Sullivan County Purchasing Agent must also countersign all warrants for payments of commodities, services, contracts, wages and any other incurred expenditures for all Sullivan County Departments, including the Department of Education. 

We work with an annual operating budget in excess to one hundred and sixty million dollars ($160,000,000.00).  We have an active trade reference listing in excess to twenty-five hundred (2,500) vendors. All procurement transactions must have prior purchase authorization from the Sullivan County Purchasing Agent and require purchase order verification.  Sullivan County is exempt from all local, state and federal taxes. Appropriate forms must be signed/authorized by the Sullivan County Purchasing Agent and are available to all active trade references who conduct business with Sullivan County.

The Sullivan County Purchasing Agent is responsible for the supervision and the activities/operations of the Sullivan County Purchasing Department, Sullivan County Central Receiving/Stores Department, Sullivan County Printing/Stores Department and Sullivan County Mail/Courier Services.