Frequently Asked Questions

It is the responsibility of the Supplier to sell and promote their business to our Schools and Departments. Refer to How to Become a Vendor for more information

Once an approve Purchase Order (PO) or School Check is issued.

Active vendor numbers deactivate after 15 months of no activity. For example, a Purchase Order (PO) was generated on 01-June-2016, if a PO has not been generated within the 15-month period (by 01-June-2017), the vendor number will deactivate. 

Vendor numbers may go on hold and deactivate if a yearly attestation is not submitted within 60 days. Reminder emails will be sent to the primary contact once a week. For more information visit the Attestation FAQ

Under state law and Board rules, spending limits are $35,000 annual cumulative spend for combined Biddable and Non-Biddable items with a certain vendor. These spending limits only apply to non-Strategic Source Vendors for off-contract items. Any attempt to bypass the procurement spend limits is against the law and constitutes stringing. Procurement spend limits apply to both Board funds & internal accounts dollars.

Generally POs takes 30 days for payment after the invoice has been received and accepted. (POs are funds of the Board.)

School Checks are generally issued the same day of service. (School Checks are the schools internal accounts funds)

Vendors who do not have an active contract with the Board of Education cannot increase their spend limit.

Please have your primary contact or business administrator log into your CPS Supplier Portal.

In order to change the name of your company, complete a W-9 form with the new business name and submit a ticket to Procurement Customer Service Request ticket. Please note, your vendor number will remain the same IF your tax ID number does not change.

Please review our FAQ for Attestation.

Please visit the Supplier Portal training web page.

Please submit a Procurement Customer Service Request ticket.

As an approved CPS Vendor, you should have already set up your fingerprinting account with Julie Mester at Accurate Biometrics and received a pre-populated fingerprinting authorization form.

If you have not received this form, please reach out to Julie Mester at jmester@accuratebiometrics.com.

If you have general questions about the background check process or requirements, please submit a Procurement Customer Service Request ticket.

The status of the application can be tracked by clicking on the application link provided in the CPS Supplier Application email from purchasing@cps.edu until approval or rejection.

All Invoices submitted for payment need to meet the following requirements:

• Invoices must be submitted to cpsinvoice@cps.edu.
• Invoices must be submitted in PDF format.
• Invoices must contain a valid CPS-issued Purchase Order number.
• Invoices must include the invoice date and break out the description of the goods/services rendered.
• The goods/services listed must match the goods/services listed on the corresponding Purchase Order.
• Invoices should only be submitted once the goods/services have been rendered. Prepayment is not allowable.
• Invoices must include a unique invoice number (duplicate invoice numbers will fail processing).
• Invoices must be submitted as individual PDF documents. 1 PDF = 1 invoice submission.

To retrieve the status of any invoice/Purchase Orders, please log into the CPS Supplier Portal at https://supplier.efs.cps.edu/.

For questions regarding payments, please contact Accounts Payable at (773) 553-2760 or accountspayable@cps.edu.

* Please be sure to receive a valid Purchase Order before providing goods or services. Doing so would prevent additional payment delays.

Active vendor numbers deactivate after 15 months of no activity. For example, for a Purchase Order (PO) generated on 01-June-2016, if a PO has not been generated by 01-Sept-2017 (within the 15-month period) the vendor number will deactivate.

Learn about how to become a vendor. The same process applies for reactivating a vendor number as it does for new vendors.

Vendors who do not have an active contract with the Board of Education cannot increase their spend limit.

In order to become a "pre-qualified" contractor you must reply to an RFP or RFQ for "Pre-Qualified" Contractors. This solicitation is open to the public. Those vendors who are chosen to be on this contract will have the ability to bid on the "Current Opportunities for Pre-Qualified Contractors."

If you are looking for your vendor number please complete the Procurement Customer Service Request Form with the name your vendor number would be under or the Tax ID number, these are the best ways we can search for your number. We will help you find your vendor number and let you know if it is still active.

Identify your Products and/or Services with the help of these codes.

The Supplier Portal offers a comprehensive manual of Training Documents with step-by-step instructions and screenshots to navigate through the portal. If you have any questions or trouble accessing the CPS Supplier Portal, please access the Supplier Portal FAQ.

All invoice and payment questions should be directed to our Accounts Payable department at accountspayable@cps.edu or 773-553-2760. Please note that all invoices must include an approved CPS PO number in order to be processed.

Please submit your request through the CPS Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) site.

Many vendors are required to maintain insurance in order to remain in good standing with an active CPS vendor number. Your organization may have a contract approved by the Board of Education’s Law Department, which includes the insurance requirements for your services, or your organization may receive an Insurance Requirements Letter (IRL) via email from Risk Management (riskmanagement@cps.edu) which details the specific types and amounts of insurance required.

Chicago Public Schools requires that active CPS vendors maintain a valid Certificate of Insurance on file. We partner with Topiary Communications, Inc. to ensure that our insurance liability requirements are met. If you have received an email from Topiary (dans@topiarycomm.net) regarding insurance certification, be sure to reply in order to avoid any potential delays to your vendor number status, and always include Risk Management (riskmanagement@cps.edu) in your email replies.

Topiary Communications Inc.
Phone: (312) 494-5709
Email: dans@topiarycomm.net
Website: cpsvendorcert.com

Go to cpsvendorcert.com and upload your current Certificate of insurance.

You or your firm may be eligible for the small vendor program that is provided by the Board of Education and administered by:

Insurers Review Services, Inc.
312-938-0900
irsai.submissions@irsai.net

This program is solely for sole proprietors or small businesses that conduct educational/consulting/speaking engagements and visit CPS locations. It is not intended for any individual or organization that engages in professional licensed services, repairs, or maintenance.