The short version
- Find out who runs the city. In council-manager cities (the most common form among cities over 10,000) an appointed city manager runs operations and department heads report to them. In mayor-council cities an elected mayor does, with a strong or weak hand depending on the charter. It changes who you call first and how fast decisions move.
- Department heads are the buyers. Police chief, fire chief, public works director, IT director, finance director, utilities director and planning director own the needs and sign below the threshold. Unlike counties, almost all of them are appointed, so the city manager or mayor can steer them.
- Council approves, it does not shop. Everything over the bid limit goes on a public agenda, usually on consent. The decision was made before it got there.
- Enterprise funds and authorities buy separately. Water, sewer, electric, parking, transit, airports and housing often have their own budgets and sometimes their own boards.
- Scale changes titles. A city of 8,000 has a city administrator, a clerk-treasurer and a public works director who also runs the water plant. A city of 800,000 has a CIO, a CISO, a chief data officer and a deputy mayor for operations.
How cities are organized
Council-manager. An elected council sets policy and hires a professional city manager who runs day-to-day operations, prepares the budget and supervises department heads. The mayor is usually a council member with a ceremonial role. Common across the Sun Belt, the West and the Midwest, and in most cities between 10,000 and 250,000 residents (Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Charlotte, Austin, San Jose are council-manager). Decisions route through the manager's office; department heads have real authority but the manager can say no.
Mayor-council. Voters elect a mayor separately from the council. In strong-mayor cities (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, Boston, most large Northeast and Midwest cities) the mayor appoints department heads, prepares the budget and often holds a veto; a chief administrative officer or deputy mayors run operations. In weak-mayor cities the council holds most administrative power and the mayor presides. Strong-mayor cities can move quickly on priorities the mayor cares about and slowly on everything else.
Commission, town meeting and others. A few cities (Portland, Oregon until 2025) used a commission form where elected commissioners each ran departments. New England towns use town meeting with a town manager or selectboard. Many small cities are run by a part-time council and a full-time city administrator or clerk.
Cities also differ from counties in what they do not run. Schools are almost always a separate district (see when to pitch school districts); courts, jails, elections, property assessment and social services are usually county functions (see who buys in county government). What cities do run: police, fire, streets, water and sewer, planning and permitting, parks, libraries and, in many cases, electric and gas utilities, airports and transit.
Who buys what, department by department
Search by department, title or product category.
Showing all 18 departments
| Department | Buys | Influencers | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor's office / city manager's officeCity manager, chief administrative officer, deputy city manager, chief of staff; in strong-mayor cities the mayor and deputy mayors | Enterprise systems, citywide initiatives (smart city, 311, resident engagement), consulting, anything that crosses departments | Budget director, CIO, chief innovation or performance officer | City manager signs below the threshold; council approves above it. In strong-mayor cities the mayor's office can move fast and the council still approves large contracts. |
| City councilCouncil members, council president, council staff | Nothing directly; approves contracts, budgets and ordinances; members champion district priorities | City clerk, city attorney, city manager | Public vote, usually on a consent agenda for routine items |
| Finance and budgetFinance director, CFO, budget director, treasurer, controller, revenue manager | ERP, utility billing, payments, budgeting software, debt management, revenue collection, audit | City manager, IT, utilities | Finance director below threshold; council above. Owns the budget calendar that governs everyone else's purchases. |
| Purchasing / procurementPurchasing manager, procurement director, contract administrator, buyers | Runs solicitations and cooperative-contract decisions; owns e-procurement and vendor registration | City attorney, department heads | Issues solicitations and recommends award; often the person who knows which cooperative contracts the city can use |
| Information technologyCIO or IT director, CISO, applications manager, GIS manager, network manager | Infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, GIS, networks, help desk, enterprise applications, broadband | Every department that owns an application; state and federal cyber grants | IT director below threshold; CIO sign-off commonly required on all technology regardless of buying department |
| Police departmentChief of police, deputy or assistant chiefs, administrative services commander, records manager | CAD/RMS, body and in-car cameras, real-time crime center technology, evidence management, scheduling, training, vehicles and equipment | City manager, 911 center, district attorney, IT, police union | Chief below threshold; council above; grant-funded purchases follow grant rules. Police chiefs are appointed in nearly all cities, unlike elected county sheriffs. |
| Fire and EMSFire chief, deputy chiefs, EMS chief, fire marshal | Apparatus, SCBA and PPE, records and reporting, scheduling, ePCR and billing, inspection software, station alerting | 911 center, hospitals, insurance rating (ISO), firefighters' union | Chief below threshold; council above; apparatus through the CIP |
| Public worksPublic works director, city engineer, streets superintendent, fleet manager, facilities manager, solid waste manager | Asset and work-order management, fleet telematics, pavement management, traffic signals and ITS, construction management, equipment, refuse trucks | Finance, IT, utilities, planning | Director below threshold; council for contracts and capital projects planned years ahead in the CIP |
| Water, sewer and municipal utilitiesUtilities director, water superintendent, wastewater superintendent; in some cities an electric or gas utility general manager | SCADA, AMI and smart meters, billing, GIS, asset management, treatment chemicals and equipment, leak detection, customer portals | Finance (utility billing), IT, state environmental regulator | Often an enterprise fund with its own budget; sometimes a separate utility board or commission |
| Planning, building and development servicesPlanning director, community development director, building official, chief plans examiner, code enforcement manager, economic development director | Permitting and land-management software, electronic plan review, GIS, code enforcement, inspection scheduling, business licensing | IT, city attorney, developers and contractors | Director below threshold; council above; often funded by permit fees |
| Parks and recreationParks and recreation director, recreation superintendent, aquatics manager, golf manager | Recreation registration and facility booking, point of sale, turf and grounds equipment, playground equipment, membership systems | Finance, IT, parks advisory board | Director below threshold; council above; parks boards are often advisory only |
| LibraryLibrary director, assistant director, technology librarian | Library management systems, e-resources, public computing, RFID, facilities | Library board (often with independent authority), friends groups | In many cities the library board has its own budget authority; in others the library is a city department |
| Transportation and transitTransportation director, traffic engineer, transit general manager, parking manager | Traffic signal systems, ITS, parking payment and enforcement, transit scheduling and fare systems, micromobility programs | Public works, police, regional MPO, state DOT | Transit is often a separate authority with its own board; parking is frequently an enterprise fund |
| Housing, human services and neighborhoodsHousing director, human services director, neighborhood services director, homelessness coordinator | Case management, grant management (HUD CDBG and HOME), housing inspection, community engagement tools | HUD and state agencies, nonprofits, council members | Much of the money is federal pass-through with its own procurement rules; housing authorities are usually separate governments |
| Human resourcesHR director, risk manager, benefits manager | HRIS, applicant tracking, learning management, benefits administration, workers' compensation and claims, background screening | Finance (payroll), city attorney, unions | Director below threshold; council above |
| City clerkCity clerk, deputy clerk, records manager | Agenda and meeting management, records management, public records request software, codification, elections support (in cities that run their own) | City attorney, council, IT | Clerk below threshold; council above. The clerk also controls the agenda, which is where every large contract appears. |
| City attorneyCity attorney, assistant city attorneys, paralegals | Legal research, contract and matter management, public records review, outside counsel | Everyone: reviews every contract | Reviews terms on all contracts; indemnification and data clauses are the usual sticking points |
| Communications and 311Communications director, public information officer, 311 or customer service manager, digital services manager | Website and CMS, 311 and CRM, mass notification, social media management, video and streaming, translation | City manager or mayor, IT, clerk | Director below threshold; council above |
How a purchase gets approved
Thresholds are set by state law and the city charter or purchasing ordinance; see procurement thresholds by state. Home-rule cities often set their own, and large cities set them high (Houston's council approval threshold is $100,000; Los Angeles departments can approve far more).
Showing all 5 tiers
| Tier | Who decides | Process | Your approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under the small-purchase thresholdCommonly $5,000–$50,000; set by state law or city charter | Department head, sometimes with purchasing sign-off | P-card or one to three quotes; days to weeks | Make the paperwork easy: quote, W-9, vendor registration, insurance certificate |
| Informal competitionThreshold up to the formal bid limit ($25,000–$100,000+, higher in large cities) | Department head and purchasing; city manager may sign | Three written quotes or a cooperative contract; weeks to two months | Be one of the three, or be on a cooperative the city can use |
| Formal solicitationAbove the bid limit | Evaluation committee recommends; council awards | RFP posted 3–6 weeks, evaluation 1–3 months, council agenda, protest period; 3–9 months | Be known to the evaluators before the RFP is written; influence requirements during the budget request |
| Capital improvement plan itemFacilities, vehicles, infrastructure, major systems | Council, through a 5-year CIP adopted with the budget | Appears in the CIP one to five years ahead; funded by bonds, reserves or grants | Read the CIP; it is a published forecast of purchases |
| Grant-funded purchaseFederal (2 CFR 200), state or foundation | Department head and grants manager under the funder's rules | Grant rules plus city rules; often a shorter window to spend | Know the allowable uses; help the department write the application |
What this means for your outreach
- Check the form of government before the first call. The city's website or the ICMA directory tells you. In a council-manager city, the department head and the city manager's office are your path. In a strong-mayor city, the department head and the mayor's policy staff are.
- Start with the department that owns the pain. Council members and mayors are not first calls for software or services; they refer you to staff. A police chief, utilities director or IT director is.
- Bring IT and purchasing in early. Both will review the deal. An IT director who hears about your product from the department after a demo is a blocker; one who was invited to the demo is a reviewer.
- Read the budget, the CIP and the council agendas. All three are public. The agenda packet shows every contract over the threshold, the vendor, the amount and the staff report that justified it, which is the best competitive intelligence in government sales.
- Use the cooperative contracts the city already uses. Ask purchasing which cooperatives the city buys from; see our cooperative contracts guide.
- Respect the calendar. Most cities start the fiscal year July 1 (some January 1 or October 1); departments write requests in the winter. See the fiscal year calendar.
- Work the associations. Every state has a municipal league; ICMA, NLC, GFOA, APWA, IACP, NFPA and the Public Technology Institute each gather the department heads you want. See public sector conferences.
Title translation
- Top appointed official: city manager, city administrator, chief administrative officer (CAO), town manager, village manager, borough manager, chief operating officer (strong-mayor cities), deputy mayor for operations.
- Governing body: city council, board of aldermen, town council, village board, board of selectmen or selectboard (New England), city commission (Florida and some commission-form cities), common council (Wisconsin, New York).
- Finance: finance director, chief financial officer, director of administrative services, treasurer, controller or comptroller, clerk-treasurer (small cities).
- Technology: chief information officer, IT director, director of information technology services, chief technology officer, chief innovation officer, chief data officer, director of digital services.
- Public works: public works director, director of infrastructure, city engineer, director of operations and maintenance, streets superintendent.
- Development: community development director, planning director, development services director, building official, chief building inspector.
Method and sources
Forms of government and titles are drawn from city charters, state municipal codes, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) form-of-government data, the National League of Cities, and Kensington Sales Group's outbound calling into city governments across the United States. The 19,500 figure is the Census Bureau's count of municipal governments (19,491 in the 2022 Census of Governments). Thresholds and approval paths are generalized; check each city's purchasing ordinance. Checked November 7, 2026. Corrections: research@kensingtonsalesgroup.com.
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