Chippewa Valley Schools
Bylaws & Policies
 

6320 - PURCHASING

It is the policy of the Board of Education that the Superintendent/Designee adhere to the following procedures when purchasing an item or group or items in a single transaction:

 A.Purchases above $2,000 require at least three (3) written vendor price quotations.
 B.Purchases between $5,000 and the amount designated by State Statute require a formalized Request for Quotation (RFQ) in cooperation with the Business Office.

All quotations should be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. If price quotations differ within the lesser of $100 or 2% however, consideration can be given to:

 A.the quality of the item(s) to be supplied
 B.its conformity with specifications
 C.suitability to the requirements of the District
 D.delivery items
 E.past performance of vendor
 F.any other criteria deemed important by the District

When the purchase of, and contract for, a single item or group of items in a single transaction of supplies, materials, or equipment exceeds the amount designated by statute, the Superintendent/Designee or designee shall obtain competitive bids.

Bids shall be sealed and shall be opened by the Superintendent/Designee in the presence of at least one (1) witness. All bids should be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. If prices are equal, consideration can be given to:

 A.the quality of the item(s) to be supplied;
 B.its conformity with specifications;
 C.suitability to the requirements of the District;
 D.delivery terms;
 E.past performance of the vendor;
 F.any other criteria deemed important by the District.

The Board reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

Contracts can be awarded by the Superintendent/Designee without Board approval for any single item or group of items costing less than competitive bid amount. All other contracts require Board approval prior to purchase.

The Board shall be informed of the terms and conditions of all competitive bids and shall award contracts as a consequence of such bids.

The Superintendent/Designee is authorized to purchase all items within budget allocations.

The Superintendent/Designee is authorized to make emergency purchases, that exceed the competitive bid amount without prior approval, of those goods and/or services needed to keep the schools in operation. Such purchases shall be brought to the Board's attention at the next regular meeting.

In order to promote efficiency and economy in the operation of the District, the Board requires that the Superintendent/Designee periodically estimate requirements for standard items or classes of items and make quantity purchases on a bid basis to procure the lowest cost consistent with good quality.

Whenever storage facilities or other conditions make it impractical to receive total delivery at any one time, the total quantity to be shipped but with staggered delivery dates, shall be made a part of the bid specifications.

Before the Superintendent/Designee places a purchase order, s/he shall check as to whether the proposed purchase is subject to bid, whether sufficient funds exist in the budget, and whether the material might be available elsewhere in the District. All purchase orders shall be numbered consecutively.

In the interests of economy, fairness, and efficiency in its business dealings, the Board requires that:

 A.items commonly used in the various schools or units thereof, be standardized whenever consistency with educational goals can be maintained;
 B.opportunity be provided to as many responsible suppliers as possible to do business with the School District;
 C.where the requisitioner has recommended a supplier, the Superintendent/Designee or designee may make alternate suggestions to the requisitioner if, in his/her judgment, better service, delivery, economy, or utility can be achieved by changing the proposed order;
 D.upon the placement of a purchase order, the Business Office shall commit the expenditure against a specific line item to guard against the creation of liabilities in excess of appropriations.

While it is expected that all purchasing of supplies, materials, and equipment will be done in accordance with this Policy with the use of purchase orders, it is recognized that occasionally small purchases may be made without prior approval or the use of a purchase order. In such circumstances, the employee making purchase may be reimbursed if the reasons for purchase are approved and sufficient funds exist in the budget. Generally the amount shall not exceed $100 and the practice should occur infrequently. Employees may be held personally responsible for this type of purchase.

The Board may acquire equipment as defined in law by lease, by installment payments, by entering into lease-purchase agreements, or by lease with an option to purchase, provided the contract sets forth the terms of such a purchase.

M.C.L.A. 380.1267, 380.1274 et seq.

Revised 4/3/07