Girard City School District
Administrative Guidelines
 

6320A - PURCHASING

Purchasing - General Provisions
 A.All purchases shall be by purchase order processed through the Treasurer’s office.
 B.The Treasurer shall be the contracting agent for all financial obligations.
 C.The Treasurer shall be responsible for encumbering the funds as soon as the purchase order has been issued.
 D.A verbal financial commitment may be made only for emergencies or when it is impossible or impractical to precede the purchase with a purchase order. Before such a commitment is made, the Treasurer shall be contacted for prior approval and for a purchase order number. In all such cases, a purchase order shall be issued as soon as possible after the commitment is made.
 E.Employees are forbidden to use the name of the District, any discounts provided the District, or any other means for associating a personal purchase with the District. They are to make clear to any District supplier from whom they are purchasing an item that it is a personal purchase by the employee and is not associated with the District. Failure to abide by this provision could lead to disciplinary action.
 F.Ongoing commitments such as service contracts and leases should be renewed annually, in writing, at the renewal date.
 G.Blanket purchase orders for goods or services are valid only for the time period and amount indicated on the purchase order. Extension of the commitment beyond that time and/or amount shall be confirmed by a new purchase order. Blanket purchase orders must be approved by the Treasurer before they are issued.
 H.Purchases of contracted services shall be negotiated either verbally, by a Request for Proposal, or through the bid process, as determined by the Superintendent. Such services that cost more than $5,000 require the approval of the Board.
 I.The Superintendent will determine the most appropriate method of obtaining prices for items or groups of items which are not subject to formal bidding procedures.
 J.Quotes will be requested for any item or group of items in a single transaction costing between $5,000 and $25,000.
 K.Purchases of supplies, materials, and equipment items costing more than the amount stipulated in Board policy must be obtained through competitive, sealed bids and be approved by the Board.
 L.Annual purchase order cut-off dates shall be as follows:
  Purchase orders must be received in the Treasurer’s office on or before the tenth day prior to the close of the fiscal or project year, unless the services or supplies are essential to continue the daily operation of the department or building for the remainder of the current year, or unless an emergency exists.

Purchase Order Procedure
 A.The requestor completes the requisition-purchase order in accordance with AG 6320B1 and submits it to the principal/supervisor for review and approval.
 B.If approved, the principal/supervisor retains the goldenrod copy and sends the original to the Treasurer for verification and dating.
 C.The requisition-purchase order is entered into the computer for verification, and if verified, the Treasurer’s assistant affixes a date and assigns a number.
 D.The Treasurer’s assistant then sends the requisition-purchase order to the Superintendent for approval and dating.
 E.After approval, the Superintendent sends the requisition-purchase order back to the Treasurer for final signature.
 F.The original copy of the requisition-purchase order is sent to the vendor unless there are specific instructions to the contrary.
 G.The yellow copy is filed by the Accounts Payable Clerk and the blue and pink copies are sent to the principal/supervisor.

Payment of Claims Procedure
 A.When delivery is made, the principal/supervisor checks the pink copy of the requisition-purchase order to ensure the order has been received correctly and in proper condition.
 B.If so, the packing or delivery slip is initialed, attached to the pink copy of the requisition-purchase order, and both the pink and blue copies are sent, within five (5) working days, to the Accounts Payable Clerk for payment.
 C.The Accounts Payable Clerk checks the pink copy against the invoice, and if everything is in order, a warrant is drawn.
 D.If the Accounts Payable Clerk finds discrepancies or has questions, s/he shall contact the principal/supervisor.
 E.The vendor's invoice is filed with the pink copy of the requisition-purchase order and a copy of the warrant.
 F.Upon payment, the blue copy of the requisition-purchase order is returned to the principal/supervisor indicating the amount and date paid.

Reverse Auction Procedures

In addition to the current purchase procedures, whenever the Board determines that it is advantageous to use the reverse auction process to purchase services and/or supplies, the purchase shall be processed through the Treasurer, in the following manner:

 A.The proposals shall be solicited through a request for proposals, which shall state the relative importance of price and other evaluation factors. In addition, the request for proposals shall be specific and clearly describe the goods and services sought through the reverse auction process. The request for proposals shall also state that the Board reserves the right to reject any and all offers.
 B.Notice of the request for proposals shall be given in the same form and manner as other purchases.
 C.In order to verify a full understanding and responsiveness to solicitation requirements, the District may conduct discussions with responsible offerors who submit proposals determined to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award. All offerors will be accorded fair and equal treatment when discussing any clarification, correction or revision of their proposals.
 D.Contracts may be awarded to the offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the District, taking into account factors such as price, and any other evaluation criteria set forth in the request for proposals.
 E.The basis upon which an award is made will be maintained in the contract file.
 F.The Board may require the provision of a performance bond, or any other similar form of financial security, in the amount and form set forth in the request for proposals.

Approved 5/11/05