It is the policy of the Board of Education that when funds are available, all purchases contemplated within the current budget be made in a manner that tends toward the insurance of maximum value for the District.

All purchases that are within appropriation limits may be made upon authorization of the Director of Business Affairs unless the contemplated purchase is for more than $5,000.00 in which case prior approval is required from the Superintendent. Standardized purchasing procedures of the District (AG 6320A) shall be followed when purchasing on the basis of price quotations from vendors.

Before the Director of Business Affairs places a purchase order, approval must be obtained from the Treasurer, who shall check as to whether sufficient funds exist in the budget. All purchase orders shall be numbered consecutively.

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

The public good shall be the primary consideration in determining bidding requirements. In order to do so, the bidding procedures shall provide equal opportunity to each responsible vendor to furnish supplies and equipment and to keep the administration, Board, and public informed on business matters.

The following policy is adopted for the guidance of the administrative staff in identifying those items for which competitive bids must be obtained, to ensure compliance with State Statutes, and to delegate the authority necessary to conduct the bidding procedures in an orderly and efficient manner.

Whenever the Board builds, repairs, enlarges, or furnishes a schoolhouse, whether by purchase, contract, or agreement including acquisition by sale, lease, exchange, discount, negotiation, mortgage, pledge, lien, issue or reissue, or any other voluntary transaction for consideration creating an interest in property not made by contract or agreement, such transaction shall be subject to bidding whenever the aggregate value of such purchase exceeds $25,000.00.

Bids may be opened publicly by the Treasurer before one (1) or more witnesses at a previously designated time and place.

The Board, by resolution, may award a bid to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. For a bidder to be considered responsive, the proposal must respond to all bid specifications in all material respects and contain no irregularities or deviations from the bid specifications which would affect the amount of the bid or otherwise provide a competitive advantage. For a bidder to be deemed responsible, the Board may request evidence from the bidder concerning:

The Board shall approve all contracts resulting from competitive bids prior to being awarded. The Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

Contracts can be awarded to the lowest and best bidder by the Director of Business Affairs without Board approval for any single item or group of identical items costing less than $24,999.00. All other contracts require Board approval prior to purchase. The Board shall be informed of the terms and conditions of all competitive bids and of the contracts awarded as a consequence of such bids. The Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

In situations in which the Board has resolved to award a bid to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder and the low bidder does not meet the considerations specified above, the Board shall so notify the bidder, in writing, by certified mail. The bidder may protest the award of a bid within five (5) days of the notification and the Board shall meet with the protesting bidder and then reaffirm or reverse its decision.

Whenever a contractor submits a bid for the performance of work and the contractor later claims a mistake, error, or omission in preparing said bid, the contractor shall, before the bids are open, make known the fact and in such case, the bid shall be returned unopened.

In cases of urgent necessity, the above procedures may not be followed.

A private person or entity with whom the Board enters into frequent contracts may apply for pre-certification. Pre-certification is specific to the District and is effective for one (1) year at time.

All contemplated contracts for professional design services such as from an architect or for construction management shall be in accordance with R.C. 9.33, 9.333, and R.C. 153.54 et seq.

The Board may acquire office 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 setting forth the terms of such a purchase shall not extend for a period of more than five (5) years.

Facility lease-purchase agreements entered into by the Board shall be in accordance with R.C. 3313.375.

In order to promote efficiency and economy in the operation of the District, the Board requires that the Director of Business Affairs utilizes the purchasing consortium when possible.

Before the Treasurer signs 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 items commonly used in the various schools or units thereof, be standardized whenever consistency with educational goals can be maintained.

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.

It is the policy of the Board to permit the use of a reverse auction to purchase services and supplies whenever it is determined that the reverse auction process will be advantageous to the District (e.g., result in a cost savings to the District.) To that end, vendors may submit proposals when competing to sell services and/or supplies in an open environment via the Internet. While the reverse auction process may be used to purchase supplies such equipment, materials, tangible assets and insurance, the process may not be used to purchase real property or interests in real property. The process may also be used to purchase services such as the furnishing of labor, time, or effort by a person, provided such services do not involve the delivery of a specific end product other than a report, and are not being furnished in connection with an employment agreement or collective bargaining agreement.

The Board will provide notice of the request for proposals and award contracts in accordance with the Superintendent’s administrative guidelines. When competitive sealed bidding and/or competitive sealed proposals for the purchase of services or supplies are required by law, purchases made by reverse auction will satisfy such legal requirement.

R.C. 9.25, 9.30, 9.31, 9.311, 9.312, 9.314, 153.12, 153.54, 2909.33, 3313.37
R.C. 3313.375, 3313.46, 4115.32 et. seq., 4116.02, 4116.03, 5705.41, 5705.45

Revised 11/18/96
Revised 11/29/05
Revised 1/9/07
Revised 7/20/11
Revised 11/20/12