Valders Area School District
Bylaws & Policies
 

6320 - PURCHASING

Procurement of all supplies, materials, equipment, and services paid for from District funds shall be made in accordance with all applicable Federal and State statutes, Board policies, and administrative guidelines. Standards of conduct covering conflicts of interest and governing the actions of its employees engaged in the selection, award, and administration of contracts are established in Policy 1130, Policy 3230, and Policy 4230 – Conflict of Interest.

All procurement transactions shall be conducted in a manner that encourages full and open competition and in accordance with good administrative practice and sound business judgment.

It is the policy of the Board of Education that the District Administrator seek at least three (3) price quotations on purchases of more than $10,000 for a single item, except in cases of emergency or when the materials purchased are of such a nature that price negotiations would not result in a savings to the District.

Competitive Bids

Purchase of and contract for projects will be subject to a competitive bid process as and when required by law.

When the purchase of, and contract for, single items of supplies, materials, or equipment is reasonably anticipated to reach the amount of $20,000 or more, the Director of Support Services shall obtain competitive bids.

Bids shall be sealed and shall be opened by the Director of Support Services in the presence of at least one (1) witness. A bidder may be required to submit a sworn statement regarding:

 

A.

financial ability to complete the contract, including the posting of a bond where appropriate or required;

   
 

B.

nature and quality of equipment to be used in performing the contract;

   
 

C.

experience and past performance in performing the contract;

   
 

D.

such other information the District deems relevant to the protection and welfare of the public in the performance of the contract or that are required by applicable law.

Such statements shall be delivered to the District no later than five (5) days prior to the bid opening, or as directed by the applicable RFT, and shall be kept confidential by the District, except upon the written order of the person submitting the statement or on behalf of whom the statement is submitted, for the necessary use by the District in qualifying the person/bidder or the District. The statements shall be reviewed and the bidder notified if it is qualified to submit a bid.

Purchasing Items with Federal Grant Funds

When purchasing items with Federal funds a District shall:

 

A.

give consideration to whether separating or combining purchases will provide for a more cost-effective approach to avoid acquisition of unnecessary or duplicative items;

   
 

B.

where appropriate, conduct an analysis of lease versus purchase options and the most economical and beneficial method shall be pursued;

   
 

C.

conduct an evaluation of the availability and feasibility of entering into inter-governmental agreements to procure the goods or services required on a shared basis;

   
 

D.

in the case of a time and material contract, make a determination that no other arrangement is suitable and that the contract places a ceiling price that protects the District.

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

Contracts can be awarded by the District Administrator without Board approval for any single item or group of identical items costing less than $10,000. 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.

General Provisions

The District Administrator is authorized to purchase all items within budget allocations.

The District Administrator is authorized to make emergency purchases, 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.

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

Before the Director of Support Services places a purchase order, s/he shall have the Principal check whether: (a) the proposed purchase is subject to bid, (b) whether sufficient funds exist in the budget and (c) the goods or services 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 Director of Support Services may make suggestion alternatives to the requisitioner if, in his/her judgment, better service, delivery, economy, or utility can be achieved by using a different supplier;

   
 

D.

upon the placement of a purchase order, the Director of Support Services shall commit the expenditure against a specific line item to guard against the creation of liabilities in excess of appropriations.

Employees may be held personally responsible for anything purchased without a properly signed purchase order to authorization.

The Board may acquire office equipment by lease, installment payments, lease-purchase agreements, or by lease with an option to purchase, provided the contract sets forth the specific terms, including price, of such a purchase.

Debarred Contractors Excluded

The District shall not award any contract, agreement or subcontract for goods or services to any party that has been suspended or debarred from receiving contracts or subcontracts by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

For any contract or sub contract with a value in excess of $25,000, the District shall include a provision in the contract or as a condition of any subcontract award that the contracting party attest that it is not at the time of contracting a suspended or debarred party under the Federal Acquisition Regulations and that, if at any time during performance of the services or delivery of goods in the applicable contract, said contractor or subcontractor should be identified as a suspended or debarred entity by the General Services Administration, the contractor or subcontractor shall immediately notify the District of that fact, which shall serve as sufficient grounds to terminate the contract as the District determines is appropriate

120.12(24), 66.0133, Wis. Stats.
2 C.F.R. Section 200.213; 200.318 – 200.326
48 C.F.R. Section 9.4

Revised 8/27/12
Revised 1/27/14
Revised 3/28/16

© Neola 2015