6320A - PURCHASING

West Clermont Local School District

Administrative Guidelines

6320A - PURCHASING
Purchasing - General Provisions

	A.	All purchases shall be by purchase order processed through the Treasurer’s department.
	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.

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.