6320 - PURCHASING

School District Of Westfield

Bylaws & Policies

6320 - PURCHASING

Purchases of goods and services shall reflect the best available value for the District taking into account the following factors: cost/price, quality, conformance to specifications, service availability, vendor performance/reliability, product obsolescence, delivery terms and suitability to the requirements and needs of the District.

It is the policy of the Board of Education that the District Administrator seek at least two (2) price quotations on purchases of more than $8,000 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.

When the purchase of, and contract for, single items of supplies, materials, or equipment amounts to $20,000 or more, the Business Office shall obtain three (3) competitive bids.

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

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

The Board should be advised, for prior approval, of all purchases of equipment, materials, and services when the purchase was not contemplated during the budgeting process and/or exceeds the function.

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.

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.

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

Procedure

A.	General purchasing guides – materials, services, supplies, fees/dues and or equipment required for District purposes shall be acquired and paid for using one of the following mechanisms. Requisitioners shall comply with competitive pricing/bidding procedures in accordance with the purchasing Policy 6320.

	1.	Regular Purchase Order - Regular purchase orders shall be used for all purchases, with the exception of purchases permitted using one of the other authorized procurement methods described in this procedure.

		a.	A purchase requisition shall be completed to initiate a purchase order. The purchase requisition shall be legible, filled out as completely as possible, and include as much detail as possible (including any attachments such as catalog pages, quotes, specifications, etc.).

		b.	Regular purchase orders/requisitions shall include, as a minimum, the following information: (1) vendor name and address, (2) Ship To name and address, (3) shipping/delivery terms (please designate if shipping is included in the price or if shipping will be added to the vendor's invoice), (4) solicitation/bid reference (if applicable), (5) quantity and unit of measure (i.e. dozen, box/20) of item(s) being ordered, (6) detailed description, including model/catalog number, of the items and/or services being acquired, (7) unit price/cost (use the net or discounted price), and (8) extended total for each item account number(s).

2.	Manual/Confirming/Emergency Purchase Order -Manual/confirming/emergency purchase orders shall be used when time constraints warrant the need to acquire items or services in a manner that cannot be accommodated through other District-approved procurement methods. Manual/confirming/emergency purchase orders require the prior approval of the Business Manager and are only issued by the Business Office. Manual/confirming/emergency purchase orders shall not be used to circumvent the solicitation/competitive pricing requirements as outlined in established administrative procedures.

	a.	The employee shall provide the following information to the Business Office: (1) vendor name, (2) description of the items and/or services being acquired, (3) total amount of the order, and (4) account number(s).

	b.	The Business Office will issue a purchase order number to the site to use for the purchase. The employee shall forward a purchase requisition, signed by the designated administrator or supervisor/coordinator, to the Business Office within two work days of receiving the purchase order number. The purchase requisition should be checked as "Confirming".

3.	Purchasing Card - District purchasing cards may be used for making purchases only in accordance with administrative procedures on the use of the purchasing card and the Purchasing Card Procedure Manual.

4.	Employee Travel and Expense Report or Teacher Conference/Visit Form - Small dollar purchases of miscellaneous items such as books, tapes, publications, or related items while traveling on district business may be requested for reimbursement on either an Employee Travel and Expense Report or Teacher Conference Visit Form. These expenditures must be pre-approved or pre-authorized by the employee's supervisor prior to being purchased. Appropriate documentation (i.e. original invoices, sales slips, receipts, contracts) shall be attached to either form when it is sent to the Business Office for payment.


	5.	Petty Cash - Petty cash may only be used for making purchases in accordance with established procedures on petty cash.

B.	Sales Tax Exemption for District Purchases - Goods and/or services purchased for District use are exempt from Wisconsin sales and use tax pursuant to state law. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has issued a Certificate of Exempt Status (CES) to the District. Contact the Business Office for the CEDS number. The tax exempt (CES) number can be used for District purchases only. The CES number CANNOT be used for personal use or by school-related organizations such as PTA's or booster clubs.

C.	Prohibitions Related to Purchases

	1.	Personal Purchases - No personal purchases may be made using the school district's name.

	2.	Purchase of Items for Sale to Employees - No purchase of items shall be made for the sale to employees whatsoever except meals, public services and such specialized appliances as may be required for the safety or health of the employees.

	3.	Private Interest in Public Contracts - State law prohibits any public officer or employee to negotiate, bid for or enter into a contract in which s/he has a private pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, if at the same time he/she is authorized or required by law to participate in his/her official capacity in the making of that contract or to perform in exercise of discretion on his/her part.

	4.	Acceptance of Gifts or Other Items of Value - Under state law, no public official or employee may use his/her public position or office to obtain financial gain or anything of substantial value for the private benefit of him/herself or his/her immediate family, or for any organization with which s/he is associated.

D.	End of Fiscal Year Procedures - To assure delivery, acceptance and payment processing of budgeted goods and services prior to June 30th, the deadline for issuance of purchase orders from the current operating budget will be established and communicated by the Business Office.


	E.	Payment Terms - The usual vendor payment terms are "Net 30 days". This means that all deliveries must be acknowledged immediately when received so that payment can be made on the items delivered no later than thirty (30) days after the vendor has submitted an invoice. Any special payment terms identified on the bid/quotation/proposal shall be reflected on the purchase order and adhered to for payment.

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: Verify that the contractor or subcontractor and any principle is not listed on the General Services Administration’s list of debarred or suspended contractors in the Excluded Parties Listing System (EPLS). 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

66.29, 66.293 Wis. Stats.
48 C.F.R. 9.4

Revised 8/15/12
Revised 2/20/13