SECTION VII - PURCHASING PROCESS
PURCHASING PROCESS
ALL Purchase Requisitions MUST BE CREATED AND PURCHASE
ORDERS APPROVED PRIOR TO THE ORDER PLACEMENT!
1. Budget managers must follow these procedures to obtain goods or services:
a.
All purchases should be initiated by the location with the electronic
Purchase Requisition process, and the paper requisition (Form C-208) signed by
the principals, directors, or budget managers. The paper purchase requisition
must be complete with ACCOUNT NUMBER, DATES, the appropriate
SIGNATURES and required backup documentation.
The Business Office will process electronic requisitions into purchase
orders daily for all properly completed requisitions received. Purchase Order
copies will be returned to the issuing location, original sent to vendor (unless
otherwise noted) and one copy sent to Central Receiving.
b.
District Purchasing Cards. These cards can be used for authorized
purchases and employee travel. An approved purchase order must be in place
before any purchase is made. The person using the credit card must be named on
the purchase order and must have completed the purchasing card training. All
receipts are returned to the originating location for submission with the PO. The
generic credit card is returned to the Business Office. Please refer to the
Purchasing Card Program Cardholder Manual for additional information.
2. Federal Program purchases are made by the Federal Programs Director, under the
direction of the Superintendent or his/her designee.
3. All requisitions for services of electricians, plumbers, mechanics, etc. are to be made
in the following manner: Submit a work order to maintenance via “My School
Building”. All requisitions for any IT hardware or software including notebooks and
other devices must be pre-approved by the IT department – and entered into inventory by
the IT Department.
4. Exempt purchases from the procurement process:
› Training materials in printed or electronic format
› Magazine subscriptions, web-based or electronic subscriptions, conference
registration fees, and other similar purchases where prepayment is required not
exceeding $10K
› Legal subscriptions and research services
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A. CRITERIA FOR SUPPLY ITEMS:
A supply item is any article or material which meets any one or more of the following
conditions:
1. It is consumed in use.
2. It loses its original shape or appearance with use.
3. It is expendable; that is, if the article is damaged or some of its parts are lost or worn
out, it is usually more feasible to replace it with an entirely new unit than to repair it.
4. It is an inexpensive item having the characteristics of equipment whose small unit cost
makes it inadvisable to capitalize the item. (Rule of thumb - Cost of item plus freight is
less than $500.00.) There are exceptions to this rule when any item is theft sensitive –
regardless of cost it may still be tracked by the District.
5. It loses its identity through incorporation into a different or more complex unit or
substance.
B. CRITERIA FOR EQUIPMENT ITEMS:
An equipment item is a moveable or fixed unit of furniture or furnishings, an instrument, a
machine, an apparatus, or set of articles which meets all of the following conditions:
1. It retains its original shape and appearance with use.
2. It is non-expendable; that is, if the article is damaged or some of its parts are lost or
worn out, it is usually more feasible to repair it rather than replace it with an entirely new
unit.
3. It represents an investment of money which makes it feasible and advisable to
capitalize the item.
a. Tabulated equipment (tab) - equipment having a value of $5,000.00 or more.
Per the Uniform Chart of Accounts – object code 57331.
b. Non-tabulated equipment (non-tab) - equipment having a value of less than
$5,000.00. This typically includes IT equipment that is still tracked in the IT
inventory system. Per the Uniform Chart of Accounts – object code 57332.
4. It does not lose its identity through incorporation into a different or more complex unit
or substance.
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C. SMALL PURCHASES
The business office shall procure services, construction or items of tangible personal property
having a value not exceeding sixty thousand dollars ($60,000) in accordance with the applicable
small purchase regulations adopted by the secretary, a local public body, or a central purchasing
office which has the authority to issue regulations.
1. $999.00 or less - The school or department is responsible for obtaining best available
prices and will maintain evidence of purchase.
2. Purchases over $1,000.00 and not exceeding $19,999.00 must be based on Solicited
Written Quotes Form C-229. Requests for quotes, containing specs, must be submitted to
the vendor with a minimum of ten (10) days allowed for response. These must be
forwarded with the Purchase Requisition to the business office.
>>>> You may use resources like CES, Statewide Purchasing Agreements or General
Services Administration Agreement. Contract number MUST be on the Purchase
Requisition and in the body of the Purchase Order. <<<<<
3. Purchases over $20,000.00 up to $60,000 – a formal RFQ Memo – Small Purchases
(Form C-229) must be completed. The documentation provided to the Business Office
must be sufficient to allow for a proper determination to be made. Please note that these
types of procurements are approved by the Finance and Operations Director/Chief
Procurement Officer or designee.
4. Purchases over $60,000 – Invitation to Bid Process (ITB) and Request for Proposal
(RFP) - Contact Business Office – please note that these types of procurements are
coordinated by the Business Office. Please allow a minimum of six(6) weeks to
complete the ITB or RFP process.
D. SOLE SOURCE
*The Business Office may award contracts for sole source purchases as provided for in
the Procurement Code.
*The Sole Source Determination Form (C-230) must be completed and authorized by the
Finance and Operations Director and the Superintendent.
*A sole source purchase shall have attached a written documentation to include the
following information:
1. Detailed explanation of reasons a vendor is a sole source.
2. How criteria for procurement was developed.
3. A description of contacts or efforts to review all available sources. The
criteria for approval of the Sole Source Agreement is that the requestor
performed due diligence in seeking possible vendors or providers.
4. Please provide an explanation describing why this vendor was selected as the
only possible vendor/contractor who can provide the product or service.
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