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 procedures. 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 3110, and Policy 4110 – 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 judgement.

Each year the State of Michigan informs the School of the legal amount for purchases which require a formal bidding process of a single item.

It is the policy of the Board that the Superintendent adhere to the following:

1. Seek informal price quotations on purchases that are under one-hundred percent (100%) of the amount allowed by State statute 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 School.
2. When the purchase of, and contract for, single items of supplies, materials, or equipment is in excess of one-hundred percent (100%) but less than the amount allowed by State statute the Superintendent shall whenever possible, require three (3) competitive price quotations.

Purchases in a single transaction that are in excess of the dollar amount permitted by State statute shall require competitive bids and, whenever possible, have at least three (3) such bids for substantiation of purchase and shall require approval of the Board prior to purchase.

Competitive Bids

Competitive bids are not required for items purchased through the cooperative bulk purchasing program operated by the Michigan Department of Management and Budget pursuant to M.C.L. 18.1263 or any other cooperative bid.

Bids shall be sealed and shall be opened by the Director of Finance in the presence of at least one (1) witness. All orders or contracts should be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder; however, consideration can be given to:

1. the quality of the item(s) to be supplied;
2. its conformity with specifications;
3. suitability to the requirements of the school;
4. delivery terms;
5. past performance of the vendor.

For purposes of this preference a Michigan-based business means a business that would qualify for a Michigan preference for procurement contracts under M.C.L. 18.1268, which requires that the businesses certify that since inception or during the last twelve (12) months it has done one of the following:

1. have filed a Michigan business tax return showing an allocatio of income tax base to Michigan
2. have filed a Michigan income tax return showing income generated in or attributed to Michigan
3. withheld Michigan income tax from compensation paid to the bidder's owners and remitted the tax to the Michigan Department of Treasury

This preference shall not apply to any procurement or project using Federal funds, nor shall it be used if it would violate any Federal law or requirements.

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

Contracts may be awarded by the Director of Finance without Board approval for any single item or group of identical items costing less than the State approved minimum bid requirement. All other contracts require Board approval prior to purchase.

Bid Protest

A bidder who wishes to file a bid protest must file such notice and follow procedures prescribed by the Request For Proposals (RFP) or the individual bid specifications package, for resolution. Bid protests must be filed in writing with the Office of the Superintendent within seventy-two (72) hours of the opening of the bids in protest.

Within five (5) days of receipt of a protest, the Superintendent shall review the protest as submitted and render a decision regarding the merits of the protest and any impact on the acceptance and rejection of bids submitted. Notice of the filing of a bid protest shall be communicated to the Board and shall be so noted in any subsequent recommendation for the acceptance of bids and awarding of contracts.

Failure to file a notice of intent to protest, or failure to file a formal written protest within the time prescribed, shall constitute a waiver of proceedings.

General Provisions

The Superintendent is authorized to purchase all items within budget allocations.

The Superintendent is authorized to make emergency purchases, without prior approval, of those goods and/or services needed to keep the school in operation. Such purchases shall be brought to the Board’s attention at the next regular meeting.

In order to promote efficiency and economy in the operation of the school, the Board requires that the Superintendent periodically estimate requirements for standard items or classes of items and make quantity purchases on a bid basis to procure the lowest cost consistent with good quality.

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

Before placing a purchase order, the Superintendent 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 school. All purchase orders shall be numbered consecutively.

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 sets forth the terms of such a purchase.

Procurement – Federal Grants

The Superintendent shall maintain a procurement and contract administration system in accordance with the USDOE requirements (34 CFR 80.36) for the administration and management of Federal grants and federally-funded programs. The District shall maintain a compliance system that requires contractors to perform in accordance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of their contracts or purchase orders. Except as otherwise noted, procurement transactions shall conform to the provisions of this policy and administrative guidelines (AG 6320).

M.C.L. 380.1267, 380.1274-1274b

© Neola 2015

3440 - JOB-RELATED EXPENSES

The Board of Education will provide for the payment of the actual and necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, of any professional staff member of the District incurred in the course of performing services for the District, whether within or outside the District, under the direction of the Board and in accordance with the Superintendent's administrative guidelines.

The validity of payments for job-related expenses shall be determined by the Superintendent.

The Board shall pay the expenses of professional staff members when they attend professional meetings approved in accordance with the policy of this Board and in accordance with the administrative guidelines of the Superintendent.

© Neola 2009 

4440 - JOB-RELATED EXPENSES

The Board of Education may provide for the payment of the actual and necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, of any support staff member of the District incurred in the course of performing services for the District, whether within or outside the District, under the direction of the Board and in accordance with the Superintendent's administrative guidelines.

The Superintendent shall prepare administrative guidelines to implement this policy.