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.

When the purchase of, and contract for, single items of supplies, materials, or equipment is in excess of $10,000 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 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.

Competitive bids are not required for food purchases, unless food purchased in a single transaction costs $100,000 or more.

Bids shall be sealed and shall be opened by the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations 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:

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:

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 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 schools 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 District, the Board requires that the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations 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 Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations 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 District. All purchase orders shall be numbered consecutively.

In the interests of economy, fairness, and efficiency in its business dealings, the Board requires that:

The Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations shall determine the amount of purchase which shall be allowed without a properly signed purchase order. Employees may be held personally responsible for anything purchased without a properly signed purchase order or authorization.

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.

The Superintendent shall maintain a procurement and contract administration system in accordance with the USDOE requirements (34 C.F.R. 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 et seq.

Revised 7/1/96
Revised 11/20/17