District Policies – Jefferson County School District R-1
Book:
District Policies – Jefferson County School District R-1
Section:
D: Fiscal Management
Title:
Purchasing Procedures
Number:
DJB
Status:
Active
Legal:
Adopted:
06/26/1997
Last Revised:
05/04/2009
Last Reviewed:
05/04/2009
Policy Detail
Agent
The director of Purchasing shall serve as purchasing agent for the school district and shall establish procedures governing the purchase of materials, supplies, equipment and services.
All purchasing transactions shall be accomplished through the Purchasing department on properly authorized documents.
Expenditure Authorization
Expenditures from any district fund must be approved/authorized in accordance with all district policies and require the following signatures (which may be electronic or hard copy):
To $25,000: appropriate principal, director, program manager or designee.
$25,000 to $100,000: director of Purchasing, director of Risk Management, executive directors, community superintendents or appropriate Cabinet level representative or designee.
$100,000 to $250,000: chief academic officer, chief operating officer, chief financial office, superintendent or designee.
Exceeding $250,000 and above: Board of Education.
Purchasing Authorization/Contract Execution
Purchases of materials, supplies, equipment and/or services will be processed as follows:
Under $2,500: The
purchasing card
is the preferred method.
Under $2,500 if the purchasing card cannot be used: goods and services may be purchased with a voucher payment or a school purchase order up to $2,500. Petty cash may be used per petty cash policy.
Greater than $2,500 up to $100,000: purchase order/contract must be executed by the director of Purchasing or designee.
To $100,000 purchase order/contract for capital funded programs must be executed by executive director of Construction Management or designee.
Greater than $100,000 up to $250,000: a purchase order/contract must be executed by the director of Purchasing and the chief operating officer, chief academic officer, chief financial officer or the superintendent, except design/construction contracts.
Greater than $250,000: purchase order/contract must be approved by the Board of Education and executed by designee.
Exemptions From Purchasing's Review
All purchases in excess of $2,500 per transaction must be processed through Purchasing on a purchase order except:
Conferences
Travel & mileage
Lodging
Meals
Speakers
Subscriptions
Yearbooks
Utilities and monthly phone and cell phone expenses
Items and/or services under current purchasing contracts up to $25,000 per transaction.
Memberships
Camps
Standardized test materials & scoring
Postage & mailing charge
Legal fees
Independent contractors' (1099 vendors) agreements up to $5,000
Insurance payments
Purchases for resale : items to be resold to students, faculty, and parents (not purchased for use by the school)
These items are to be charged to the appropriate resale account. School principals may execute resale purchases up to $10,000. If a purchase exceeds $10,000, the transaction must be processed through the Purchasing department with a purchase order.
Fundraising: items purchased to be sold to the general public to generate revenue for the school
Revenue generated by fundraising activities is to be deposited in the appropriate district accounts and expended per district policy. Goods and services bought with fundraising money over $2,500 per transaction must be processed through the Purchasing department on a purchase order.
License fees or inspection fees fixed by federal, state or local regulation
Play royalty fees
Noncompetitive/Sole Source Purchases
Purchases are to be made competitively with the exception of the following:
If a competitive process will result in higher cost or otherwise adversely affect the district as determined by the director of Purchasing.
If the service is a professional services that require a high degree of professional skill such as engineering and architectural services, professional management or educational consulting, legal services, medical services, technology services or other services as determined by the director of Purchasing and the chief operating officer.
If a particular product or service is required to standardize or maintain standardization, reduce financial investment or simplify administration.
If a particular product or service is required to maintain interchangeability or compatibility as a part of an existing system.
If purchases are made in cooperation with federal, state, other local government units, other school districts, the Cooperative Education Purchasing Council, U.S. communities, Western States Contracting Alliance or the Multiple Assembly of Procurement Officials when it is in the best economic interest of the district as determined by the director of Purchasing.
If a particular product is required to produce visual harmony.
Instructional materials; e.g., textbooks, library books, tests, teaching aids, publications, videos, films, software.
If the product or service is the subject of an insurance claim or a change order
If the product if perishable
If the product is for resale.
Sole source purchases “are characterized as the one and only source, regardless of the marketplace, possessing a unique and singularly available performance capability”
Aljian's Purchasing Handbook , 4th Ed
. The director of Purchasing or designee is responsible for approval of requests for sole source purchases. Appropriate substantiating documentation is required.
Specific Vendor or Brand Name Purchasing Requests
When there is a request to purchase a specific product or to use a specific vendor, the following information is required to justify the purchase:
Identify the unique features and performance capabilities.
If there are other products and/or services available, explain why they are not acceptable.
Identify any no cost items to be part of the purchase.
Explain any maintenance or technical support issues.
Federally Funded Grant Purchases
For federally funded grant purchases, refer to Education Department General Administrative Regulations for specific procurement requirements.
Emergency Purchases
Emergency situations shall be defined as those instances which may adversely affect the health, welfare or safety of students, employees or the general public, when any delays would place an excessive financial burden on the district, or when delays would cause significant harm to the district. In the case of an emergency requiring the immediate purchase of goods or services, the employee managing the emergency shall have the authority to authorize the purchase of necessary goods or services in the open market regardless of the amount of the expenditure.
Follow up for emergencies occurring
during weekday working hours
:
Contact and receive approval from the director of Purchasing or designee.
Submit an emergency purchase requisition and written explanation of the emergency to the Purchasing department.
Only minimum quantities should be ordered.
Every effort will be made to place emergency orders the same day.
Follow up for emergencies occurring
during periods other than normal working hours
:
An emergency purchase may be made directly with the vendor by a school or department.
A purchase requisition and a letter of justification explaining the circumstances of the emergency must be delivered to the Purchasing department during the first working day after the purchase.
Unauthorized Purchases
Confirming purchase requisitions or unauthorized purchases over $2,500 by school or department staff will not be processed by the Purchasing department unless a statement on the applicable breach of policy and the reasons for it are included on the requisition. Individuals who make unauthorized purchases may be held personally responsible for payment.
If it is determined that the district will assume responsibility for the purchase, payment may be processed from either a purchase requisition or a voucher with a letter or memorandum to the director of Purchasing explaining the circumstances of the purchase. It is the responsibility of the principal, department director or designee to approve the unauthorized purchase, if it is in the best interests of the district, and to discuss district policy with the individual.
Either significant or repeated unauthorized purchases will be reported to the chief operating officer.
