Okaloosa County BOCC — April 27, 2013 — Okaloosa County Purchasing Manual-5 — reading text

other proprietary information. o Refrain from publicly endorsing products. VIII. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EMPLOYER o Remain free of any and all interests and activities, which are or could be detrimental or in conflict with the best interests of the employer. o Refrain from engaging in activities where the buyer has a significant personal or indirect financial interest. o Exercise discretionary authority on behalf of the employer. o Avoid acquiring interest or incurring obligations that could conflict with the interests of the employer. 9 IX. RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS o A buyer shall not use his position to exert leverage on individuals or firms for the purpose of creating a benefit for agencies or organizations that he may represent. o All involvement and transactions shall be handled in a professional manner with the interest of the buyer’s employer taking precedent. X. RELATIONSHIP WITH PROFESSIONAL PURCHASING ORGANIZATIONS & ASSOCIATIONS o It is the obligation and the responsibility of the buyer, through affiliation with professional organization, to represent that organization in a professional and ethical manner. o A buyer shall not use his position to persuade an individual or firm to provide a benefit to an organization. XI. POLICY It is the policy of NIGP that any member of the Institute who personally, or on behalf of his local chapter, is involved in the process of acquiring advertisers and/or exhibitors on behalf of the Institute, shall act only in the capacity of providing referrals of potential or interested parties to the Institute. As a result of such referral, should the Institute form a contractual obligation, appropriate credit shall be given to the individual or chapter. D. PURCHASING DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND FUNCTIONS The Purchasing Department is responsible for administering purchasing policies, initiating reports necessary to permit analysis of purchasing performance, negotiating and approving term contracts less than bid requirements, consolidating purchases of like or common items, analyzing prices paid for materials, equipment and services, and generally defining how to obtain savings and to coordinate purchasing procedures for the Board. It shall be the purpose of the Purchasing Department to promote efficiency and economy and effect coordination in the purchase of commodities for the County. Specific responsibilities and functions include: a. Developing purchasing objectives, policies, programs and procedures for the acquisition of materials, equipment, supplies and services, subject to Board approval. b. Coordinating purchasing procedures with other departments and County officers. c. Serving as the County representative on all matters pertaining to purchasing. d. Preparing specifications for contracts that are subject to Board approval. e. Consolidating purchases of like or common items to obtain maximum economic benefits. f. Establishing standardization of procuring materials, supplies, and equipment, where practical. g. Promoting good will between the County and its vendors. 10 h. Preparing and submitting annual operating budgets for the Purchasing Department. i. Conducting pre-bid conferences for formal bids. j. Maintaining a list of all vendors interested in submitting quotes/bids on County purchases. k. Advertising for bids on purchases in excess of $50,000.00 l. Monitoring and controlling the County Purchasing Card System. E. PURCHASING POLICIES 1. The following policies are hereby established and shall be adhered to: a. All requests for quotes, goods and services must be initiated by the Purchasing Department. If necessary, authority to request quotes may be delegated. b. Vendors may be received in other departments upon request or approval of the Purchasing Department. c. Upon prior approval from the Purchasing Department, county departments may interview vendors regarding specific goods/services. d. In interviews with vendors, no commitments on preference for any product or service shall be made nor shall any information regarding performance or price be provided, which may embarrass the Purchasing Department or Board. e. All correspondence with vendors shall be made through the Purchasing Department, except in special cases where technical details require delegation to others. In such cases, the Purchasing Department must receive copies of all correspondence. f. The Purchasing Department has full authority to question the quality, the quantity, and type of materials requisitioned by any department to serve the best interest of the County. g. Quotes and specified information received from vendors shall not be divulged except when required by law. h. All bidders must be afforded equal opportunity to submit quotes and shall compete on equal terms. i. The County shall only conduct business with vendors who have adequate financial strength, high ethical standards, record of adhering to specifications, maintaining shipping promises, and giving a full measure of service. New sources of supply will be given due consideration as multiple sources of supply are necessary to ensure availability of materials. j. The Purchasing Department shall conduct all adjustment negotiations with vendors. 11 F. ELECTRONIC REQUISITION PROCESS Requisitioning procedures: 1. The electronic requisition originates in the requesting department. 2. The requisition must be authorized by the Department Director or designee. a. All designees shall be listed with the Purchasing Department. b. Such list will be maintained by the Purchasing Department and Finance Department and will be reviewed annually. 3. Only items of similar nature (e.g., hardware, paint, building materials, etc) should be listed on each requisition. 4. The needs of each department shall be anticipated and requisitioned in time to allow the Purchasing Department to obtain prices from several vendors. 5. Instructions for preparing requisitions. For more detailed instructions, refer to the Pentamation Electronic Requisition Processing Manual. a. 1st screen – Enter data in Pentamation software which shall include: Date, date requested, approval, ship code, recommended vendor (if known), buyer, attention of (person making request), comments (if any). b. 2nd screen – Description, measure, quantity, dept #, account #, and text (if any). 6. Requisition shall be forwarded to the Purchasing Department’s requisition printer electronically. G. PURCHASING PROCEDURES A. The requesting department shall submit an electronic requisition to the Purchasing Department, as outlined above. 1. The Purchasing Department shall expeditiously review/process requisitions. In no event shall a requisition be held in excess of three (3) days without action. B. The Purchasing Department shall solicit information for the procurement of the requisitioned items. 1. Quotation Requirements a. Orders totaling $2,500.00 or less One (1) quotation required. The Purchasing Agent may place such orders with specific vendors based upon their experience and knowledge of pricing factors. b. Orders in excess of $2,500.00 but less than $50,000.00 12  Three (3) WRITTEN quotations required. If unable to obtain three (3) quotes, the Purchasing Agent shall document the attempts made and/or an explanation as to why three (3) quotes are unattainable. Tabulation sheet and quotations must be attached to order as back-up information. (1) When written quotations are requested, the Purchasing Agent must use good judgment in establishing the reply date. However, in no case shall it exceed ten (10) days for local quotations and twelve (12) days for non-local quotations. (2) A verbal quotation may be obtained but must be subsequently confirmed in writing. Order will be awarded based on verbal quotation. c. Quotations for Bulk Fuel Purchases Purchasing Agent shall obtain written quotes based on the “Rack Price,” which require a one (1) day reply date. Quotes shall be reviewed and approved by the Purchasing Director or designee prior to issuing the Purchase Order. Due to the urgency of bulk fuel purchases, Board approval is not required. 2. Approval Authority a. Purchases $25,000.00 or less require approval of Department Director and Purchasing Director or their designees. b. Purchases in excess of $25,001.00 and equal to or less than $50,000.00 require approval of Department Director, the Purchasing Director, and the County Administrator or their designees. c. Purchases in excess of $50,000.00 require Board approval prior to purchasing, which shall include items on State and GSA contracts, replacement of materials, parts, repair and maintenance of existing equipment. d. Deviation from the $50,000.00 limit for emergencies, as defined in the Emergency Purchases section, is authorized for the replacement of materials, parts, repair and maintenance of existing equipment. However, the deviation shall be coordinated with the Chairman of the Board or, if unavailable, with the Vice-Chairman and shall be reported at the next Board meeting. e. Prior to authorizing any expenditure listed above, the Department Director shall review the purchase and determine that the expenditure serves a public purpose and that the necessary approval and procedures for the expenditure has been complied with. 3. Formal Bid Requirements a. Formal bids are required for all purchases in excess of $50,000.00. b. Purchases requiring formal bids must be approved by the Board. (1) The purchase requisition shall be approved by the Department Director or designee. 13  (2) The Board may approve purchases of over $50,000.00 without formal bids where it is deemed to be most advantageous to the County. (3) Risk Management shall negotiate and recommend to the Board for approval, policies of insurance coverage for property, liability and special risk insurance that would be most advantageous to the County. c. See “Bid Invitation” section for the procedure on processing formal bids. 4. Sole-Source Items In those instances where competitive pricing cannot be obtained, a sole source purchase data sheet must be completed and attached to the requisition. The request must meet both of the following criteria: