Township of Mount Laurel, NJ Chapter 10 Claims Approval

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Mount Laurel during codification; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 10-1 Approval and payment of claims.

A. Any person claiming payment from the Township of Mount Laurel shall present a detailed bill of demand to the Township Treasurer on or before the 20th of the month. Claims received after this date shall not be processed for payment until the next regular meeting. If certification of the purchase order is not waived under § 10-3, the claimant shall present said certification along with the bill.

[Amended 7-22-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-29]

B. The Treasurer shall then verify that the signature of the officer or employee of the department for which the claim is made has certified that the materials have been received by or the services rendered to the local unit. Before a claim is paid, all the forementioned procedures must be complied with. A bill list shall then be prepared and submitted to the governing body before the end of the said month. Upon approval of the bill list, checks will be prepared for payment. The check number and the date shall be recorded on all parts of the purchase order.

C. The checks and vouchers shall then be given to the Financial Director for approval.

D. Claims shall be considered by the governing body, which shall approve the same, except that said governing body may reject any claim presented to it, stating the reason for such rejection. Any disapproved claim shall be referred back to the Financial Director with such instructions as the governing body may give at the time of disapproval.

E. After formal approval by the governing body, the checks shall be signed by the Financial Director or Township Manager and countersigned by the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer.

F. Signed checks and vouchers shall then be returned to the Treasurer, whose duty it shall be to mail out the checks and keep the vouchers on file in alphabetical order.

§ 10-2 Purchasing procedures.

A. All purchasing procedures shall comply with N.J.S.A. 40A:11.

B. The requisition and purchase order system is hereby established and shall be operated as follows:

(1) For requisitions requiring a certification, the requisition shall be prepared in triplicate, the purchase order in sextuplicate. For requisitions not requiring a certification under § 10-3, the requisition shall be prepared in triplicate, the purchase order in quintuplet.

[Amended 7-22-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-29]

(2) Requisitions shall be numbered, prepared in detail and coded by the using department, with estimates of its requirements in supplies or contractual services.

(3) The requisition shall be approved by the department head, unless otherwise designated, in writing, to the Township Manager.

(4) The requisition shall be forwarded to the office of the Purchasing Agent.

(5) The Agent shall examine each requisition or estimate and shall have the authority to revise it as to quantity, quality or estimated cost; but revision as to quality shall be in accordance with the standards and specifications established.

(6) All purchases of supplies or contractual services of less than the estimated value of $4,500 shall be made on the open market without newspaper advertisement. Requisitions having an estimated value in excess of $500 and less than $4,500 shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder on the basis of quotations. Whenever possible, three competitive quotations will be solicited.

(7) All supplies (in the aggregate) or contractual services having an estimated value exceeding $4,500 shall be subject to open competitive bidding either by the township itself or by the cooperative purchasing programs with which the township participates. Such bids solicited by the township shall be advertised in the township newspaper and received in a sealed bid format. Award of any purchase over $4,500 shall be made by resolution of the township governing body.

(8) When the award is not given to the lowest bidder, a full and complete statement of the reasons for placing the order elsewhere shall be prepared by the Agent and filed with the other papers relating to the transaction.

(9) Vendor shall be designated by the Purchasing Agent and the requisition shall be forwarded to the Treasurer's office.

(10) The governing body may, by resolution, authorize sale of personal property which is not needed for public use. Items having an estimated fair value exceeding $4,500 will be sold at a public sale to the highest bidder following advertisement of such in the local newspaper. Items of a value of less than $4,500 may be sold at a private sale.

(11) The Treasurer's office shall check the requisition to the budget appropriation, and if the balance is sufficient, authorize the purchase by stamping the requisition "approved."

(12) The purchase order shall be returned to the Purchasing Agent for assigning a purchase order number and final approval.

(13) The purchase order shall be distributed as follows:

[Amended 7-22-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-29]

(a) Original shall be the vendor's copy.

(b) If certification is required, one copy shall be the certification copy and shall be delivered to the vendor along with the original. Certification copy shall be signed by the vendor, attached to its invoice and returned to the Township.

(c) One copy shall be the purchasing copy and shall be retained in the office of the Purchasing Agent and filed numerically.

(d) One copy shall be retained by the Treasurer's office and filed in alphabetical order.

(e) One copy shall be the receiving copy and shall be returned to the requesting department which will receive the goods or services. When the goods or services are received, this copy shall be signed by the receiver of the goods as well as the department head, along with the delivery ticket or packing slip.

(f) One copy shall be the using copy and shall be forwarded to the requesting department after the purchase order has been paid and will be retained by the department.

C. No employee or official agent or servant of the Township of Mount Laurel shall make any purchase on the part of the Township of Mount Laurel unless it shall have been properly authorized by a purchase order.

D. In case of actual or imminent emergency and with the consent of the Agent, the head of any using agency may purchase directly any supplies whose immediate procurement is essential to prevent delays in the work of the using agency which may vitally affect the public health, safety or welfare of citizens. Any contract or agreement with a total cost exceeding $4,500 may be made without public advertising.

E. In instances where numerous miscellaneous purchases are made from a particular vendor, a purchase order may be issued in an amount not to exceed $50 for a specific month.

§ 10-3 Claimant certification.

[Added 7-22-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-29]

A. All claimant certification procedures shall comply with N.J.A.C. 5:30-9A.6(c) and 5:31.4.1.

B. The Township shall, as it deems necessary and appropriate, allow payments to be made without certification by a claimant as to the bill or demand being correct under the following circumstances:

(1) When payment to claimant is required in advance of the delivery of the following materials or services, if those materials or services cannot be obtained from any other source at comparable prices:

(a) For such purposes as may be permitted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:5-16.2 and 16.3;

(b) Payment obligations to the state or federal governments;

(c) Membership in a nonprofit organization;

(d) Educational courses;

(e) Registration for a conference or convention sponsored by a nonprofit organization; and

(f) Website hosting, including registration and maintenance of a domain name;

(2) When ordering, billing, and payment transactions for goods or services are made through a computerized electronic transaction utilizing standard electronic funds transfer technologies; and

(3) Where claimant does not provide, as part of its normal course of business, a certification from an individual with knowledge of the transaction that a bill or demand is correct.

C. These provisions shall not apply to the reimbursement of employee expenses or payment for personal services.

D. Claimant certification shall not be required as a condition for payment to be made for debt service or any services set forth under N.J.S.A. 40A:5-16.d.