The current policy of the City is to maintain a decentralized purchasing process which shall be monitored by the City Manager or Superintendent of Schools. Each department head and/or authorized bureau directors within this decentralized purchasing function shall be responsible for the function of procurement of suitable supplies, services, goods or construction for their using departments, except as may be otherwise noted in these regulations. In all cases, purchase orders, claims, invoices and any other such supporting documentation shall channel through the City Auditor's Office or Superintendent of School's Office in order that proper purchasing records may be maintained.
The responsibility of department/bureau directors regarding procurement shall be as follows:
A. 
Development of specifications for supplies, services or construction shall be the responsibility of department heads or bureau directors. Any specifications to be included in an invitation for competitive sealed bids or proposals shall be submitted to the Purchasing Officer.
B. 
Procuring the highest quality item(s) for a specified use at the lowest possible expense is required by all department heads, bureau directors or their delegates who have authority to purchase.
C. 
Department heads and authorized bureau directors are required to control, supervise and maintain any necessary inventories in a storeroom. Such storerooms shall serve as the receiving and distribution points for materials purchased by a using department. Department heads will report to the City Auditor on inventories in all storerooms under their jurisdiction as of the last day of the fiscal year. Department heads will conduct an interim inventory of any storeroom under their jurisdiction at such time as there is a change in personnel directly responsible for the storeroom. Interim inventory audits are recommended.
D. 
Local purchasing is encouraged where competitive market prices exist except when Subsection F of this section and § 83-15 apply, local purchasing is required unless non-local purchasing is more cost effective. The following factors shall be considered to determine cost effectiveness:
(1) 
Price.
(2) 
Comparable quality.
(3) 
Cost/Time to secure prices.
(4) 
Shipping and handling cost.
(5) 
Convenience of follow-up service.
(6) 
Time to secure the supply, item or service.
E. 
Inspection of incoming materials or services shall be performed for compliance with specifications. These inspections are to be maintained under rigorous review by department heads and authorized bureau directors.
F. 
Unless otherwise provided, the single purchase of a supply or construction item in an amount estimated at $10,001 or above shall be made only by written contract award through the formal bidding procedure. No supply, service, or construction generally purchased in the whole shall be purchased as a sum of the parts for the purpose of avoiding the requirement to solicit bids. A single purchase of services in an amount estimated at $10,001 or more shall be made only by written contract award through the appropriate proposal procedure. Sole-source purchases and emergency purchases shall be exceptions to these rules.
G. 
Department heads and authorized bureau directors will verify that the vendor that will be doing work or purchasing equipment/goods from is not listed on the ineligible or debarred list on System for Award Management (SAM), to ensure potential vendors or contractors have not been suspended or barred from receiving federal funding for all purchases done with federal grants. They will search on SAM to find a list of current companies (entity) or individuals that have been declared ineligible to receive federal contracts due to a violation of Executive Order 11246, as amended; Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 29 U.S.C. § 793; and/or the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, 38 U.S.C. § 4212. SAM contains the electronic roster of debarred companies excluded from federal procurement and non-procurement programs throughout the U.S. government (unless otherwise noted) and from receiving federal contracts or certain subcontracts and from certain types of federal financial and nonfinancial assistance and benefits. The SAM system combines data from the Central Contractor Registration, Federal Register, Online Representations and Certification Applications, and the Excluded Parties List System.
[Added 12-21-2017 by Ord. No. 17-200]
Pursuant to Article VII, Sec. 12, of the City Charter, the City Manager, or a person formally designated by the City Manager, shall be the Purchasing Agent for the City. The Purchasing Agent may appoint one or more Purchasing Officers to carry out the duties of Purchasing Officer as provided in § 83-6.
The authority and duties of the Purchasing Officer shall be as follows:
A. 
Except as may be otherwise provided, the Purchasing Officer shall serve as the principal purchasing official for the City, and shall be responsible for the procurement of supplies, services and construction in accordance with this chapter, as well as the management and disposal of supplies.
B. 
In accordance with this chapter, the Purchasing Officer shall:
(1) 
Procure or supervise the procurement of all supplies, goods, services and construction needed by the City.
(2) 
Exercise direct supervision over the City's central stores and general supervision over all other inventories belonging to the City.
(3) 
Sell, trade or otherwise dispose of surplus supplies belonging to the City.
(4) 
Assist the departments and bureaus of the City using supplies, services and construction in the establishment and maintenance of programs for specification development, contract administration and product inspection and acceptance.
C. 
Consistent with this chapter, and with the approval of the City Manager, the Purchasing Officer may adopt operational procedures relating to the execution of his or her duties.