[Adopted as Secs. 11-1, 11-2 and 11-4 of
the 1963 Code]
There is hereby established a centralized Purchasing
Department in the Town.
[Amended 3-12-2007 by Ord. No. 07-03]
The Purchasing Department shall be under the
direction of a full-time Purchasing Agent, to be appointed by the
Mayor for an indefinite term. Such Purchasing Agent may be removed
or suspended for cause by the Mayor at any time, but in case of such
removal, if the Purchasing Agent shall so demand, written charges
shall be preferred by the Mayor, and the Purchasing Agent shall be
given a hearing before the order of removal is made final. The salary
of the Purchasing Agent and all other employees of the Purchasing
Department shall be fixed by the Town Council from time to time. The
acceptance of any gift, offer, inducement or promise of any kind whatsoever
by the Purchasing Agent from any person, made with the intention or
for the purpose of influencing, promoting or gaining favorable consideration
in the making of any purchase or purchases by the Purchasing Agent,
shall be prima facie cause for immediate dismissal of the Purchasing
Agent by the Mayor.
[Added 9-12-1966]
The Purchasing Department shall examine all
requisitions for purchases and negotiate all purchases of supplies
and equipment for all Town departments, commissions and boards, including
the Board of Education.
[Added 9-12-1966; amended 4-13-1987; 10-9-2001 by Ord. No. 01-21]
A.
All purchases of, and contracts for, supplies, materials,
equipment, public work or improvement and contractual services and
all sales of such personal property greater than $25,000 which has
become obsolete, unserviceable or unusable shall be based, when possible,
on competitive bids, except as authorized pursuant to § 7-148v(b)
pf the Connecticut General Statutes. The Purchasing Department shall
solicit sealed bids on purchases and contracts greater than $25,000
by sending notice to prospective suppliers and by posting notice on
a public bulletin board in the Town Hall. Each bid shall be opened
publicly at the time stated in the notice soliciting such bid. If
the amount of the expenditure or sale is estimated to exceed $25,000,
sealed bids shall be solicited by public notice inserted at least
once in a newspaper circulated within the Town and at least five calendar
days before the final date of submitting bids. All contracts for more
than $25,000 shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder.
[Amended 11-13-2023 by Ord. No. 23-11[1]]
[1]
This ordinance was amended on November 13, 2023 pursuant to
the authority granted in § 7-148v of the Connecticut General
Statutes.
B.
Competitive bidding shall not be required for contracts
for professional services. In any other case where competitive bidding
is not required by law and either clearly is not practical or no advantage
would result to the Town by requiring competitive bidding, the Mayor
may authorize the execution of a contract without competitive bidding.
[Amended 3-12-2007 by Ord. No. 07-03]
C.
Professional services consulting contracts to any individual or firm
exceeding $10,000 in a fiscal year as not explicitly indicated in
the annual operating budget of the Town shall require the approval
of the Town Council.
[Added 8-14-2017 by Ord.
No. 16-17]
[Added 9-12-1966; amended 4-13-1987; 10-9-2001 by Ord. No. 01-21]
Any public work or improvement costing more than $7,500 shall be executed by contract except where specified work or improvement is authorized by the Council based on detailed estimates submitted by the Department authorized to execute such work or improvement. All contracts under this section shall be awarded by the Town Council to the lowest responsible bidder, after public advertisement as specified in § 14-4.
[Added 9-12-1966; amended 4-13-1987; 10-9-2001 by Ord. No. 01-21]
All purchases and sales of $7,500 or less in
amount shall be made in the open market but shall, when in the best
interest of the Town, be based on at least three competitive bids.
[Added 9-12-1966; amended 10-9-2001 by Ord. No. 01-21; 3-12-2007 by Ord. No.
07-03]
Whenever an emergency exists by reason of extraordinary
conditions or contingencies that could not reasonably be foreseen
and guarded against or because of unusual trade or market conditions,
the Purchasing Department, with the approval of the Mayor, may, if
it is deemed in the best interest of the Town, waive the requirement
that purchases be based on competitive bids as provided in the foregoing
sections hereof. The Mayor shall provide a statement of all such purchases
made under the provisions of this section to the Town Council.
[Added 9-12-1966]
Before any purchase orders shall be issued,
the Director of Finance shall certify to the Purchasing Department
that funds have been appropriated for, have not been exhausted, and
are sufficient to make, such purchases. No such purchase shall be
made unless such funds are sufficient and available for the particular
purpose.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 14-9, Filing
of requests for equipment, was repealed 3-13-2000 by Ord. No. 00-03.
