The Purchasing Agent shall have the powers and duties prescribed herein.
(A) Scope of purchasing authority.
(1) The Purchasing Agent shall have the power and it shall be the agent’s duty to purchase or contract for all supplies and contractual services needed by any using agency that derives its support wholly or in part from the city.
(2) The Purchasing Agent shall purchase or contract for those supplies and contractual services set forth herein in accordance with:
(a) Purchasing procedures as prescribed by this subchapter;
(b) Such written rules and regulations as the Purchasing Agent shall adopt for the internal management and operation of the purchasing; and
(c) Such other written rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by ordinances of the city.
(3) All rules and regulations adopted by the Purchasing Agent for the internal management and operation of purchasing shall be approved by the Council and filed in the office of the City Clerk.
(4) Except as herein provided, it shall be unlawful for any city officer or employee to order the purchase of any supplies or make any contract within the purview of this subchapter, other than through the Purchasing Agent; and any such purchase ordered or any contract made contrary to the provisions herein shall not be approved by city officers, and the city shall not be bound thereby.
(B) Additional powers and duties. In addition to the purchasing authority conferred in division (A) above, and in addition to any other powers and duties conferred by this subchapter, the Purchasing Agent shall perform the duties given herein.
(1) Minimum expenditure. The Purchasing Agent shall act to procure for the city the highest quality in supplies and contractual services at least expense to the city.
(2) Encourage competition. The Purchasing Agent shall discourage uniform bidding and endeavor to obtain as full and open competition as possible on all purchases and sales.
(3) Rules and regulations. In conjunction with the City Treasurer, the Purchasing Agent shall establish and amend, when necessary, rules and regulations authorized by this subchapter and any others necessary to the operation of purchasing.
(4) Purchasing analysis. The Purchasing Agent shall keep informed of current developments in purchasing, prices, market conditions, and new products, and shall secure for the city the benefits of research done in the field of purchasing by other governmental jurisdictions, national technical societies, trade associations having national recognition, and by private businesses and organizations.
(5) Supplier catalog file. The Purchasing Agent shall prepare, adopt, and maintain a supplier catalog file.
(6) Bulk purchases. The Purchasing Agent shall exploit the possibilities of buying in bulk so as to take full advantage of discounts.
(7) Federal and state tax exemptions. The Purchasing Agent shall act so as to procure for the city all federal and state tax exemptions to which it is entitled.
(8) Disqualification of bidders. The Purchasing Agent shall have the authority to declare that vendors who default on their quotations are unsecured bidders and to disqualify them from receiving any business from the municipality for a stated period of time.
(9) Written specifications. The Purchasing Agent shall adopt and enforce written specifications as required to procure all supplies, equipment, and services.
(10) Standardization. The Purchasing Agent shall adopt a minimum number of standard qualities, sizes, and varieties of supplies consistent with the successful operation of the city government.
(11) Effects of adoption. After its adoption, each standard specification shall, until revised or rescinded, apply alike in terms and effect to every future purchase and contract for the supply described in such specification.
(12) Pre-bid conference. The Purchasing Agent shall have the authority to conduct pre-bid conferences and make attendance mandatory for contractors wishing to submit a bid.
(13) Purchase documentation. The Purchasing Agent shall have the authority, by written policy, to establish purchase limits for those purchases that require purchase orders or written contracts, and to establish purchasing guidelines for employee usage of city issued purchase or procurement cards.
(14) Advanced purchasing methods. The Purchasing Agent shall have the authority to implement advanced purchasing methods, in lieu of traditional means of advertising and bidding. Said methods may take advantage of modern modes of electronic communication, through the use of email, internet, and other electronic devices or systems that may be available. Advertising methods that provide bidding opportunities to a broad base of bidders, so long as the goals of this subchapter are accomplished, may be utilized. These methods include, but are not limited to, reverse auctions, online bidding, and other similar electronic procurement methods.
(15) Payment procedure. The City Treasurer or his or her designee shall accumulate all properly submitted and due claims and invoices to be processed for payment and present them to the City Manager or his or her designee for consideration and approval for payment. Upon such approval for payment, the City Treasurer or his or her designee shall issue properly signed checks, or other authorized forms of payment, in payment of said claims and invoices. The City Manager may designate disbursement cycles to provide for the timely release of checks by Treasurer’s office. A list of claims and invoices paid will be prepared and presented by the City Treasurer or his or her designee and submitted, for informational purposes, to the City Council at the next regular meeting following the payment date.
(16) Contracts. The authority to contract, for the purpose of filling what have traditionally been employee positions, with either employees or independent contractors, if the expenditure will be within the limits of the budgeted funds.
(17) Expending funds. The authority to expend funds for economic development projects or as economic development incentives up to the purchasing limit set by the City Council.
(18) Denying tort claims. The authority to deny tort claims that are within the purchasing authority of the City Manager, and the authority to deny those claims in which the city’s insurance carrier has investigated the claim and recommended denial.
(Prior Code, § 37.006) (Ord. 1864, passed 8-14-2018)