(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, before the Town Board of Trustees makes any purchase of or contract for supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services, they shall submit to at least three persons, firms or corporations dealing in and able to supply the same, or to a smaller number if there are not three dealing in and able to supply the same, a request for quotation or invitation to bid and specifications to give them opportunity to bid. As an alternative, the Town Board may publish notice of the proposed purchase in a newspaper of general circulation within the town or county. The Town Board of Trustees shall favor a person, firm or corporation in the town when this can be done without additional cost to the town, but they shall submit requests for quotation to those outside the town when necessary to secure bids or to create competitive conditions or when they think that they can make a saving for the town. All bids shall be sealed and opened in public at a designated time and place. The Town Board of Trustees may repeatedly reject all bids and may again submit to the same or other persons, firms or corporations the request for quotations or invitation to bid or again publish notice of the proposed purchase. The Town Board of Trustees shall purchase from the bidder whose bid is most advantageous to the town, considering price, quality, date of delivery and the like; in the event of a tie, the Town Board may cast lots to determine from whom to make a purchase or may divide the purchase among those tying, always accepting the bid or bids most advantageous to the town.
(B) The Town Board of Trustees may purchase or authorize the purchase of the following without giving an opportunity for competitive bidding:
(1) Supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services, the cost of which does not exceed the applicable dollar amount established by current state law in a single transaction;
(2) Supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services which can be furnished only by a single dealer or which has a uniform price wherever bought;
(3) Supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services purchased from another unit of government at a price deemed below that obtainable from private dealers (including war surplus);
(4) Contractual services (gas, electricity, telephone service and the like) purchased from a public utility corporation at a price or rate determined by the State Corporation Commission or other government authority; or
(5) Contractual services of a professional nature, such as engineering, legal, architectural and medical services.
(`85 Code, § 1-51)