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The purchasing agent shall purchase all supplies, material, equipment, goods and contractual services required by any department, office or agency of the town government, except that he/she will not purchase books, publications, subscriptions for periodical literature or non-print materials in the library collections of the board of education or the library board. All purchases for equipment and materials used for classroom, instructional, or library collections use, other than books, publications or subscriptions for periodical literature, are to be purchased in accordance with the specifications furnished by the superintendent of schools or his/her duly appointed agent, or the town librarian or his/her duly appointed agent.
(Ord. 645, passed 1-6-14; Am. Ord. 742, passed 5-20-24)
No request or requisition for any purchase forwarded to the purchasing agent for action shall be valid unless it bears the written or electronic approval of the head of the department, office, or agency, or his/her previously designated agent.
(Ord. 645, passed 1-6-14; Am. Ord. 742, passed 5-20-24)
(A) Transactions from $0.01 to $2,500.00 shall be awarded prudently on the basis of the best value, using known and reliable sources of supply. Requests for expenditures under this section along with the justification shall be forwarded by the department head or his/her designee to the purchasing agent for review and approval.
(B) Transactions from $2,500.01 to $25,000.00 shall be awarded to the most “qualified” vendor, based on results of three or more electronic or written quotations. Requests for expenditures under this section along with the justification shall be forwarded by the department head or his/her designee to the purchasing agent for review and approval.
(C) Transactions of $25,000.01 or more shall be awarded on the results of formal bid procedures, except as provided herein. The purchasing agent shall invite sealed bids or requests for proposals through the town’s website and other notification tools, which may include the State of Connecticut or other procurement websites, giving at least ten days’ notice thereof from the posting or advertising date, and shall contain a statement reserving the right to reject all bids or proposals. The purchasing agent shall award the contract or make the purchase from the lowest qualified bidder for a bid; for proposals, to the bidder deemed to be in the best interest of the town; or may reject all bids or proposals subject to the best interests of the town. If there are two or more responsible bids or proposals which are equal in price and specifications, the award is to be made on the basis of the following criteria:
(1) Past performance.
(2) Priority to town vendors.
(3) When divisions (C)(1) and (2) have not resolved the equality, or when application of one or more than one town vendor is involved, the purchasing agent shall award the contract or make the purchase by drawing of lots in public, to which drawing the vendors shall be invited.
(Ord. 645, passed 1-6-14; Am. Ord. 742, passed 5-20-24)
The following shall be exempt from the requirements of this chapter.
(A) Local suppliers. Where practicable and beneficial to the operations of the town, the purchasing agent may assign up to $10,000 annually, contracts for goods (only) required for the day-to-day maintenance and repair of the town (and school facilities) to suppliers located within or near the town’s geographical area. The purchasing agent will annually request and keep on file price/discount structures from critical suppliers and will work with operations personnel to ensure all goods are procured on the basis of a best value proposition.
(B) Sole source. Where beneficial to the town, the purchasing agent may purchase on the basis of best value, without publicly bidding, goods and services from suppliers who are the sole source of copyrighted, patented and/or specialized equipment or services; library/ educational/curriculum materials and/or textbooks; and utilities. In each case, the purchasing agent may waive the requirement to obtain competitive quotes or bids upon receipt and review of sole source documents which shall be kept on file for examination and audit, confirming the exclusivity of the goods and an explanation/calculation of the best value proposition. For purposes of this chapter, “SOLE SOURCE” shall mean one source of supply deemed acceptable or capable of meeting the specifications for a product or service and shall be qualified with a sole source justification document to the purchasing agent.
(C) Consortiums. Where beneficial to the town, the purchasing agent may purchase goods and services through any and all state or federal purchasing strategies or produce confirmation the supplier holds a contract awarded by the U.S. Government Services Administration (GSA) to document the federal government has conducted a public bidding process, or purchase from contracts publicly bid by a consortium. In each case, the purchasing agent may waive the requirement to obtain competitive bids or quotes upon receipt and review of documents, which shall be kept on file for examination and audit, confirming the explanation/calculation of the best-value proposition.
(D) State bids. Where beneficial to the town, the purchasing agent may purchase goods and services from the State Bid List.
(Ord. 645, passed 1-6-14)
(A) Competitive bidding may be waived by the purchasing agent, upon the written approval of the Director of Finance and the Mayor, and negotiations may be utilized in the following circumstances.
(1) Emergency requirements as per §§ 36.16 to 36.18, inclusive.
(2) Management or consulting services, and those services requiring special or unique skills.
(3) Service, repair or maintenance of equipment normally handled by the manufacturer and/or his/her authorized dealer of the equipment.
(4) In those circumstances where uniformity or consistency with goods or equipment already owned by the town is deemed to be of substantial importance.
(5) When purchasing goods or services which are not generally competitive as to price or because of lack of availability.
(B) Copies of all quote waivers between the sum of $2,500.01 and $25,000.00 shall be sent to the Legislative Council upon receipt by the Director of Finance on a semi-annual basis.
(C) Notwithstanding provisions (A)(1) through (A)(5), above, any bid waiver over the sum of $25,000.00 must receive the approval of the majority vote of the Legislative Council, present and voting.
(D) All waivers of bid shall contain a statement of the reasons therefor and shall be kept on file in the office of the purchasing agent.
(Ord. 645, passed 1-6-14; Am. Ord. 742, passed 5-20-24)
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