(A) Designation of purchasing agency.
(1) The County Board of Commissioners is hereby designated as the purchasing agency for all boards, offices, commissions, councils, departments, or other establishments of the county.
(2) A purchasing agent shall be the County Engineer’s Office for purchases of $1,500 or less for regular maintenance, emergency, or other items purchased in the normal course of business.
(B) Powers of purchasing agency. The purchasing agency designated in division (A)(1) above shall:
(1) Assume the duties, powers, and responsibilities assigned to the purchasing agencies under the Act (I.C. 5-22-1-1 et seq.);
(2) Establish procedures, not inconsistent with the Act or this section, for obtaining supplies or services in a manner which will obtain the greatest economic value for the county;
(3) Prepare specifications and notice to bidders, and ascertain that required notices are published where bidding and publication of notices are required by law;
(4) Designate, in writing, a purchasing agent to carry out the purposes of this section. Such purchasing agent shall act as the agent for the purchasing agency in the administration of the duties of the purchasing agency under the Act. The purchasing agent may not make purchases except as provided in division (C)(3) below; and
(5) Designate, in writing, such limited purchasing agents as the purchasing agency deems appropriate, and define, in writing, the limitations of their authority consistent with division (C)(4) below.
(C) Small purchase procedures.
(1) A SMALL PURCHASE is a purchase of supplies with an estimated cost of less than $25,000.
(2) The purchasing agency may make a small purchase on the open market without inviting, or receiving, quotes or bids.
(3) A purchasing agent is authorized to purchase supplies with an estimated cost of less than $5,000 on the open market without inviting, or receiving, quotes or bids.
(4) A limited purchasing agent is authorized to purchase supplies with an estimated cost of $1,000 on the open market without inviting, or receiving, quotes or bids.
(D) Preference for supplies manufactured in the United States. Supplies manufactured in the United States shall be specified for all purchases by the purchasing agent, and shall be purchased unless the purchasing agent determines, in writing, that:
(1) The supplies are not manufactured in the United States in reasonably available quantities;
(2) The price of supplies manufactured in the United States exceeds, by an unreasonable amount, the price of available and comparable supplies manufactured elsewhere;
(3) The quality of the supplies manufactured in the United States is substantially less than the quality of comparably priced available supplies manufactured elsewhere; or
(4) The purchase of supplies manufactured in the United States is not in the public interest.
(E) Purchase of services. As used in this section, the term SERVICES means the furnishing of labor, time, or effort by a person, not involving the delivery of specific supplies other than printed documents, or other items that are merely incidental to the required performance, including (but not limited to) legal, medical, architectural, accounting, engineering, appraisal, and insurance services. The purchasing agency may purchase services in whatever manner the purchasing agency determines to be reasonable and appropriate.
(Res. 1998-4, passed 7-6-1998)