(A) All purchases of, and contracts for, supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services, and all sales of personal property which has become obsolete and unusable, shall be based wherever possible on competitive bids. If the amount of the expenditure or sale is estimated to exceed $50,000, written contracts shall be awarded. Notices inviting sealed competitive bids shall be published at least once in a newspaper or journal in the city and at least five calendar days must intervene between the date of last publication and the final date for submitting bids. Such notices shall include a general description of the articles to be purchased or sold, shall state where bid blanks and specifications may be secured and the time and place for opening of bids.
(B) The City Purchasing Agent shall, in addition, solicit sealed bids from all responsible prospective suppliers or purchasers who have requested their names to be added to the bidders’ list, by sending them a copy of such newspaper notice or such other notice as will acquaint them with the proposed purchase or sale. All pending purchases or sales shall also be advertised by a notice posted on a public bulletin board in the Bureau of Purchase.
(C) All bids shall be submitted sealed to the City Purchasing Agent and, when deemed necessary by him, shall be accompanied by surety in the form of check, cash or bond in such amount as shall be prescribed in the public notice inviting bids. The bids shall be opened in public at the time and place stated in the newspaper notice. A tabulation of all bids received shall be posted for public inspection. The City Purchasing Agent may reject any or all bids, or the bid for any one or more commodities or contractual services included in the proposed contract, when the public interest will be served thereby. If all bids received are for the same total amount or unit price, and if the public interest will not permit the delay of re- advertising for bids, the City Purchasing Agent shall have authority to award the contract to one of the tie bidders by drawing lots in public, or to purchase the commodities or contractual services in the open market, provided the price paid in the open market shall not exceed the lowest contract bid price submitted for the same commodity or contractual service. Otherwise the contract shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder; quality offered, delivery terms and service reputation of the vendor may be taken into consideration in determining the successful bidder. It shall be the duty of the Purchasing Agent to discourage uniform bidding and to endeavor to obtain as full and open competition as possible on all purchases and sales.
(D) Sales shall be made to the highest responsible bidder.
(E) All contracts shall be approved as to form by the Law Director. If the successful bidder shall not within ten days after the award enter into contract, he shall forfeit any surety which accompanied his bid. A copy of each contract shall be filed with the Auditor.
(Ord. 39-1989, passed 10-10-89; Am. Ord. 23-1995, passed 6-13-95; Am. Ord. 10-2002, passed 2-26-02; Am. Ord. 48-2005, passed 1-10-06; Am. Ord. 3-2015, passed 2-24-15; Am. Ord. 29-2018, passed 6-26-18)