A. Principal Public Purchasing Official. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Director of Purchasing shall serve as the principal public purchasing official for the County, and shall be responsible for the Procurement of Goods and Supplies, Equipment, Services, Construction, and Professional Services in accordance with this Ordinance, as well as the management and disposal of Surplus Property.
B. Duties. In accordance with this Ordinance, and subject to the supervision of the McHenry County Board, the Administrative Services Committee, the County Administrator, and the Director of Purchasing shall:
1. procure or supervise the Procurement of all Goods and Supplies, Equipment, Services, Construction, and Professional Services needed by the County, with the exception of policies as determined by IDOT for the Division of Transportation;
2. sell, trade, transfer, or otherwise dispose of Surplus Property belonging to the County;
3. Departments shall forward to the Purchasing Department suggested Specifications for Goods and Supplies, Equipment, Services, Construction, and Professional Services. The Purchasing Department shall finalize, issue, revise, maintain, and monitor the use of Specifications required by the County except that Specifications for any public work involving professional engineering shall be prepared by a professional engineer.
Specifications for Construction and maintenance of highways, bridges, and culverts shall be prepared by the Director of Transportation/County Engineer. All Specifications, including those prepared for the County by architects, engineers, designers and draftsmen, shall be drafted so as to promote overall economy for the purposes intended and encourage competition in satisfying the County’s needs, and shall not be unduly restrictive.
Requirements for purchase of computer software through the use of General Fund monies shall be in accordance with and as specified in the County of McHenry Software Management Policy—Sections 4.1.4 and 4.1.5—as adopted in December 2012. All functional Specifications shall be drafted with the assistance of the Information Technology Department so as to promote standardization of software through selected providers/vendors. Existing software infrastructure, already in existence at the County, should always be explored first to determine whether it can address the need. The Information Technology Department will provide guidance and direction for software acquisition to the Purchasing Department in compliance with this Ordinance.
4. establish and maintain programs for Specifications development, Contract administration and inspection and acceptance, in cooperation with the public agencies using the Goods and Supplies, Equipment, Services, Construction, and Professional Services;
5. obtain expert advice and assistance from personnel of using agencies in the development of Specifications and may delegate in writing to a Using Agency the authority to prepare and utilize its own Specifications.
6. have discretion to select the appropriate method of Construction contracting management for a particular project. In determining which method to use, the Director of Purchasing shall consider the County’s requirements, its resources, and the potential Contractor’s capabilities. The Director of Purchasing shall execute, and include in the Contract File, a written statement setting forth the facts which led to the selection of a particular method of Construction contracting management for each project.
C. Purchasing Operational Procedures. Consistent with this Ordinance, and with the approval of the Administrative Services Committee and County Administrator, the Director of Purchasing may adopt operational procedures relating to the execution of his/her duties.
D. Management and Disposal of Surplus Property. The Director of Purchasing shall have the authority to:
1. manage the use and allocation of Goods and Supplies and Equipment during their entire life cycle; and
2. determine whether the sale, lease, or disposal of Surplus Property is to be conducted by public auction, competitive sealed bidding, or by any other appropriate method.
E. Allocation of the Proceeds from Sale or Disposal of Surplus Property. The Director of Purchasing shall allocate net proceeds from the sale, lease, or disposal of Surplus Property back to the appropriate fund.
F. Purchasing Determinations. The Director of Purchasing shall work cooperatively with all departments in making determinations relative to the purchase of Goods and Supplies, Equipment, Services, Construction, and Professional Services.
(Ord. 7741, passed 7-16-2019)