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COMPETITIVE BIDDING POLICY
§ 34.15 GENERALLY.
   (A)   All public purchases shall be made in a manner which provides for the greatest economy for the taxpayer, the fairest selection of vendor, and the prevention of conflicts of interest.
   (B)   Toward this end, it shall be the policy of the county that, whenever practical, and except as otherwise noted herein, goods and services required by county agencies shall be procured through competitive bidding when the expected cost is to be $25,000 or greater in the budget year for which funds are appropriated.
   (C)   Other, less formal, procedures are set forth for use when the expected cost is less than $25,000 in the budget year for which funds are appropriated.
(Ord. 01-02-04, passed 1-7-2004)
§ 34.16 AWARD OF CONTRACT.
   (A)   Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, all contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder whose bid complies materially with the specifications publicized.
   (B)   The County Administrator may, however, upon the advice and recommendation of the Purchasing Director, refuse all bids or may refuse any bid that is not responsive or is not from a responsible bidder or for any other reason justified by this chapter and may direct the Purchasing Director to re-advertise for bids, if required, if the public interest would be served thereby; provided, however, that if the County Administrator shall refuse all bids, he or she shall retain, for county records, a written explanation of the reasons therefor.
   (C)   If in the best interest of the county, the awarding authority may authorize an award of a bid, quotation, or contract that is not the lowest but is submitted by a more responsive or responsible bidder. See § 34.49(B).
   (D)   Bids of $25,000 or less, and bids not exceeding $50,000 established in the current budget year, shall be subject to review and approval by the Administrator or his or her designee.
   (E)   Bids exceeding $25,000 and not included in the current budget year, or bids not exceeding $50,000 as shown in the current budget year, shall be subject to review and approval by County Council; provided that these amounts may be increased or decreased by appropriate provision in the annual budget ordinances, or by resolution of Council.
   (F)   (1)   It is the intent of this chapter that County Council shall have an oversight role in the selection of successful bids in excess of $25,000 if not included in the current budget year, or bids of $50,000 or less if included in the current budget year, and that County Council shall evaluate and approve the ultimate selection publicly.
      (2)   The provisions of this section shall also apply to contracts awarded on the basis of requests for proposals or request for qualifications.
      (3)   The County Administrator must sign all contracts on behalf of the county, except those routine maintenance agreements or other routine purchasing agreements which have been delegated to the Purchasing Director or other designee to execute on behalf of the county, or except as otherwise provided herein.
(Ord. 01-02-04, passed 1-7-2004; Am. Ord. 10-42-06, passed 11-15-2006; Am. Ord. 5-14-2022, passed 7-6-2022)
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
§ 34.30 CENTRALIZED PURCHASING REQUIRED.
   As required by S.C. Code §§ 4-9-160 and 11-35-50, as amended, it shall be the policy of the Newberry County Council that goods and services required by county government, including all of its county departments and agencies, shall be procured by the use of centralized purchasing procedures unless specifically exempted by County Council or by state statute.
(Ord. 01-02-04, passed 1-7-2004)
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