(A) Small purchases between $2,500 and $9,999. All procurements where the amount involved is less than $10,000, but equal to or greater than $2,500 shall be made without newspaper advertisement and without observing the procedures for the award of contracts and purchase orders.
(1) Price alternatives. All small purchases shall, wherever possible, be based on at least three written price alternatives from qualified bidders, as solicited by the Director of Purchasing or, at his discretion, a representative of the using agency. The notice pertaining to the solicitation shall set forth the time and place for the submission. The notice may be tendered to qualified bidders, by telephone, facsimile or electronically. A record of all notices and price alternatives shall be kept in the records of the Department of Purchases.
(2) Award. The Director of Purchasing shall award the purchase order to the lowest responsible bidder. If the purchase order is not given to the lowest responsible bidder, a written explanation shall be made by the Director of Purchasing and be filed as a public record with the other papers to the transaction.
(B) Small purchases in an amount less than $2,500. All procurements where the amount involved is less than $2,500 may be awarded on a single bid and, at the Director's discretion, accepted orally by the using agency.
(C) Sustaining purchase orders. Sustaining purchase orders may be issued by the Director, in his sole discretion, for the contingent needs of the various departments; but no sustaining purchase orders shall exceed the sum of $1,500.
(D) Artificial division of procurements prohibited. The Director of Purchasing has the authority to determine that a using agency has artificially divided procurement requirements so as to constitute a small purchase under this section and thereby prohibit the using agency from utilizing the small purchase procedures.
(Ord. passed 6-20-2005)