Policy 3610-3

Periodic Audit

Soliciting Prices (Quotations)

Reviewed and affirmed by the Board: 
Last Revision: 
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When quotations are to be used to establish a purchase price, the Purchasing Department shall solicit the quotations and shall determine if telephone, letter, fax, e-mail or formal sealed quotations shall be used.

 

Quotations furnished by competing suppliers may be opened and read aloud at a specified date and time. After a purchase has been made or recommended, full information relative to the bids or quotations shall be furnished to any interested party.

 

The Purchasing Department, under the direction of the Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs, is solely responsible for obtaining prices through bids or quotations.

 

Specifications for Quotations

 

Describing Goods and Services (Specifications)

 

Specifications for supplies and equipment shall be furnished by the requestor under whose supervision the item is to be used, and those specifications will be used as a guide by the Purchasing Department in writing specifications for vendors. Special committees may be appointed to act in an advisory capacity in connection with the selection of materials.

 

In connection with the designation of items for purchase which can be furnished by more than one supplier, trade or brand names should be avoided if the item can be otherwise specified. If a trade or brand name is used, it may be followed by the words “approved substitute” or “approved alternate.” Care should also be used to avoid specifications that unnecessarily limit the number of possible suppliers. Specifications must clearly establish the quality level that will be accepted.

 

In the quotation process the buyer in the Purchasing Department:

1. Gathers information about equipment, supplies, or services desired; writes specifications and sends the request to companies that sell the type of equipment, supplies, or services desired.
2. Analyzes the quotations received to make certain that the item being submitted for consideration by a company meets all the specifications.
3. Recommends the purchase of the desired equipment, supplies, or services.
4. Follows up whenever a firm fails to keep its agreement in relation to the item purchased.

The quotation process is done formally with written, sealed quotations. Soliciting may also be done on a less formal basis using either telephone, fax, e-mail or letter quotation of prices.  Telephone solicitation are normally used when the amount involved is less than $5,000 or whenever the supplies and equipment are required immediately.

 

Sole source or single vendor purchases are permitted only if the supplies or materials must match existing supplies or materials, or if there is only one known supplier that can meet the required specification.

 

During the solicitation process, the buyer often works very closely with the school or department making the request. This is especially true when the item(s) being requested are of a specialized nature or must be matched to specific requirements.