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Gwinnett County Public Schools

Purchasing Policy

For information about procedures related to specific policies, contact the Office of the Executive Director for Administration and Policy at 678-301-6005.

Purchasing

Level: Accompanying Descriptor Code: Rescinds
Policy:
D-Fiscal Management		 Procedure:
P.DJE, P.DJEB		 DJE March 22, 2017
Descriptor Term:   Effective Date: Date Last Reviewed
Purchasing   September 13, 2018 July 18, 2023


The Gwinnett County Board of Education through its agent, the Superintendent or designee, shall purchase or contract to purchase supplies, materials, equipment, and services, and lease equipment or services. The Superintendent or designee shall enter into contracts for building construction, modification or rehabilitation of system facilities, School Food Nutrition requirements and other items that may be required for the efficient operation of the school system. All purchases shall be in accordance with the policies established by the Gwinnett County Board of Education, the Rules of the State Board of Education and the laws of the State of Georgia.

All purchases and/or contracts shall be awarded contingent upon an appropriation having been made and the availability of funds. All requests for purchases or contracts not provided for in the budget will require prior approval of the Board of Education or the Superintendent of Schools, whichever is appropriate according to the dollar level of the purchase.

Purchases from board members or companies in which the board member or a member of his/her immediate family has a controlling interest are prohibited. Purchases from employees or companies in which the employee, spouse or children have a controlling interest and are in a procurement decision-making role are prohibited. See Policy File GBRI for definition of immediate family.

1. PURCHASES WITHOUT BID APPROVAL LIMITS

The following items, regardless of amount, shall be purchased by the Superintendent or designee.

  1. Textbooks, films, slides, video materials or other items, newspapers, library books, reference materials, subscriptions, computer software or other instructional media from the publisher, distributor or agent.
  2. Tests and test scoring services of a standardized examination from the publisher or licensed agent.
  3. Agreements for maintenance service from the original vendor or authorized agent of the installed equipment or products if the same cannot be competitively bid.
  4. Continuance of an existing purchase agreement, bid, request for proposal, time and material contract, rent, lease or purchase order duly authorized by the Board or its agent.
  5. Additional purchase of like equipment, material, supplies, services, rentals or leases previously approved may be made provided the additional order is at the same or less price. Contractual provisions can be made to provide an inflation/deflation mechanism for price adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index or Producer Price Index for commodities or services.
  6. Items from an existing contract or bid from another local, state, or federal governmental agency, or from a recognized public oriented Purchasing Cooperative or Consortium.
  7. Purchase of goods and services listed on the State of Georgia NIGP exempt list - https://doas.ga.gov/assets/State Purchasing/NEADocumentLibrary/NIGPExemptList.pdf

2. APPROVAL LIMITS

  1. Purchases from budgeted funds in the amount of $5000 or less for any item or group of items shall be made with the approval of the Department Head, Principal or any employee who has been issued a procurement card once procedural requirements are met.
  2. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $5001 - $25,000 shall be made by a purchasing agent designated by the Director of Purchasing or by the Director of Purchasing once procedural requirements are met.
  3. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $25,001 - $100,000 shall be made by a purchasing agent upon approval of the Director of Purchasing or by the Director of Purchasing once procedural requirements are met.
  4. Contracts for Business Operations capital projects from budgeted funds with a value up to $500,000 shall be made by the Chief Business Operations Officer once procedural requirements are met. Change orders to existing Business Operations contracts may be approved by the Chief Business Operations Officer up to $250,000 and by the Superintendent up to $1,000,000. Any change order in excess of $1,000,000 shall be approved by the Board of Education.
  5. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $100,001 - $500,000 shall be made by the Director of Purchasing upon approval of the Chief Financial Officer once procedural requirements are met.
  6. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $500,001 - $1,000,000 shall be made by the Director of Purchasing upon approval of the Superintendent once procedural requirements are met.
  7. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $1,000,000 or greater shall be made by the Director of Purchasing upon approval of the Board of Education once procedural requirements are met.
  8. Emergency purchases above $1,000,000 or which have not been provided for in the budget may be made if critical to the continued operation of the School District upon approval by the Superintendent. Such action shall be reported to the Board of Education at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

3. PROCUREMENT CARD PURCHASES

The Superintendent or designee is authorized to issue purchase cards to Gwinnett County Board of Education employees. The Superintendent shall adopt procedures for the issuance and use of purchase cards. The procedures shall provide for training in the appropriate use of purchase cards for all employees to whom cards are issued. Purchase card holders making inappropriate and/or unauthorized purchases shall be subject to discipline up to and including termination. Purchases with the card should be of such a nature that the Purchasing Department cannot add value to the process by coordinating the purchase (typically for orders of $150.00 or less). Purchasing cards shall be subject to the following restrictions:

  • Purchasing cards cannot be used for:
    • Personal purchases or cash withdrawals.
    • Cash advances.
    • The purchase of items inconsistent with furtherance of the GCPS' mission.
    • Any purchase prohibited or unauthorized by the purchasing card procedure adopted by the Superintendent.
  • Expenditure Limits
    • $5,000 for each transaction with a maximum of $30,000 per month.

4.    PURCHASING ETHICS

All funds held by the Gwinnett County Board of Education and its local schools, regardless of the source, are held in public trust. As a result, Gwinnett County Board of Education employees will approach all purchasing and procurement decisions as responsible stewards of public funds.

Gwinnett County Board of Education employees shall not engage in unethical behavior or compromising practices in relationships, actions and communications with present or potential suppliers. Further, Gwinnett County Board of Education employees shall avoid the intent and appearance of unethical behavior or compromising practices in relationships, actions and communications with present and potential suppliers.

Gwinnett County Board of Education employees or consultants are expressly prohibited from soliciting, demanding or accepting directly or indirectly, any economic opportunity, future employment, gift, loan, gratuity, special discount, trip, favor, or service in connection with the following:

  • Approving, disapproving, recommending, or preparing any part of a program requirement or purchase request;
  • Influencing the content of any specification or procurement standard, rendering of advice, investigation, or audit;
  • Awarding a contract.

Any Gwinnett County Board of Education employee who observes or suspects unethical behavior in the procurement of goods or services should report that behavior to the following individuals or offices, as appropriate under the circumstances:

  • The individual's supervisor, or
  • The Internal Audit Department, or
  • The Director of Purchasing, or
  • The Division of Human Resources, or
  • The Superintendent's Office, or
  • The Board of Education.

5. UNAUTHORIZED PURCHASES

It shall be prohibited for any employee to purchase or contract to purchase any goods or services, or to make any contract within the provision of this policy other than through the officials named in this policy. If any purchase is made contrary to this policy, the Board shall not be bound thereby.