Purchasing Procedure

 

General Purchasing Information

These procedures shall apply to all acquisitions involving the expenditures of Gwinnett County Public School funds or funds provided from other sources, (Federal, State, Local, Grants, etc.) for the use of Gwinnett County Public Schools. The purchase of goods and services required by various departments or schools which derive support wholly or in part from the Gwinnett County Public School System shall be in accordance with the purchasing procedures as presented herein.

The Director of Purchasing, acting under the authority granted by the Board through the Superintendent, is responsible for the purchasing of materials, supplies, equipment, or services and goods as may be required for efficient/timely operations of the school system. Others designated with purchasing authority are as follows:

1. The Chief Operations Officer of Facilities and Operations, acting under the authority of the Board through the Superintendent, is authorized to secure bids and enter into contracts for construction projects, maintenance, repair, and daily operation of school system facilities. While acting under this authority, the Chief Operations Officer of Facilities and Operations is bound by all rules, provisions, and dollar limitations imposed by the Board or the Chief Financial Officer. The Contracts Engineer in the Facilities and Operations Division will act as a Purchasing Agent for issuing and awarding designated contracts within the approval limits as specified in this Procedure and Policy
2. Program Budget Managers are permitted to request payment (Payment Request – PeopleSoft) for items or services which do not have an approved purchase order or contract. These requests will be approved or disapproved by the Director of Purchasing or a designee, based on the merits of the
3. Those school system employees permitted use of purchasing cards are authorized to purchase items within the limits as specified in Procedure DJEB "Purchasing Card."
4. Principals/Program Budget Managers are authorized to make purchases on behalf of the local schools/departments for non-equipment items with an aggregate value of $5,000 or less per purchase.

All purchases will be in strict accordance with the policies established by the Board and the laws of the State of Georgia.

No personnel other than the Director of Purchasing or agents designated by the Director of Purchasing, as indicated above, are authorized to procure goods or services on behalf of the school system. Any purchase by persons other than a designated purchasing agent, as stated in the Board Purchasing Policy DJE "D-Fiscal Management," shall not be binding on the Board.

Regardless of the potential contract amount, technology spends related to the hosting of GCPS student or employee data with a third-party or contractor requires the execution of FERPA and Data Privacy and Security Addendum during the contracting process. RFP and RFI process for evaluating vendors hosting such data requires the use of the Third-Party Cybersecurity Questionnaire.

Use of Funds

School District Budgeted Funds

1. Budgeted funds are approved based on the assumption that instructional materials, services and other items are needed for use during a current fiscal year. It is not intended that these budgeted funds be obligated for the purpose of carrying funds over into a new budget year or for the accumulation of a stock of supplies. Obviously this rule calls for reasonable interpretation and application. Capital Projects are budgeted across multiple years and it is expected that, until completion, obligations for these projects would carry over into future fiscal
2. Budgeted funds must not be used to purchase items that are gratuitous in nature such as:
   1. Gifts or Gift Certificates (Local schools are allowed to make these purchases, but must follow the guidelines established in the Local School Accounting Procedure DIA)
   2. Flowers, food or beverages for meetings, parties, recognition or in sympathy
   3. Personal memberships or subscriptions
   4. Office décor
3. Purchases must be in accordance with current Policy DJE "Purchasing," Procedure P.DJE "Purchasing" and Procedure P.DJEB "Purchasing "
4. Expenditures must be charged to a Budget line that coincides with the type of goods/services being purchased shown on the invoice. Inappropriate coding effects reporting of financial data to the State of Georgia which may impact school district funding.
5. Purchased services must always be fully explained (including dates of service, service performed and by whom). If this information is not provided by the vendor, the program budget manager or local school administrator is responsible for providing this information prior to

Local School Funds

Local funds are generated at the local school level and classified under the following categories: athletics, student services, community services, general funds, student instruction, maintenance & operation, staff development, grants, media, flow through and scholarships. All local school funds are considered to be restricted with the exception of the general funds, which are not restricted but must be used for appropriate school expenditures. The primary responsibility rests with the principal to ensure that local funds are utilized to support the general welfare of the school staff and student body.

Local funds are expended by issuing a local school check to a vendor or using the purchasing card. Items may also be ordered on a PeopleSoft requisition, printing requisition, or check request and charged to a reimbursable code. No payments are to be made from cash receipts.

Conflict of Interest

Gifts, Rebates, Personal Gain from Outside Sources

1. GCPS employees shall not accept a gift, favor, loan, reward, political contribution, gratuity, entertainment, transportation, lodging, or meals from students, parents or potential suppliers who conduct business with GCPS except those of nominal value (less than $50.00) , which must be disclosed to the immediate supervisor and the Department of Internal Audits. Advertising items and instructional products that are widely distributed may be
2. GCPS employees are expressly prohibited from soliciting from any present or potential supplier (person, company, firm or corporation) the right/privilege to purchase goods or services for personal use at prices offered the School system through bids and/or
3. In the event a company provides unsolicited incentive type gifts with the shipment of an order, the items should be turned over to the Purchasing Department for disposition. Disposition will be as follows:

• Items which have no bearing on school business will be disposed of in the best interest of the school
  • Items which can be instructionally utilized will be forwarded to requesting school.

4. GCPS employees shall not have goods ordered from a P-Card or purchase order using any GCPS funding source delivered to their personal

Purchasing Regulations

Purchases of all equipment, materials, supplies, services, rents and leases shall be based on sound business practices. Digital Bids, Request for Proposals, Oral Phone Quotes, State of Georgia Contracts, General Services Administration Contracts, Georgia Department of Education Regional Cooperative Educational Service Agency Contracts, recognized public oriented Purchasing Cooperative or Consortium and applicable bids by local County Government Agencies (county governments & school districts) shall be used when appropriate to purchase goods and services. Requests for Proposals may be used when the use of competitive sealed bidding is either not practicable or not advantageous to the School System. Generally, a Request for Proposal will be used when Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) lacks expertise in formulating detailed specifications for the product or service needed or when the service being purchased does not lend itself to a set of specific specifications.

Selection Criteria

1. All purchases shall be based upon acquisition of goods and services at the lowest cost while being best suited to meet GCPS'
2. Vendors are at liberty to quote on alternative competitive products and services when a particular brand or model is specified, provided items quoted are fully compatible and of equal or better quality as determined by GCPS. However, the use of brand or model specifications for bidding purposes is discouraged. Brand/Model specifications will only be used when GCPS does not have the expertise to develop the appropriate technical specifications for bidding. If it is necessary to use a brand/model specification, then a written justification must accompany the bid request.
3. Vendors are placed on notice that lowest price alone will not be the sole determining criteria in the selection
4. GCPS reserves the right to award purchases on an individual item or combined item basis, whichever is in its best
5. The school system will evaluate suppliers based on the quality of goods or services provided, the number of shipments/services that were within the time frame specified, the degree to which the vendor/supplier meets the customer’s expectations and the cost of the goods or

Purchases That Require Competitive Quotes or Bids

Acquisitions of all goods and services shall be subject to and must be made in accordance to the following limits, with the exception of those items listed below as "Purchases That Do Not Require Competitive Bids":

1. Purchase of items with a total estimated value of $25,000 or less shall be made at the lowest possible cost. One or more written or electronic commerce quotations should be obtained to determine the best
2. Purchase of items with a total estimated value of $25,001 to $100,000 requires two or more written or electronic commerce
3. Purchase of items with a total estimated value of $100,001 or more shall be made from existing bids or upon two or more sealed bids. State law requires competitive sealed bids for purchase of items and construction contracts totaling $100,000 or
4. In the event of an emergency or potential work stoppage the Superintendent, Chief Financial Officer, or Director of Purchasing shall, within approved limits, authorize purchases through use of informal quotations or other appropriate methods that are in the best interest of the school system. Such purchases shall be made only from budgeted and available

All bid awards made by the Board or its agents are final as agreed to in the bid terms and conditions. However, suppliers/vendors may address an appeal to the Director of Purchasing. Based on the judgment of the Director of Purchasing the award may be rescinded, modified, or new bids accepted if it is considered to be in the best interest of the school system. The Director may recommend to the Chief Financial Officer such action be taken, provided award letters have not been released by the Purchasing Office, a purchase order has not been released, or a contract has not been signed.

Purchases That Do Not Require Competitive Bids

The following items, regardless of amount, shall be purchased upon approval by the Director of Purchasing or a designated purchasing agent:

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. (See State Board of Education Rules for specific details for the purchase of )
2. Tests and test scoring services of a standardized examination from the publisher or licensed
3. Agreements for maintenance service from the original vendor or authorized agent of the installed equipment or products if the same cannot be competitively
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 of its
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
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
7. Sole Source: Purchases from the only known source or sole distributor may be made within approval limits, provided a reasonable and diligent search has been conducted for other possible
8. Single Source: Purchases from a single source may be made within approved limits, per board policy, provided a reasonable justification has been made and

Electronic Commerce /Electronic Signatures

Purchasing processes are approved for electronic commerce transactions, including electronic approvals and signatures that are within approval limits described in this policy.

Decentralized Purchasing - Local Schools/Departments

A local school principal/program manager or his/her designee may purchase supplies, materials, and services that involve no more than an aggregate sum of $5,000. Aggregate purchases in excess of $5,000 must be approved in writing by a purchasing agent. The only exceptions to this approval process will be checks issued over $5,000 from a flow-through account, student activity account, or a scholarship account. Equipment purchases made in excess of $999 must be processed by the Purchasing Department.

Food items will be purchased, from approved bids, by the individual School Nutrition Program Managers for delivery to their various schools.

At the local school level, purchases from employees are allowed up to the $5,000 limit ($999 for equipment) provided the local school principal specifically approves the purchase, maintains documentation that the price is competitive with other suppliers, and the employee involved is not part of the purchasing decision.

Purchase (Procurement) Card Purchases

The GCPS purchasing card system shall be administered under the Director of Purchasing. Purchase cards issued by the school district are the only authorized credit card approved for use by local schools, departments and program budget managers. Purchases with the card should be of such a nature that the Purchasing Department cannot add value to the process by coordinating the purchase. Procedure P.DJE "Purchasing" provides basic limitations and general restrictions. Specific procedures in requesting, uses and accounting for the purchasing card may be found in Procedure P.DJEB "Purchasing Card."

Procurement Approval Requirements

1. Purchases from budgeted funds in the amount of $5,000 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
2. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $5,001 to $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 to $100,000 shall be made by a purchasing agent designated by the Director of Purchasing or by the Director of Purchasing, once procedural requirements are met.
4. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $100,001 to $500,000 shall be made by the Director of Purchasing upon approval of the Chief Financial Officer, once procedural requirements are met.
5. Purchases from budgeted funds for any item or group of items with a value of $500,001 to $1,000,000 shall be made by the Director of Purchasing upon approval of the Superintendent, once procedural requirements are met.
6. Purchases from budget funds for any item of group of items exceeding a value of $1,000,000 shall be submitted to the Board for approval.
7. Contracts for Facilities and Operations capital projects from budgeted funds with a value up to $500,000 shall be made by the Chief Operations Officer once procedural requirements are met. Change orders to existing Facilities and Operations contracts may be approved by the Chief Operations officer up to $250,000 and by the Superintendent up to $1,000,000. Any change orders in excess of $1,000,000 must be approved by the Board of
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 system upon approval by the Superintendent. Such action shall be reported to the Board of Education at its next regularly scheduled

The same policies, rules and regulations and approval limits apply to negotiated contracts.