PURPOSE:
To define the purchasing approval authority for all employees and Elected Officials of Adams County Government.

ELECTED OFFICIALS/DEPARTMENTS AFFECTED: All

POLICY:
The Adams County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) has established the maximum approval levels defined below for the procurement of products and services by all Elected Officials, Department Directors, and other authorized agents, as noted in this policy, of Adams County. These approval levels are based on the total value of the purchase order or contract. Elected Officials, Department Directors and County Managers may initiate purchasing transactions in accordance with Adams County’s various purchasing policies and procedures and within these approval limits. However, BOCC approval is required on all purchases in excess of $250,000.

After review by the County Attorney’s Office, Procurement and Contracts (Purchasing) staff is authorized to amend contracts, including those originally approved by the BOCC, for the purpose of altering the term of the agreement or the performance period. Purchasing staff shall have authority to sign Purchase Orders on behalf of the County, subject to formal budget approval and BOCC, County Manager, Department, Elected Official, or designee approval, as required.

The County Manager may temporarily delegate his or her signing authority to a Deputy County Manager or the County Attorney in his or her absence. The County Manager may also allow, in writing, department heads to delegate up to $10,000 of approval authorization to their Division Managers.

Purchase Orders and Contracts
Position	Purchase Orders and Contracts (1) (2) (3)
Board of County Commissioners	NO LIMIT
County Manager	$250,000
Deputy County Managers	$100,000
County Attorney	$100,000
Department & Deputy Directors	$50,000
Elected Officials	$50,000
Procurement & Contracts (Purchasing) Manager	$50,000
Risk Manager	$50,000

(1) All Purchase Orders will be issued by the Central Procurement and Contracts Division; all Contracts are to be routed through the Procurement and Contracts Division and reviewed by the Adams County Attorney’s Office as to form.

(2) The Procurement and Contracts Division will maintain the database of executed contracts.

(3) The Risk Manager’s authority covers claims, insurance premiums, and other divisional invoices

EXCEPTIONS:
The County Manager and Deputy County Managers may approve up to $250,000 for Facilities and Fleet Management Department projects that involve companies which have been pre-approved through the Submittal for Qualifications process (Policy #1071).

BOCC declared Disaster or Emergency Purchases are processed in accordance with Policy #1015. Other emergency purchase requirements will be processed in accordance with Policy #1080.

Only the County Attorney is authorized to retain legal services for the County. These purchasing policies shall apply to the procurement of legal services unless the County Attorney, after consultation with the Board of County Commissioners, determines that these policies should not be applied to the retention of services for a particular matter. Examples may include legal services of a particularly complicated or sensitive nature requiring certain expertise, legal matters that have not been made public, and matters requiring immediate retention of services.

Solicitation Thresholds:

Under $10,000 – it is recommended to obtain more than one quote, when feasible.
$10,000 – $50,000 – requires the documented request (or attempted request) of a minimum of 3 quotes; which can be obtained by the end user or Purchasing.
Over $50,000 – requires public advertisement using the County’s e-purchasing system; which is processed by Purchasing in accordance with Policies #1060 and #1070.
A Single/Sole/Cooperative/Emergency Purchase, that does not comply with these solicitation thresholds, requires written justification and approval in accordance with Policy 1080.

PROCEDURE:
There are no specific procedures related to this Policy