1050 Informal Bid Policy and Procedure

PURPOSE:
To establish the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) requirement to obtain three (3) Informal Bids, when possible, for all commodities and services purchased at the approval level of Elected Officials or Department Directors see Policy #1010, to ensure that Adams County receives fair and equitable pricing. It is the responsibility of the Elected Official or Department Director to obtain these bids, unless they wish to delegate the process to the Purchasing Division. The documentation for the bid process on each purchase is to be forwarded to the Purchasing Division for review and recordkeeping. Purchasing Division or the Sheriff’s Office will issue a Purchase Order.

ELECTED OFFICIALS/DEPARTMENTS AFFECTED: All

POLICY:
The BOCC has given the Elected Officials and Department Directors the authority to solicit bids and select vendors on their own and without Purchasing Division’s assistance within the approval guidelines of Policy #1010. When a Purchase Order is required only the Purchasing Division or the Sheriff’s Office can issue a Purchase Order. When an Agreement is required, the Purchasing Division will determine if a Service Agreement Purchase Order can be used or whether an Adams County Agreement needs to be created. All Agreements must be reviewed by the County Attorney.

EXCEPTIONS:
Unless otherwise required by law or these Policies and Procedures, the BOCC does not require
formal or informal proposals under any one of the following circumstances:

1. When the item(s) or service has been formally awarded to a vendor by the State of Colorado, Multiple Assembly of Procurement Officials (MAPO), or other cooperative purchasing groups recognized by the Purchasing Division and the product meets the needs of Adams County.
2. The item or service should be single sourced when the product or service is of a unique nature, or allows for standardization with existing equipment and will provide exceptional value to Adams County (see Policy #1080).
3. Emergency purchases where the health, safety and well-being of the citizens, employees or county property may be endangered if the purchase is delayed (see Policy #1015).

PROCEDURE:
1. The end user will perform the tasks below under normal circumstances. If they require or
request the Purchasing Division’s assistance then they are to complete a Purchase
Requisition in the JDE system, see ..\JDE Rollout\SSReq_Requestor User Manual.doc
2. The Purchasing Manager will assign one of the Purchasing Division staff to assist the
requesting end user to:
2.1. Review the request and determine if there is any state or local contracts for the
commodity or service requested.
2.2. Obtain three competitive bids, when possible, from different vendors by
2.2.1. Fax quotation, or,
2.2.2. Phone quotation, or,
2.2.3. E-mail quotation, or,
2.2.4. Mail quotation.
2.3. Review the quotation results with the end user.
2.4. Determine which vendor shall be awarded the bid in conjunction with the End user.
3. Purchasing Division staff shall obtain and/or verify pricing, shipping terms, expected
delivery date(s), and payment terms and conditions.
3.1. In all cases, incoming shipments shall be Freight on Board (FOB) destination. The
acceptance of vendor terms other than F.O.B. destination requires the prior approval of
the Purchasing Division.
3.2. Should there be any abnormalities in the information obtained above Purchasing shall
contact the requesting End user before placing the order to discuss the issues and
possible alternatives.
3.3. The Purchasing Division staff or the Sheriff’s Office shall place the order using the PCard, see Policy #1045, or a Purchase Order whichever is more appropriate. Purchasing
Division will issue a Service Agreement Purchase Order between the vendor and Adams
County when a contract is necessary.
3.4. Place the order with the vendor. Forward hard copy of the order document to the
vendor and the requesting End user.
3.5. The Purchasing Division shall help to expedite any order that is not delivered on time