Procedures & Policies

• Purpose and Policies
• Purchasing Locally
• Cooperative Purchasing Agreements
• Purchasing Thresholds
• Competitive Bids
• Competitive Proposals
• College Order Process
• Exemptions from Purchasing Policies and Procedures
• Records of Purchases
• Conflict of Interest
• Violation of Policies and Procedures

The underlying purpose and policies of the College's purchasing department are:

1. To secure services, materials, supplies and equipment from a responsible and responsive vendor offering the lowest possible cost and that is most advantageous to the College.
2. To provide increased public confidence in the procedures followed in the College's purchasing system.
3. To ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all persons who deal with the College's purchasing system.
4. To provide increased economy in College procurement activities and to maximize to the fullest extent practicable, the purchasing value of public funds of the College.
5. To foster effective broad based competition within the free enterprise system.
6. To provide safeguards for the maintenance of a procurement system of quality and integrity.

Purchasing Locally

It is the policy of the College to assist local in-district businesses in learning how to do business with the College. When bids or proposals are equal, awards shall be made with preference to the in-district local vendor.

Cooperative Purchasing Agreements

The College has been approved and is authorized to participate in several cooperative procurement programs. It is the policy of the College to investigate the use of cooperative procurement contracts and to participate in such contracts which are deemed to be advantageous to the College in both pricing, product and delivery.

Purchasing Thresholds

The College has established thresholds at which we must obtain competitive bids, competitive proposals and/or board approval.

For all purchases in excess of $999.99, the Purchasing Department will seek competitive bids or proposals.

For all purchases where the estimated expenditure is in excess of $4,999.99, the Purchasing department will receive approval of the recommended award by the Board of Trustees prior to the issuance of a contract or purchase order.

For all purchases where the estimated expenditure is in excess of $9,999.99, the Purchasing Department will advertise for bids or proposals in at least one newspaper with general circulation in the College District on at least two (2) separate occasions during two (2) separate weeks.

Competitive Bids

The College will solicit bids by mail or other reasonable method generally available to the public from prospective suppliers. All bids will be mailed or delivered to the Purchasing Department so as to reach such office before the time set for opening bids.
Awards will be made to the lowest and best bidder. The College shall have the right to reject any or all bids and advertise for new bids, or purchase the required supplies on the open market if they can be so purchased at a better price.

When bids received are unreasonable or unacceptable as to terms and conditions, noncompetitive, or the low bid exceeds available funds and it is determined by the Purchasing Department that time or other circumstances will not permit the delay required to re-solicit competitive bids, a contract may be negotiated, provided that each responsible bidder, who submitted such bid under the original solicitation, is notified of the determination and is given reasonable opportunity to modify their bid and submit a best and final bid. In cases where the bids received are noncompetitive or the low bid exceeds available funds, the negotiated price shall be lower than the lowest rejected bid of any responsible bidder under the original solicitation.

Competitive Proposals

Should the Purchasing Department determine that the use of competitive bidding is either not practical or not advantageous to the College, supplies may be procured by competitive proposals.

Proposals will be solicited by mail or other reasonable methods generally available to the public from prospective offerors. All proposals will be mailed or delivered to the Purchasing Department so as to reach such department before the time set for opening proposals. Proposals will be opened in a manner to avoid disclosure of contents to competing offerors during the process of negotiation.

Awards will be made to the lowest and best offeror as determined by the evaluation criteria established in the request for proposal and any subsequent negotiations. In determining the lowest and best offeror, as provided in the request for proposals, negotiations may be conducted with responsible offerors, who submit proposals selected on the basis of reasonable criteria, for the purpose of clarifying and assuring full understanding of and responsiveness to the solicitation requirements. Those offerors shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for negotiation and subsequent revision of proposals. Revisions may be permitted after submission and before award for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers. In conducting negotiations, there will be no disclosure of any information derived from proposals submitted by competing offerors. The College shall have the right to reject any or all proposals and advertise for new proposals or purchase the required supplies on the open market if they can be so purchased at a better price.

The Purchasing Department will make available, upon request, to any members of the Board of Trustees, information pertaining to competitive proposals, including the names of vendors and the amount of each offering.

College Order Process

The Purchasing Department is responsible for all purchases made on behalf of the College. The College has several types of orders available for departments to use: business credit cards, standard college purchase orders and college blanket orders.

• Credit Card Purchases
• College Purchase Orders
• College Blanket Orders
• Change Orders
• Sole Source Purchases
• Emergency Purchases
• Limitations of Authority
• Tax Exempt Status
• FOB/Prepaid Delivery
• Standard Contract Terms
• How the College Pays

Credit Card Purchases

Business credit cards are issued on a trial basis at this time to allow select departments to make low dollar purchases easily and with minimum processing expenses. Designated department budget authorities can use their department credit card for purchases. No single credit card purchase can exceed $500.00. Purchases are limited to materials and supplies budget accounts.
 

College Purchase Orders

College purchase orders can be used for all purchases made by the College. Purchase orders require approvals by the Purchasing Department before goods and services are ordered.
 

College Blanket Orders

College blanket orders can be used for purchases made by the College where a contract has been established with a vendor. The initial blanket order requires approval by Purchasing before goods and services are ordered. Departments making purchases under this blanket order will approve invoices as they are received for payment.
 

Change Orders

Any and all changes to a purchase (increases, decreases and cancellations) shall be made by issuance of a College Change Order. Change Orders are issued by the College Purchasing Department and will identify the purchase order number and describe clearly the changes being made.
 
 

Sole Source Purchases

The Purchasing Department may waive the requirement of competitive bids or proposals for supplies when it has been determined and documented that there is only a single feasible source for the supplies. Immediately upon discovering that other feasible sources exist, the Purchasing Department will rescind the waiver and proceed to procure the supplies through competitive bids or proposals. A single feasible source exists when:

1. Supplies are proprietary and only available from the manufacturer or single distributor, or
2. Based on past procurement experience, it determined that only one distributor services the region in which the supplies are needed; or
3. Supplies are available at a discount from a single distributor for a limited period of time.

Emergency Purchases

The Purchasing Department may waive the requirement of competitive bids or proposals for supplies when it has been determined that there exists a threat to life, property, public health or public safety or when immediate expenditure is necessary for repairs to College property in order to protect against further loss of, or damage to College property, to prevent or minimize serious disruption in College services or to insure the integrity of College records. Emergency procurement shall be made with as much competition as is practicable under the circumstances.

While it is in the best interest of the College, the Purchasing Department may delegate procurement authority to an individual department; provided, however that each instance of sole source purchasing authority in excess of $4,999.99 is specifically delegated. In acceptance of this delegated authority, the department acknowledges its ability to and agrees to fulfill all of the requirements in making purchases and entering into contracts and keeping records. Any department which fails to fulfill all purchasing requirements may have its delegated authority rescinded. 

Limitations of Authority

Vendors should only provide goods and services after acceptance of an authorized College order. Any time a vendor provides goods and services to a College employee without receiving a College order, the vendor accepts the probability of the College refusing to acknowledge the transaction and delaying and/or refusing to make payment. In order to insure appropriate College authority and prompt payment for goods and services, the following procedure should be followed:

1. Authorized College employee determine the price, delivery terms and supplier for goods and/or services needed.
2. The College employee provides the vendor with a credit card, a blanket order number or a purchase order, signed by the Purchasing Director or other designated college administrator.
3. The vendor provides the goods or services according to the agreed upon conditions.
4. The vendor submits an invoice to the College (College order number shall be noted on the invoice).

If there is doubt as to the authority of any staff member to make purchases, the vendor should contact the Purchasing Department for approval. 

Tax Exempt Status

St. Charles Community College is a public institution and is exempt from all federal, state and local taxes. The College's tax exempt number is located on all College purchase order forms. 

FOB/Prepaid Delivery

All quotes and bids shall be submitted F.O.B. St. Charles Community College/prepaid, delivered. In the event the College agrees to pay the freight cost, the vendor shall prepay freight costs and add that cost to the invoice. College departments have been instructed to refuse collect shipments. Even though the College may agree to pay freight charges, the vendors still retains the responsibility of seeing that the goods are delivered in a condition acceptable to the College. 

Standard College Terms

St. Charles Community College's standard terms, as required by law, are an integral part of every purchase order issued by the College. Standard terms are printed on the back of all College purchase orders. A copy of the provisions can be obtained from the Purchasing Department. 

Exemptions to Purchasing Policies and Procedures

Bookstore purchases, for the purpose of resale, and library reference books are exempt from the College purchasing policies and procedures. 

Records of Purchases

All reports, bids, specifications and contracts and all records of purchases and sales of any kind, made by the Purchasing Department, shall be maintained by the Purchasing Department and shall be open to inspection by the public as prescribed in Section 610.021, RSMo. After having kept any papers or records referred to in this section for a period of not less than five (5) years, the Director may authorize the destruction of, or disposal of said records.

Conflict of Interest

The Director of Purchasing, any member of the Purchasing Department or any delegated procurement authority will not be interested in any manner in any person, firm or corporations making bids for furnishing supplies to the College.

The Director of Purchasing, any member of the Purchasing Department or any delegated procurement authority will not receive or accept, directory or indirectly, any rebate, gift or other valuable thing from any person, firm or corporation who may bid or receive a contract to furnish supplies to the College.

Violations of Policies and Procedures

Whenever any department or College employee purchases or contracts for any supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services contrary to these policies and procedures, such order or contract shall be void and of no effect.