3310.1 - Centralized Purchasing System - Procedure

The Office of the County Superintendent of Schools operates a centralized purchasing system. A completed Requisition or Request for Quote is required to initiate an order for supplies, furniture, equipment, or services. The Requisition or Request for Quote must be approved by a program manager. The purchase request must be in accordance with all legal and internal procedures which govern the office’s authority to purchase and contract. All purchases must be approved and encumbered against an operating budget before the order is submitted to the vendor.

The requesting department, by use of the Financial 2000 On-line Purchasing System, shall create a requisition for the desired purchase. The requesting department is responsible for ensuring adequate funding, the appropriate budget, and acquiring the necessary approvals prior to submission to the Purchasing/Contracts Department. If the vendor is known, the requisition can be submitted for approval and action by the Purchasing staff. If the vendor or price is unknown, a Request for Quote should be submitted to the Purchasing staff. In addition, the County Superintendent of Schools shall require three written quotes when a single item purchase (including shipping, handling, and tax) is Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) or greater but less than the bid amount. Quotes should be secured in cooperation with Purchasing/Contracts and shall be for comparable goods or services.

Purchasing will process requisitions received via the online purchasing system. If quoting is required, staff will provide the necessary information and send the quote to requestor for review. Should further information be required for any purchase, the buyer will contact the requestor. Purchasing staff will create the requisition into a Purchase Order and send a signed copy to the vendor and other appropriate parties. Staff will check the status on all orders processed no later than 30 days after sending the purchase order to the vendor.

Warehouse staff will accept delivery of merchandise shipped to the Support Center. Staff will check for damaged goods and correctness of items delivered against packing slip and purchase order; sign, date, and forward the receiving copy of the purchase order to Accounts Payable for payment; and deliver items to the requested location. Fixed asset items will be tagged and records maintained in accordance with Fixed Asset Management Procedure 3440.2.

Accounts Payable will process payment for all invoices that agree with purchase order and receiver documentation. Accounts Payable staff will seek approval for all price changes or discrepancies; automatically increase for sales tax and shipping costs; and may increase for changes less than 10% of purchase order value. Purchasing Staff will follow-up on all outstanding invoices and receivers; and provide year-end in-service for all departments to meet the requirements to close the books.

Approved: August 24, 1993
Revised: January 15, 2002
Revised: May 1, 2003
Revised: January 8, 2009
Revised: October 7, 2009
Revised: October 4, 2016