6220 - Purchasing Bids and Contracts

Purchasing - Bids and Contracts - 6220 When the cost of any supplies, equipment or furniture shall exceed $40,000 but be less than $75,000, informal quotations may be solicited from responsible vendors in lieu of formal bids. The superintendent shall establish bidding and contract awarding procedures for all purchases of furniture, equipment, or supplies (except for books), the cost of which is estimated to be in excess of $40,000.

Whenever in the opinion of the District, the cost of any supplies, equipment, or furniture shall exceed $75,000, public bidding shall be called for by issuing public notice placed in at least one newspaper of general circulation within the District once each week for two consecutive weeks, unless a statutory exception permits another contracting option. Clear and definite specifications shall be prepared and made available to all vendors interested in submitting a bid. For purposes of this Regulation, a lease-purchase agreement, whereby the District may own the property at the end of a lease term, shall be subject to the same conditions as an outright purchase.

The District may make improvements or repairs to its property through a department within the District and without competitive bidding when the total of such improvements or repairs does not exceed the sum of $75,000. Whenever the estimated cost of a building, improvement, repair, or other public works project is one hundred thousand dollars or more, the public bidding process shall be followed unless the contract is let using the small works roster process in RCW 39.04.155 or under any other procedure authorized for school districts. One or more school districts may authorize an educational service district to establish and operate a small works roster for the school district under the provisions of RCW 39.04.155. In lieu of maintaining its own small works roster, the district may sign an interlocal agreement to have the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) through MRSC Rosters, advertise, maintain, and host the small works roster. Whenever in the opinion of the District the cost of any Public Works shall exceed $ 350,000, public or “formal” bids shall be called for by issuing a public notice, unless the District is authorized by law to use an alternative procurement method to waive public bidding.

For any public works contract expected to cost over $1,000,000.00, the contract documents shall require that bids include the names of subcontractors who will do the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing or electrical work. On such projects, failure to name a subcontractor or the bidder for each such category of work renders the bid non-responsive and void. Naming more than one subcontractor for a category of work, unless different subcontractors are named in alternative bids, also voids a bid.

Bid procedures may be waived when authorized by law. Any time bid requirements are waived pursuant to this provision, a document explaining the factual basis for the exception and the contract shall be recorded and open for public inspection.

The Board may, by resolution, reject any and all bids and make further calls for bids in the same manner as the original call. The Board, through its Governance Policies, reserves the right to purchase through an inter-local cooperative agreement with another governmental agency provided such agency has complied with its own bidding requirements.

The District shall include in each contract a proviso requiring the contractor to prohibit any of its employees who has ever been convicted of or pled guilty to any of the child-related felonies from working where they would have contact with public school children. The contract shall also provide that failure to comply with this requirement is grounds for immediate termination of the contract.