The Journey School’s staff will follow the procedure outlined below for each transaction made using state or federal funds.
General Statement of Policy
- The board of directors will be responsible for oversight and approval of all Journey School expenditures, provided, however, that the Board may delegate control over individual expenditures below $125,000 to the Executive Director.
- The school will employ a free and open competitive process in securing products or services.
- The school will document purchasing activities and decisions.
- The school will observe the special rules for particular kinds of purchases typically used under the federal Charter School Program.
- The school will ensure that no conflict of interest exists between board or staff and a vendor or contractor (Note: according to The Journey School’s conflict of interest policies, any board or staff member must disclose any potential conflict of interest involved in a proposed contract).
Procurement Procedures
Purchases Below $25,000
- Small purchases are usually made through the use of purchase orders for purchases of goods and written contracts for purchases of consultant vendor services.
- Competition is sought through oral or written price quotations. If the contract is made upon quotation it shall be based, so far as practicable, on at least two quotations which shall be kept on file for a period of at least one year after their receipt.
- Alternatively, the school may award a contract for construction, alteration, repair, or maintenance work to the vendor or contractor offering the best value. If the best value alternative is used, the school shall maintain records for at least one year documenting how the best value was determined, and confirming that there was no conflict of interest with any board or staff member of the school.
Purchases Between $25,000 and $175,000 (or contracts for perishable food)
- Any contract between $25,000 and $175,000 may be made either upon:
- Sealed bids, or
- Direct negotiation, by obtaining two or more quotations for the purchase or sale when possible, and without advertising for bids or otherwise complying with the requirements of competitive bidding.
- All quotations obtained shall be kept on file for a period of at least one year after receipt thereof.
- Alternatively, the school may award a contract for construction, alteration, repair, or maintenance work to the vendor or contractor offering the best value under a request for proposals (RFP). If the best value alternative is used, the school shall maintain records for at least one year documenting how the best value was determined, and confirming that there was no conflict of interest with any board or staff member of the school.
Purchases Greater than $175,000 (other than perishable food) – Sealed Bid
- All requests for sealed bids must:
- Include cost or price analysis, including independent estimates;
- Be publicly advertised for two weeks;
- State the time and place of receiving bids and contain a brief description of the subject matter;
- Bids will be publicly opened at the time and place prescribed in the invitation for bid;
- A firm fixed price contract award will be made in writing to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder; and
- Any or all bids may be rejected if there is a sound documented reason.
- Alternatively, the school may award a contract for construction, alteration, repair, or maintenance work to the vendor or contractor offering the best value under a request for proposals (RFP). If the best value alternative is used, the school shall maintain records for at least one year documenting how the best value was determined, demonstrating compliance with the selection criteria set forth below, and confirming that there was no conflict of interest with any board or staff member of the school.
- Proposals must be solicited from an adequate number of qualified sources;
- The organization must have written method for conducting technical evaluations of the proposals received and for selecting recipients; and
- Contracts must be awarded to the responsible firm whose proposal is most advantageous to the program.
Non-competitive Proposals/Sole Source Procurement
Non-Competitive source procurement may be utilized only in the following situations:
- The item or service is available only from one single source; or
- A public emergency or condition requiring urgency existed which did not permit the use of competitive procurement; or
- The federal awarding agency or pass through entity expressly authorizes noncompetitive proposals in response to a written request from the non -federal entity; or
- Competition was determined to be inadequate after receiving proposals from numerous sources.
Selection Criteria
- Awards are to be made to the bidder/offeror whose offer is responsive to the solicitation and is most advantageous to the school, price and other factors considered;
- Awards are only made to responsible contractors possessing the ability to perform successfully under the terms and conditions of the proposed procurement;
- Consideration is given to such matters as contractor integrity, compliance with public policy, record of past performance, and financial and technical resources; and
- The Journey School will check references, contact current and prior clients, check resource organization web sites, etc.
Contracting with Small and Minority Firms and Women’s Business Enterprises
The Journey School will take all necessary affirmative steps to assure that small and minority firms and women’s business enterprises are used when possible. Affirmative steps include:
- Placing qualified small and minority business and women’s business enterprises on solicitation lists;
- Assuring that small and minority business and women’s business enterprises are solicited whenever they are potential sources;
- Dividing total requirements, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities to permit maximum participation by small and minority business, and women’s business enterprises;
- Establishing delivery schedules, where the requirements permits, which encourage participation by small and minority business and women’s’ business enterprises; and
- Using the services and assistance of the Small Business Administration, and the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce.