Several resources are available to help develop specifications for the purchase and obtain training if needed before moving into the purchasing process. Employees are encouraged to review the Training, Forms, & Resources that are available.
Determine Specifications. The first step in acquiring goods or services for your location/program is to define your needs. What need(s) are you trying to fulfill through the purchase? Why are you making the purchase? Determining the specification(s) for the purchase is the beginning of the purchasing process.
Description
Quantity
Quality
Color
Training Requirements
Maintenance Requirements
Estimated Cost
Freight Charges
The second step is to determine if funding is available and communicate early with the appropriate supervisor.
Based upon the estimated amount of the purchase, the third step is to determine what requirements will be needed to fulfill compliance requirements--bids, quotes, authorizations, etc. Based upon these requirements, the purchaser will need to seek out potential vendors/contractors or a state contract.
If the purchase is greater than $50,000, the district may advertise publicly for bids, quotes, and proposals, so please plan accordingly. Situations like this can take up to 6-8 weeks to process the purchase.
**Competitive Purchasing: Under state law, competitive government purchasing is required and also mandates that an open and fair purchasing process be undertaken. When district purchasing limits require bids & quotes to be obtained, the same purchase specifications MUST be communicated to each vendor/contractor for which a bid/quote is being sought from.