[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Quinton 10-18-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-6. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
No article or service shall be contracted for or purchased by
any department, board, agency or office of the Township of Quinton
except in accordance with the procedures set forth herein. The Township
of Quinton will not be bound by any purchase or contract made contrary
to this policy, and any employee or representative of the Township
of Quinton who violates the policy may face disciplinary action, as
well as personal liability for any costs or obligations improperly
incurred.
The initial step in the purchasing cycle is the preparation
of a purchase requisition/voucher. The Department Head should only
requisition budgeted items. Nonbudgeted items or services shall require
the prior approval of the Clerk, Finance Officer or appropriate Committeeperson.
Such purchases, if of an emergent nature, will be processed using
the emergency procedures.[1] Adjustment to the department's budgeted items should be
considered when purchasing previously nonbudgeted items.
A.
The purchase order form will also serve as the purchase requisition.
The request for purchase must be approved and signed by the Department
Head. The requisition should be submitted well in advance of the time
the goods, materials or services are needed to allow sufficient time
for review or for preparation of specifications, for advertisements
for bids, or for the solicitation of informal quotations as indicated
in this chapter.
B.
The request for purchase shall be forwarded to the Clerk or Finance
Officer. If the requisition is not properly completed, it will be
returned to the originating Department Head for correction, additional
information, or clarification. The Clerk or Finance Officer will also
review a unit's requisition, making necessary consolidations and standardizations
with the requests of other units. Requesting units should be advised
and consulted when standardizations are made. Based on the total and
aggregate dollar amount of the purchase requests, written specifications
and sealed bids, or informal solicited quotations, may be required.
State-approved contract vendors or cooperative pricing systems vendors,
pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-11(5), may also be used to fulfill the
contracting unit's needs. Before any formal commitment is made to
a vendor, and prior to completion of the purchase order, the availability
of funds must be determined pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5.30-14.5.
C.
If the purchase order cannot be approved, the Finance Officer will
provide an oral or written explanation to the Department Head.
Quote comparison sheets will be prepared for items more than
$3,150 but under the bid limit. More than one vendor is to be solicited
for prices of the items. Data pertinent to the required items or services
should be listed, including price quotes.
Purchase orders/vouchers are required for all requests for purchases.
The following information shall be filled out in detail and be copied
through other copies:
A.
Date ordered: date that the vendor accepts the purchase order and
the voucher.
B.
Dated wanted: date that the Department Head wants the goods or services
delivered.
C.
To address: The name of vendor that payment will be made to and the
address where the check will be mailed to.
D.
Ship to: The name and address where goods and/or services shall be
delivered on behalf of the Township.
E.
Purchase request: Name of Department Head purchasing goods or services.
F.
Purchase request approval: Clerk or Finance Officer's approval of
the purchase request; account should be encumbered at this time.
G.
Quantity: amount of items purchased.
H.
Description: a full, complete description in detail describing the
item or goods being purchased.
I.
Unit price: price of one unit being purchased.
J.
Amount: total amount of all units being purchased.
L.
Account charged: It shall be the responsibility of the Finance Officer
to fill in the proper account to be charged for the encumbrance.
M.
Claimant's certification and declaration: The vendor's signature
and position must be filled in, along with the date. This will be
on the white voucher copy returned by the vendor only.
A.
Signatures of approval will be required pertaining to the following
amounts:
B.
The Township Finance Officer will keep a ledger and record of all
purchase orders and the balance in each line item account.
C.
The open public bidding law, N.J.S.A. 40A:11-4, shall be adhered
to which requires advertising in a local newspaper and accepting sealed
bids. The Township Committee has an option to reject or accept all
bids at a public meeting. Once the purchase is approved, a purchase
order/voucher will be filled out by the Department Head, and for verification
purposes pertaining to purchasing responsibilities, the Clerk, Finance
Officer, and one Township Committeeperson shall sign a purchase order/voucher.
D.
No order is to be placed or commitment made except by an approved
written purchase order/voucher or by the emergency purchase procedure.
A.
Emergency purchases are purchases made under or during an extreme
emergency. An emergency is some condition or event over which the
Township has no control and to which it must respond because of a
threat to life and or property. Examples of emergencies would be natural
disaster, fire, civil disturbances, enemy attack or power failure.
B.
If the Township or any of its officials or employees are required
to take any action during an emergency, and purchases from any vendor
are necessary to deal with the emergency while the emergency exists,
such purchases may be made without regard to the policies and procedures
outlined in this chapter.
C.
The head of the department requesting an emergency purchase shall
contact the Committee member supervising the requesting department
to receive approval. In the absence of the Committee member, the Municipal
Clerk should be requested to declare an emergency. If at all possible,
all three Committee persons shall be notified for approval and the
Township Financial Officer notified for verification of funds.
D.
On the next working day following the emergency, the Department Head
shall submit a written report to the Township Committee and the Finance
Officer describing the emergency and the steps taken to resolve the
matter.
E.
The Department Head should execute a purchase requisition/voucher,
and the proper procedures should be followed pertaining to that particular
purchase.
A.
The initial step in the purchasing process is the preparation of a purchase requisition described in § 42-2 above.
B.
The requisition/voucher is forwarded to the Clerk and/or Finance
Officer. The purchasing function will fall under the direction of
the Financial Officer. The availability of funds is ascertained by
the Financial Officer through consultation with the appropriations
ledger.
C.
A two-part purchase order/voucher is completed. Proper approvals
are obtained depending on the dollar amount as set forth in this chapter.
E.
The Financial Officer will match the copy from the vendor and the
file copy.
F.
The Financial Officer will add the amount due to the vendor to the
monthly bill list for approval by the Township Committee.
G.
Once approval is obtained, the disbursement is made and the expenditure
is recorded against the encumbered amount.
H.
A reconciliation of open purchase orders is to be made against the
encumbrance amount on a monthly basis.
