[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Mullica 2-12-1991 by Ord. No. 1-91; amended in
its entirety 6-12-2001 by Ord. No. 8-2001. Subsequent 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 Mullica except in accordance with the procedures set forth herein.
The Township of Mullica will not be bound by any purchase or contract
made contrary to this policy, and any employee or representative of
the Township of Mullica who violates the policy may face disciplinary
action, as well as be personally liable for any costs or obligations
improperly incurred.
A.
Requests for purchases.
(1)
The initial step in the purchasing cycle is the preparation
of a request for purchase, which is a form used to request goods,
materials and services. The request for purchase should be typewritten,
printed, or in electronic format and forwarded to the Chief Finance
Officer for approval.
[Amended 6-12-2018 by Ord. No. 7-2018]
(2)
The department head should request only purchases
for budgeted items. Nonbudgeted items or services shall require the
prior approval of the Committee person in charge of that particular
department. Such purchases, if of an emergent nature, will be processed
using the emergency procedures. Adjustments to the department's budgeted
items should be considered when purchasing nonbudgeted items.
(3)
Request for purchase. The following information is
required for all requests for purchase:
(a)
Vendors complete name and address.
(b)
Full name of the department requesting purchase.
(c)
Date of request.
(d)
Required delivery date.
(e)
Delivery address.
(f)
Quantity.
(g)
Description/stock number. Be as specific as possible.
The description should include model number, size and full specifications
of the required purchase.
(h)
Price per unit.
(i)
Total amount, including shipping charges. While every
attempt should be made to determine the total price, it may be necessary,
on occasion, to estimate shipping charges.
(j)
Signature of the department head approving purchase.
B.
The request for purchase should be submitted well
in advance of the time the goods, materials or services are needed
to allow sufficient time for review and preparation of specifications,
advertisements for bids (when required) or for the solicitation of
information and/or quotations for more difficult purchases.
C.
The request for purchase should be forwarded to the
Chief Financial Officer who will review and make necessary consolidations
and standardizations with the requests of other departments. Requesting
units should be advised and consulted when standardizations are made.
Based on the total and aggregated dollar amount of the purchase request,
written specifications and sealed bids for 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 be used to fulfill
the contracting unit's needs. Before any formal commitment is made
to a vendor and prior to the issuance of a purchase order, the availability
of funds must be determined pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:30-14.5.
D.
If the purchase cannot be approved, the Chief Financial
Officer will provide the department head with a written explanation.
In the case of an emergency, the preparation and release of a purchase
order is the sole and exclusive duty of the Chief Financial Officer.
E.
After encumbering the funds, the Chief Financial Officer
shall prepare a combined purchase order and claim for payment, which
shall include the following information:
(1)
The vendor's name and address.
(2)
Purchase order number. Purchase orders should be consecutively
numbered.
(3)
The full name of the department and account number
to be charged.
(4)
The date the purchase order is prepared.
(5)
Delivery address.
(6)
Specific data relative to the quantity required and
shipping unit.
(7)
Full description of items or services to be purchased.
(8)
Exact price of each unit.
(9)
Total dollar amount.
(10)
State contract number of the vendor, if applicable.
If a bid item, the date of the award or the bond ordinance number.
(11)
Total cost for all items on the purchase order.
(12)
Signature and date of the Chief Financial Officer
certifying that funds are available and encumbered.
(13)
Vendor's certification; signature of the vendor, if
required, and the date.
[Amended 6-12-2018 by Ord. No. 7-2018]
(14)
The certification by the department head that the
goods and/or services have been received. Upon receipt of the order,
the department head shall certify the goods received and return the
voucher to the Chief Financial Officer with the invoice to process
for payment.
(15)
Committee person approval. The voucher will be sent
to the Committee head by the Chief Financial Officer for signature
approving the actual expenditure. If the amount of the expenditure
exceeds $1,000, the signature of two elected officials is required.
(16)
Date of payment and check number will be inserted
by the Chief Financial Officer when payment is made.
Emergency purchases shall only be authorized
when a situation requires the immediate purchase or delivery of goods
or services to meet an actual danger to the public's health, safety
or welfare. The department head seeking the purchase shall contact
the Chief Financial Officer to receive approval for the expenditures
and certification of availability of funds. On the next working day
following the emergency, the department head shall submit a written
report to the Chief Financial Officer describing the emergency and
the steps taken to resolve the matter. The Financial Officer will
then prepare the purchase order and obtain all required approvals.
A detailed listing of all bills ready for payment
shall be prepared by the Chief Financial Officer for the Township
Committee's approval at their regularly scheduled Township meeting.
The approved bill list shall be included in the official minutes of
the meeting. The bill list shall be recorded in a manner approved
by the Director of Local Government Services and kept available for
public inspection.
All municipal checks will be signed with two
out of three signatures. These signatures will be of Township officials
that will be authorized by resolution at the annual reorganization
meeting of Township Committee.
[Added 4-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-2007]
A.
No payment will be made unless duly authorized by
the owner’s authorized representative and accompanied by proper
documentation. Vendor certification is required only for employee
reimbursements, professional services, and goods and services provided
exclusively and entirely by an individual (e.g., sole proprietor).
[Amended 6-12-2018 by Ord. No. 7-2018]
B.
The Township of Mullica defines the billing date for
payment, final and retainage payments as the date the bill is received
by the local unit.
C.
As per N.J.S.A. 2A:30A-1, the Township of Mullica
operates under the alternative procedure; therefore, the following
provisions apply:
(1)
The 20th calendar day deadline of the default procedure
to approve and certify, or decide to withhold full or partial payment,
is deferred until the public meeting following 20 calendar days of
the billing date, at which time the bill must be approved for payment
or notice provided as to why the bill or any portion of it will not
be approved.
(2)
If the bill is approved, the thirty-day payment requirement
of the default is replaced by the requirement that the bill be paid
in the payment cycle following the meeting.
D.
Upon approval by the Township Committee, checks shall
be available no later than two business days after the meeting where
approval was granted.
[Added 4-28-2020 by Ord.
No. 2-2020]
A.
The Chief Financial officer is hereby designated as the certifying
and approval officer for the Township of Mullica and is permitted
to pay claims between meetings of the governing body provided that:
B.
All payments made pursuant to this section shall be presented to
the Township Committee at the next meeting held by the governing body
for its review and ratification.
