No contract shall be awarded for any work or service other than
professional service in the interest of the Town and no purchase of
materials or equipment shall be made, the estimate cost of which in
either case is $1,000 or more, without invitation for competitive
bids.
A. Said invitations
shall be sent on the same day to such number of vendors or contractors
as the Select Board or purchasing board or officers deem advisable
but must in any case be, at least, three qualified to bid on such
supplies or service.
[Amended 5-8-2021 ATM by Art. 11]
B. Said invitations
shall state where specifications may be obtained and shall also state
where and when such bids will be opened, such opening to be in public.
C. Invitations
or proposals for goods and services shall meet the requirements and
guidelines of the Massachusetts General Laws, when and where applicable.
All goods and services other than professional services in the interests
of the Town shall be awarded through competitive bidding as required
by state statute. Bids and proposals for said competitive bidding
shall be publicly advertised by at least one insertion in at least
one newspaper of general circulation in the Town of Norwell, such
publication to be at least 10 days before the opening of bids. Whenever
possible, contracts must be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder.
Any determination of the contrary must be made in good faith and the
awarding authority shall file with the Town Clerk within 15 days a
written statement ascribing the relevant and reasonable grounds for
selecting other than the lowest bidder.
[Amended 5-14-2001 ATM,
Art. 6]
No contracts shall be split up or divided for the purpose of
evading the foregoing section.
[Amended 5-8-2021 ATM by Art. 11]
In the event the Select Board are unable to secure competitive
bids, they are authorized to take whatever action they deem advisable,
but the Select Board must certify in writing that the required invitations
were sent out and such certifications together with any returned refusals
must be filed with the Town Accountant and shall be kept in file open
to public inspection at least for three years.
The above sections shall not apply in cases of emergency requiring
immediate action for the preservation of life or property or for such
supplies and materials for which there is only one source of supply
but such reasons for purchases must be certified by the purchasing
officer or board.
Funds specifically appropriated for final plans and specifications
for any building project shall only be used for architectural fees,
and such use shall be limited to payments for those services normally
provided by the architect without extra charge.
All boards, committees and departments shall submit a copy of
any executed contract with the Town Clerk for recording and then file
such executed contract with the Town Accountant.
[Amended 5-6-2019 ATM,
Art. 28; 5-8-2021 ATM by Art. 11]
The Select Board shall be permitted to sign, award and negotiate
leases, rentals and contracts in excess of three years, but no more
than 20 years, subject to Town Meeting approval.