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City of Twin Oaks, MO
St. Louis County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[R.O. 2016 § 131.010; R.O. 2011 § 131.010; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006]
The purpose of this Chapter is to establish rules and procedures governing the procurement of materials, supplies, equipment and services for the City and to maintain a high ethical standard for all officers and employees of the City in connection therewith.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.020; R.O. 2011 § 131.020; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006; Ord. No. 338 § 1, 7-20-2011]
A. 
The City Clerk shall act as the Purchasing Agent. The Purchasing Agent shall, in accordance with and subject to the rules, regulations and procedures in this Chapter and all applicable laws and ordinances:
1. 
Direct, supervise and be responsible for the procurement and acquisition of all materials, supplies and equipment, all contractual services and all insurance required by the City;
2. 
Verify that all vendors and contractors of the City have the appropriate insurance coverage;
3. 
Sell or dispose of all obsolete or unusable personal property of the City under five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) depreciated value. A list shall be presented to the Board of Aldermen of all obsolete or unusable personal property of the City whose original value was greater than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00);
[Ord. No. 481 § 8, 3-2-2016]
4. 
Forward all purchases and contracts over five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) to the Board of Aldermen for final approval.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.025; R.O. 2011 § 131.025; Ord. No. 338 § 2, 7-20-2011]
A. 
The following shall be guidelines in determining the lowest and best bidder and shall be included in all bid packages:
1. 
The ability, capacity and skill of the bidder to perform the contract or provide the services required.
2. 
Whether the bidder can perform the contract or provide the services promptly or within the time specified without delay or interference.
3. 
The character, integrity, responsibility, judgment, experience and efficiency of the bidder.
4. 
Whether the bidder is in default on the payment of taxes, licenses or other monies due to the City, County or State, and this factor alone shall justify disqualification.
5. 
The quality and performance of previous contracts or services.
6. 
The previous and existing compliance by the bidder with laws, the provisions of this Code and other City ordinances relating to the contract services.
7. 
The sufficiency of the financial resources and ability of the bidder to perform the contract or provide the service.
8. 
The quality, availability and adaptability of the supplies or contractual services to the particular use required.
9. 
The ability of the bidder to provide, where applicable, future service and maintenance of equipment which is the subject of the contract.
10. 
The number and scope of conditions attached to the bid.
11. 
Performance and payment bonds are part of bid and provided for unless specifically excluded by the Board.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.030; R.O. 2011 § 131.030; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006; Ord. No. 416 § 1, 1-22-2014; Ord. No. 481 § 9, 3-2-2016]
Purchases of less than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) may be authorized by the City Clerk, and the Board of Aldermen shall be notified of each purchase in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00). Purchasing should follow best practices in ensuring competitive pricing.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.040; R.O. 2011 § 131.040; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006; Ord. No. 338 § 3, 7-20-2011; Ord. No. 416 § 1, 1-22-2014]
A. 
For purchases from five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) to ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), the City Clerk, or his or her designee, shall solicit at least three (3) quotes for the item or items which may be solicited and returned either online and/or by hard copy.
[Ord. No. 481 § 10, 3-2-2016]
B. 
For purchases greater than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00), bids and recommendations will be submitted to the Board of Aldermen.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.050; R.O. 2011 § 131.050; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006; Ord. No. 338 § 2, 7-20-2011; Ord. No. 481 § 11, 3-2-2011; Ord. No. 17-09 § 1, 3-1-2017]
A. 
Whenever any contemplated purchase or contract for services is reasonably anticipated to cost more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), the City Clerk shall cause to be published on the Twin Oaks website and in an issue of the St. Louis Edition of The Countian, or other newspaper, a notice inviting sealed bids. The notice shall include a general description of the articles to be purchased or the scope of services to be performed and the time and place for opening of sealed bids. At the direction of the City Clerk a prebid meeting may be held for the purposes of explaining and answering questions with respect to the scope of the project. In addition, when practicable, the notice shall be sent to at least three (3) responsible prospective suppliers of the item to be purchased or services to be performed. Bid packets will be available in hard copy at the City office and/or electronically until the date set for the receipt of the bids. Inadvertent omission by the City of any of the steps set forth herein shall not invalidate the bidding process.
B. 
Sealed bids shall be received at the City office and shall be identified as bids on the envelope. The bids shall be opened in public at the time and place stated in the invitation to bid before at least two (2) City witnesses; and after the opening, the City Clerk shall tabulate all bids received and shall file a written report of the bids with the Board of Aldermen together with his/her written recommendations as to whom the City should award the contract.
C. 
When deemed necessary by the City Clerk, bid deposits shall be prescribed in inviting bids. A successful bidder shall forfeit any surety required by the City upon failure on the bidder's part to enter into a contract within ten (10) days after the award, and the invitation to bid shall so state. An unsuccessful bidder shall be entitled to return of his/her surety.
D. 
All bid documents will include an insurance clause as follows:
1. 
All bids shall include and cover the cost of workers' compensation insurance for all employees of the bidder and for all employees of all subcontractors. It is agreed that the successful contractor shall furnish the City with a certificate of insurance from an insurance company with a Best's rating of at least B+/VII, or greater if required by the Board of Aldermen, indicating statutory workers' compensation coverage and the minimum coverage amounts stated in Subsection (D)(2) of this Section. The policy of insurance shall have endorsed on it a requirement of at least thirty (30) days' written notice mailed to the City indicating any cancellation or material change in coverage. The Board of Aldermen may increase or decrease the minimum coverage amounts on a per-project basis.
2. 
Minimum Coverage Amounts.
a. 
General Liability.
(1) 
General aggregate: one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).
(2) 
Product, completed operations aggregate: one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).
(3) 
Personal injury: one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).
(4) 
Each occurrence: one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).
(5) 
Fire legal liability damage: one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00).
(6) 
Medical expense: ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00).
b. 
Automobile combined single limit: one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).
c. 
Excess Liability.
(1) 
Each occurrence: one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).
d. 
Employer's Liability.
(1) 
Each accident: one million dollars ($1,000,000.00).
(2) 
Disease, policy limit: five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00).
(3) 
Disease, each employee: one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00).
3. 
City To Be Held Harmless.
a. 
The contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the municipality and its elected and appointed officials and employees from and against all claims, damages, losses and expenses, including attorneys' fees arising out of or resulting from the performance of the work, provided that any such claim, damage, loss or expenses:
(1) 
Attributable to bodily injury, sickness, disease or death or to injury to or destruction of tangible property, other than the work itself, including the loss of use resulting therefrom; and
(2) 
Caused in whole or in part by any negligent act or commission of the contractor, any subcontractor, anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them or anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable regardless of whether or not it is caused in part by a party indemnified under this Chapter.
b. 
In any and all claims against any municipality or any of its agents or employees by any employee of the contractor, any subcontractor, anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them or anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable, the indemnification obligation under this Subsection shall not be limited in any way by any limitation on the amount or type of damages, compensation or benefits by or for the contractor or any subcontractor under workers' compensation acts, disability benefit acts or other employee benefit acts.
E. 
Upon Board approval, the City Clerk shall award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder, but the Board of Aldermen reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.060; R.O. 2011 § 131.060; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006; Ord. No. 338 § 4, 7-20-2011]
A. 
Single-Source Purchases. In the event there is only one (1) acceptable vendor capable of furnishing a particular service or commodity, the City Clerk may be authorized to procure such service or commodity without bidding. The City Clerk shall document the particular facts which make the item a single-source purchase. Such purchase must have Board of Aldermen approval if greater than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00).
B. 
Emergency Purchases. Where an emergency situation requires immediate purchase of supplies or services and time is of the essence, the City Clerk is authorized to procure the supplies or services needed without following the bidding procedures. The Board of Aldermen will be notified at its next regular meeting.
[Ord. No. 481 § 12, 3-2-2016]
C. 
Situations Calling For Competitive Negotiations. Where it can be demonstrated that the City receives the best value on a purchase through informal discussion and bargaining rather than through the conventional bidding process, the City Clerk need not follow the conventional bidding process exclusively. Such purchases shall be documented by the City Clerk and given prior approval by the Board of Aldermen. Examples would include, but not be limited to, circumstances where time is a crucial factor, when the procurement involves high-technology items or when there is obvious inherent economy in purchasing from a particular vendor.
D. 
Cooperative Purchasing. The purchasing procedures established shall not apply to purchases made by, through or with the Division of Procurement of St. Louis County or any other governmental agency or unit with whom the City is permitted to engage in cooperative purchasing. The City Clerk has the authority to join with any other governmental unit, including U.S. Communities, Government Purchasing Alliance, in cooperative purchasing when the best interests of the City shall be served by such cooperative purchasing.
[Ord. No. 481 § 12, 3-2-2016]
E. 
Professional Services And Real Estate. Specifically excluded from the provisions of the City's purchasing policy is the procurement of real estate and professional services with the Board's approval.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.070; R.O. 2011 § 131.070; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006]
Except in cases where they are not as restrictive as the City's purchasing regulations, applicable State and Federal laws shall supersede any regulations of the City of Twin Oaks concerning purchasing.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.080; R.O. 2011 § 131.080; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006]
No contract or purchase shall be subdivided to avoid the requirements of the City's purchasing policy.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.090; R.O. 2011 § 131.090; Ord. No. 217 § 1, 6-7-2006]
Whenever possible in the purchasing of goods, supplies and services for use by the City of Twin Oaks, Missouri, the City Clerk is encouraged and urged, to the greatest extent possible, to purchase such goods, supplies and services from businesses located within the boundaries of the City of Twin Oaks, Missouri, as long as the costs of said items are within ten percent (10%) of the prices for these same items offered elsewhere.
[R.O. 2016 § 131.100; Ord. No. 395 § 1, 5-15-2013]
A. 
Purpose. To allow personnel to purchase goods and services directly from vendors when those items are needed, but it is not expedient, practical, or desirable to have either a check or cash available when payment is demanded.
B. 
Issuance And Policy. The City Office may utilize only one (1) credit card which must be a bank credit card, such as MasterCard or VISA. No vendor cards shall be authorized. The Mayor of the Board must authorize and sign the application for the credit card. The City Clerk may authorize use of cards within the City Office. All employees issued a credit card must sign an acknowledgement form recognizing their responsibility to comply with the City's policy regarding credit cards.
C. 
Credit Limit. The appropriate credit limit for such card will be established by the Board of Aldermen by written policy. If a temporary increase is needed, the purchase must be authorized by the Mayor or the Board.
D. 
Use Of Credit Card. The use of this card is restricted to use for the benefit of the City of Twin Oaks to acquire goods and services which are appropriate for the conduct of the City business. No personal expenditures are allowed by employees with the credit cards, even if the intent is to repay the City at a future point.
E. 
Receipts. Credit card receipts must be submitted to the City Clerk or his/her designee and must include supporting documentation, which clearly show what goods and services were purchased using the credit card.
[Ord. No. 481 § 13, 3-2-2016]
[R.O. 2016 § 131.110; Ord. No. 482 § 1, 3-2-2016]
A. 
Definitions. For the purposes of this Section 145.120, certain terms and words are hereby defined as follows:
ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION DELIVERY METHOD
Any project delivery method, other than a design-bid-build process, utilized to construct, reconstruct, improve, enlarge, alter, paint and decorate or make major repairs to any fixed work, the performance of which requires the payment of prevailing wage pursuant to State or Federal law, including design-build or any other alternative procurement method authorized by law.
DESIGN PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT
A contract for architectural, engineering or land surveying services relating to the design or construction of buildings, bridges, streets, sewers, viaducts, water mains or any structure or public improvement of any nature whatsoever to be erected upon lands belonging to the City, excluding those contracts in which the design professional services are provided pursuant to a design-build contract.
DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACT
A contract in which the design professional and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the "design-builder," "design-build contractor" or a variant thereof, and which single entity is responsible for all of the work on the project.
QUALIFICATION-BASED SELECTION PROCESS
A solicitation process that includes consideration of the qualifications of anyone responding to a solicitation as the determinative criteria for selection.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
A written invitation by the City for persons to submit an offer subject to subsequent negotiations with the City and subject to subsequent additions, deletions, modifications to the request for proposal specifications or any subsequent contract.
STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS
A statement submitted by a prospective contractor detailing a prospective contractor's experience, financial capacity, key personnel, and other information pertinent to a particular project.
B. 
Prerequisite Criteria. In selecting an alternative construction delivery method and awarding a contract, the City shall consider the following factors:
1. 
The needs of the City;
2. 
Time requirements for the project and potential time-saving strategies;
3. 
The complexity of the project;
4. 
Estimated project costs;
5. 
Cost savings to the City;
6. 
Private investment and financial contributions that could be leveraged to complete the project;
7. 
The likelihood that the use of an alternative procurement method will diminish competition for City contracts; and
8. 
Any other factor found to be in the City's best interest.
C. 
Factors In Determining To Whom To Award A Contract.
1. 
The City shall consider the following factors:
a. 
The cost submitted or proposed by the contractor;
b. 
The reputation of the contractor;
c. 
The quality of the contractor's goods or services;
d. 
Previous relevant experience and technical capabilities of the contractor;
e. 
The extent to which the contractor's goods or services meet the City's needs;
f. 
The contractor's past relationship with the City;
g. 
Any private investment or contribution, financial or otherwise, proposed by the contractor to complete the project; and
h. 
Any other relevant factor specifically listed in the solicitation of bids or request for proposals.
2. 
If the contract is awarded by a party other than the City pursuant to a cooperative agreement between that party and the City, the party awarding the contract shall consider, at a minimum, the same factors listed in this Subsection.
D. 
Design Professional Contracts.
1. 
A selection shall be made based on the qualification-based selection process. A qualification-based selection shall be made based upon the statement of qualifications that was required to be submitted and any supplement thereto as requested by the City.
2. 
The process for making the qualification-based selection shall be used when it is determined that the estimated dollar value of the design professional contract is over fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) or when the Board of Aldermen otherwise determines it will use this process; provided, however, that the failure to utilize the applicable process shall not invalidate any public improvement procurement or any contract.
3. 
The City may convene a selection committee, which committee shall rank the firms from most to least qualified and then submit this list as a recommendation to the Board of Aldermen for consideration. The committee shall be comprised of at least three (3) and no more than five (5) persons which may include the City Mayor, City Clerk and the architect and/or engineer acting as the City's consultant on the project.
4. 
The Board of Aldermen or its designee shall thereafter negotiate a contract for the project with the firm selected as most qualified. If the City is unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the firm selected, negotiations with that firm shall be terminated. The City shall then undertake negotiations with another of the qualified firms selected. If there is no agreement with the second firm, negotiations with such firm shall be terminated. The City shall then undertake negotiations with the third qualified firm. If the City is unable to negotiate a contract with any of the selected firms, the City shall reevaluate the necessary architectural, engineering or land surveying services, including the scope and reasonable fee requirements, and again conduct a qualification-based selection process. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall obligate the City to undertake any negotiations if the City shall have determined to terminate the solicitation for any or no reason.
E. 
Design-Build Contracts.
1. 
A selection shall be made based on the qualification -based selection process. A qualification-based selection shall be made based upon the statement of qualifications that was required to be submitted.
2. 
The process for making the qualification-based selection shall be used when the Board determines that the estimated dollar value of the design-build contract is over fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) or when the Board of Aldermen otherwise determines it will use this process; provided, however, that the failure to utilize the applicable process shall not invalidate any public improvement procurement or any contract.
3. 
The City may convene a selection committee, which committee shall rank the firms from most to least qualified and then submit this list as a recommendation to the Board of Aldermen for consideration. The committee shall be comprised of at least three (3) and no more than five (5) persons which may include the City Mayor, City Clerk and the architect and/or engineer acting as the City's consultant on the project.
4. 
The Board of Aldermen or its designee shall thereafter negotiate a contract for the project with the firm selected as most qualified. If the City is unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the firm selected, negotiations with that firm shall be terminated. The City shall then undertake negotiations with another of the qualified firms selected. If there is no agreement with the second firm, negotiations with such firm shall be terminated. The City shall then undertake negotiations with the third qualified firm. If the City is unable to negotiate a contract with any of the selected firms, the City shall reevaluate the scope of the project and again conduct a qualification-based selection process. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall obligate the City to undertake any negotiations if the City shall have determined to terminate the solicitation for any or no reason.
F. 
Nothing herein shall require the City to seek qualifications for design professional contracts. The Board of Aldermen may contract for design professional services with a single design professional based on prior work history with the City or other similar reasons as provided in Section 145.070(E).