A. 
Unless the Cottage City Commission, by a majority of the whole number of members elected to the Commission, finds another method of procurement to be more advantageous and waives the requirements of competitive bidding for good cause shown, all purchases and contracts by the Town, shall be awarded through a competitive sealed bid process when the amount of the purchase or contract is anticipated to be $3,000 or more. Competitive sealed bidding shall be the preferred method for Town procurement regarding goods and nonpersonal services which is expected to exceed $3,000.
B. 
Invitation for bids. An invitation for bids shall be in writing and shall include specifications, and all contractual terms and conditions applicable to the procurement. Public notice of the invitation shall be given at least 15 days prior to the opening of the bids.
C. 
Cancellation. The Commission may cancel any invitation for bids.
D. 
Bid opening. Bids shall be opened and recorded publicly as outlined in the invitation for bids, in the presence of one or more witnesses at the time and place designated in the invitation for bids.
E. 
Bid acceptance and evaluation. Bids shall be unconditionally accepted without alteration or correction except as authorized in this chapter, and shall be evaluated based on the requirements and criteria set forth in the invitation for bids.
F. 
Bid correction or withdrawal. Mistakes discovered after bid opening resulting in downward correction of a bid, which would displace the apparent low bidder, shall only be permitted if the error made and the intended bid price can be determined by the Town solely from the bid documents. Upward correction of a bid, established from the bid documents, shall be permitted only if the Town finds that the mistake was inadvertent and bona fide and that it would be unconscionable to require the bidder to enter into a contract at the bid price. All decisions to permit the correction or withdrawal of bids based upon bid mistakes, shall be supported by a written determination made by the Town Manager.
G. 
Award. The contract shall be awarded with reasonable promptness by written notice from the Town Manager to the lowest responsible bidder.
A. 
When appropriate to use. In lieu of bid specifications, a request for proposal may be issued. A request for proposal may be issued when a desired outcome is sought, but the method for achieving that outcome is not defined in a detailed specification, or allows for presenting different options for achieving the desired outcome beyond proposed specifications. Services or goods purchased by request for proposal shall be awarded based on a variety of factors, including project approach, experience, price, and such other criteria as shall be defined and specifically set forth in the request for proposal. Requests for proposal shall be posted in the same manner as bid specifications, and responses shall be sealed in the same manner as bids. Proposals shall be solicited through a request for proposals by public notice. Such public notice shall be given at least 15 days prior to the opening of the proposals.
B. 
Confidentiality of proposals. The identity of any offeror or the contents of any proposal shall not be disclosed to competing offerors during the evaluation process.
C. 
Bid regulations applicable to proposals. Subsections B through G of § 14-3 relating to competitive sealed bids shall also be applicable to competitive sealed proposals.
D. 
Discussion with responsible offerors and revisions to proposals. As provided in the request for proposals; discussions may be conducted with responsible offerors who submit proposals determined to be reasonably susceptible to being selected for award for the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of, and conformance to, the solicitation requirements. Offerors shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of proposal and such revisions may be permitted after submissions and prior to award for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers. In conducting discussions there shall be no discussion of the identity of competing offerors.
E. 
Award. Award shall be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the Town taking into consideration price and the evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposals. The contract file shall contain the basis on which the award is made, and shall be retained pursuant to the approved records retention schedule.
F. 
The use of a request for proposals or other methods of procurement under this chapter must be authorized by a majority vote of the full Commission upon a good cause showing that such method is more advantageous for the Town than competitive sealed bidding.
All procurements within Part II must be approved by the Commission before coming effective.