Purpose.
The Board of Trustees of the Village of Thomaston hereby finds that
contracts for the procurement of goods required by law to be awarded
by competitive bidding should be awarded in a manner that assures
the most prudent and economical use of public monies and guards against
favoritism, extravagance, fraud and corruption. The Board finds further
that, while the lowest responsible bidder method has long been the
accepted method of awarding such contracts, that method may not always
offer the most cost-effective or efficient option in the long term.
Accordingly, the Board wishes to exercise its authority pursuant to
§ 103 of the General Municipal Law to permit the Village
to utilize the best value standard of procurement, as an alternative
to lowest responsible bidder, on appropriate contracts for the procurement
of goods.
Standard
for award of purchase contracts to other than the lowest responsible
bidder. For purposes of this chapter, "best value" shall have the
meaning provided in § 163, Subdivision 1(j), of the State
Finance Law, as amended from time to time. All bid offerings advertised
by the Village for the purchase of goods and related service work
shall be issued on the basis of lowest responsible bidder unless the
Board of Trustees or the Village Administrator authorizes the use
of the best value standard. Best value shall not be available for
award of purchase contracts needed for the completion of a public
works contract.
Notice.
In each instance in which the best value standard is to be used, the
required bid advertisement shall include notice to all prospective
bidders that the purchase contract will be awarded on the basis of
best value rather than based upon the standard of lowest responsible
bidder. No such notice shall be required where the Village is authorized
by law to purchase goods without being required to advertise for competitive
bids, and the Village may accept a proposal for such purchase on the
basis of best value without giving prior notice.
To the
extent reasonably practicable, proposals for purchase contracts in
excess of 20,000 shall be evaluated, documented and awarded in the
same manner and to the same extent as provided in the then current
Village Procurement Policy with respect to purchases which are not
subject to competitive bidding.