[Adopted 4-21-1976 as Ord. No. 1763]
The President of the Board of Commissioners
is hereby authorized to execute, on behalf of the Township of Lower
Merion, a Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with other Pennsylvania
municipalities.
[Amended 12-21-1977 by Ord. No. 1809]
The purpose of the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement
is to enable the Township of Lower Merion, as it may choose to do
from time to time, to jointly solicit and receive bids and enter into
joint contracts with other Pennsylvania municipalities for the purchase
and use of equipment, materials, supplies and services.
The objectives of the Cooperative Purchasing
Agreement are to enable the Township of Lower Merion to receive a
larger number of bids for various contracts and, by means of high
volume purchasing with other Pennsylvania municipalities, purchase
and use equipment, materials, supplies and services at a lower cost.
The term of the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement
shall be perpetual, but any participating municipality can withdraw
from the agreement at any time by giving all other participating municipalities
at least 60 days' prior written notice of its intention to withdraw.
[Amended 12-21-1977 by Ord. No. 1809]
Each of the municipalities entering into the
Cooperative Purchasing Agreement shall appoint one representative
to serve on a committee, which shall be known as the "Main Line Cooperative
Purchasing Council," which shall advertise for bids and receive sealed
bids for the purchase and use of equipment, materials, supplies and
services for which any two or more participating municipalities may
wish to jointly advertise. Thereafter, the Council shall determine
and certify to each participating municipality the lowest responsible
bidder. The Chairman of the Main Line Cooperative Purchasing Council
is hereby authorized to execute any particular joint contract on behalf
of any participating municipality, so long as the Municipal Secretary
of any such municipality first notifies, in writing, said Chairman
that the governing body of any such municipality has formally resolved
to enter into any particular joint contract. The participating municipalities
may designate, by resolution, the Solicitor of any one of them to
review for all of them all joint purchase agreements for legality
of form and execution. The Main Line Cooperative Purchasing Council
shall make such rules and regulations as it deems necessary to conduct
its business in accordance with the purposes of the Cooperative Purchasing
Agreement.
The cost of advertising and receipt of any particular
bid shall be shared equally by those municipalities participating
in any particular bid. All other costs properly incurred by the Main
Line Cooperative Purchasing Council shall be shared equally by all
municipalities which have entered into the Cooperative Purchasing
Agreement.
The Main Line Cooperative Purchasing Council
is hereby empowered to purchase, lease or accept donations of such
real or personal property as is necessary to conduct its business,
and it shall manage such property. The Main Line Cooperative Purchasing
Council is hereby empowered to dispose of any such property in conformance
with law as it deems necessary, by written resolution.
The initial members of the Cooperative Purchasing
Agreement may be the Township of Lower Merion, the Township of Haverford
and the Township of Radnor, all of which are political subdivisions
within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These three municipalities
shall each become members by adopting an ordinance pursuant to the
requirements of Pennsylvania Act No. 180 of July 12, 1972,[1] and by thereafter executing the Cooperative Purchasing
Agreement. Any other Pennsylvania municipality may become a member
of the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement upon the occurrence of the
following acts in the following sequence:
A.Â
Any municipality desiring membership shall submit
a written request for membership to the Main Line Cooperative Purchasing
Council.
B.Â
The Main Line Cooperative Purchasing Council shall
accept or reject any application for membership by written resolution
of the appointed representatives sitting thereon, all within 45 days
after receipt of such application. Failure to act within the forty-five-day
period shall be deemed to be a denial of the application.
D.Â
The duly authorized official of the municipality seeking
admission must execute the Cooperative Purchasing Agreement.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. §§ 481
through 490.
