Generally. No department or officer having charge of
any office, department or undertaking of the Town shall recommend the award
of any contract or the purchase of any equipment, supplies or services unless
the Chief Procurement Officer has first certified that that person has complied
with the provisions of MGL c. 30B, c. 30, § 39M, and/or c. 149.
Notice. A notice involving formal proposals therefor
shall have been posted, in the office of the Chief Procurement Officer, not
later than two weeks prior to the time so specified, and such notice shall
also have been published at least once, not less than two weeks prior to the
time so specified, in a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town,
as the Chief Procurement Officer may direct. A notice involving informal proposals
therefor shall have been posted in the office of the Chief Procurement Officer
not later than three days prior to the time so specified.
Form. Formal proposals for any contract subject to this
section shall be sealed and in writing. Informal proposals for any contract
subject to this section may be either oral or written quotations. In the event
of an oral quotation, the Chief Procurement Officer shall record said quotation
in writing and shall require written confirmation of quotation from offerers
prior to the awarding of the contract.
Opening; inspection. Such formal proposals shall be opened
and read in public at a time and place specified in the posted and published
notice and, after being so opened, shall be open for public inspection. Such
informal proposals shall be received by a time specified in the posted notice
and shall be maintained by the Chief Procurement Officer and shall be open
for public inspection upon the awarding of the contract. The Chief Procurement
Officer shall maintain a list of all persons requesting and/or receiving formal
and informal proposal notices.
Awards generally. The department or officer shall award
the contract to the lowest responsible bidder. No contract shall be awarded
for a sum in excess of the appropriation available, unless it is on a unit
bid price basis, in which event the quantities may be adjusted in order to
make the final total payment not exceed the appropriation.
Avoidance of section. No contract or preliminary plans
or specifications pertaining thereto shall be split, altered, changed or divided
for the purpose of evading the provisions of this section.
Suspension of section where interests of Town would be
served. It is further provided that in the event of unusual opportunity for
the purchase of materials, supplies and equipment in the best interest of
the Town, not in excess of $1,000, which opportunity for the purchase of the
particular materials, supplies and equipment would ordinarily be lost or rendered
impractical or impossible by the operation of this section, this section may
be avoided and dispensed with upon the unanimous vote of the Board of Selectmen,
provided that necessary funds are available and have been properly appropriated
in advance.
All Town departments may make capital expenditures whose aggregate total
may not exceed $2,000 per fiscal year from their operating expense accounts.