[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Greenville as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 1-22-1992]
Every prospective purchase of goods or services shall be evaluated to determine the applicability of General Municipal Law § 103. Every Town officer, board, department head or other personnel with the requisite purchasing authority (hereinafter "purchaser") shall estimate the cumulative amount of the items of supply or equipment needed in a given fiscal year. That estimate shall include the canvass of other Town departments and past history to determine the likely yearly value of the commodity to be acquired. The information gathered and conclusions reached shall be documented and kept with the file or other documentation supporting the purchase activity.
All purchases of supplies or equipment which will exceed $10,000 in the fiscal year or public works contracts over $20,000 shall be formally bid pursuant to General Municipal Law § 103.
A. 
All estimated purchases of:
(1) 
Less than $10,000 but greater than or equal to $3,000 require a written request for a proposal (RFP) and written/fax quotes from three vendors.
(2) 
Less than $3,000 but greater than or equal to $1,000 require an oral request for the goods and oral/fax quotes from two vendors.
(3) 
Less than $1,000 but greater than or equal to $250 are left to discretion of the purchaser.
B. 
All estimated public works contracts of:
(1) 
Less than $20,000 but greater than or equal to $10,000 require a written RFP and fax/proposals from three contractors.
(2) 
Less than $10,000 but greater than or equal to $3,000 require a written RFP and fax/proposals from two contractors.
(3) 
Less than $3,000 but greater than or equal to $500 are left to the discretion of the purchaser.
C. 
Any written RFP shall describe the desired goods, quantity and the particulars of delivery. The purchaser shall compile a list of all vendors from whom written/fax/oral quotes have been requested and the written/fax/oral quotes offered.
D. 
All information gathered in complying with the procedures of this section shall be preserved and filed with the documentation supporting the subsequent purchase or public works contract.
The lowest responsible proposal or quote shall be awarded the purchase or public works contract unless the purchaser prepares a written justification providing reasons why it is in the best interest of the Town and its taxpayers to make an award to other than the low bidder. If a bidder is not deemed responsible, facts supporting that judgment shall also be documented and filed with the record supporting the procurement.
A good faith effort shall be made to obtain the required number of proposals or quotations. If the purchaser is unable to obtain the required number of proposals or quotations, the purchaser shall document the attempt made at obtaining the proposals. In no event shall the inability to obtain the proposals or quotes be a bar to the procurement.
Except when directed by the Town Board, no solicitation of written proposals or quotations shall be required under the following circumstances:
A. 
Acquisition of professional services.
B. 
Emergencies.
C. 
Sole source situations.
D. 
Goods purchased from agencies for the blind or severely handicapped.
E. 
Goods purchased from correctional facilities.
F. 
Goods purchased from another governmental agency.
G. 
Goods purchased at auction.
H. 
Goods purchased for less than $250.
I. 
Public works contracts for less than $500.
This policy shall be reviewed annually by the Town Board at its organizational meeting or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable.
[Adopted 1-13-1999]
A. 
Requisition forms are submitted to the purchasing director. The purchasing director shall issue an order after first determining that balances of budgetary appropriations are adequate to cover such obligations.
B. 
The purchasing director will certify on each purchase request that moneys are available.
C. 
Purchase request forms are distributed as follows when purchase is approved by purchasing director:
(1) 
One copy (original) mailed to supplier with Town voucher.
(2) 
One copy to Town Clerk's office.
(3) 
One copy to originating department.
(4) 
One copy to accounting office.
D. 
The completed and receipted receiving copy should immediately be forwarded to the purchasing director who should compare it with the vendors claim. The invoice and/or shipping report should also be sent to the purchasing director.
E. 
Audit of claims. The purchase request and invoice shall be given to the Town Clerk's office to match them for proper amounts. The Town Clerk's office will enter the invoices into the computer system as a payable. Departmental approval is needed for the claim.
F. 
Once entered, the abstract and vouchers are presented to the Town Board for them to audit. The Town Board should audit vouchers prior to final Board meeting.
G. 
The Town Clerk lets accounting know if the abstract is approved and then an audited abstract is run.
H. 
From the audited abstract and vouchers, vendor checks are run by the accounting office. All abstracts and vouchers are previously inspected by the accounting office to ensure abstracts and vouchers are properly audited by the Town Board.
A. 
Only invoices/vouchers received from the vendor by the Friday preceding regular Town Board meetings will be processed.
B. 
By the second Board meeting (fourth Wednesday of month), all vouchers should be approved by the Town Board.
C. 
Checks will be run to pay vendors twice a month.
A. 
Contracts which require professional methods, character or standards fall into the professional service contract category. Many of these professional services require a state license to practice or may be creative and specialized in nature. Examples of professional services are:
(1) 
Advertising agency promotion.
(2) 
Architectural.
(3) 
Artwork.
(4) 
Beauticians/barbers.
(5) 
Computer software maintenance agreements.
(6) 
Consultants.
(7) 
Design services.
(8) 
Engineering.
(9) 
Instructors/teachers.
(10) 
Legal.
(11) 
Medical/dental services.
(12) 
Religious services.
(13) 
Television ads/billboard advertising.
(14) 
Training film/promotion/production.
(15) 
Insurance.
B. 
Whereas, the intent of § 104-b of the General Municipal Law includes the hiring of consultants and professionals as outlined above, the following policy shall apply:
(1) 
Where applicable, the purchasing director shall initiate the Town procurement policy or solicit requirements for proposals in order to acquire professional services at the best price for the Town of Greenville.
C. 
With respect to legal services and engineering fees, these shall be determined by the Town Board.
Mandated procurement sources shall be investigated which products offered are requested by using departments. These sources include Department of Correction, Industries for the Blind of New York State and the New York State Industries for the Disabled.
All agreements for insurance coverage shall be investigated by the purchasing director. if competition is available in the market, RFP's shall be requested, evaluated and the award made. If no competition is available, a contract shall be negotiated between the Town and the respective carrier with final determination made by the Town Board.
A. 
General.
(1) 
Only the person designated as purchasing director may commit the Town of Greenville for a purchase.
(2) 
The material, equipment, supplies and/or services to be purchased shall be of the quality and in the quantity required to serve the function in a satisfactory manner as determined by the department head and the purchasing director.
(3) 
It is the responsibility of the purchasing director to make alternative suggestions to the requisitioner if, in the judgment of the purchasing director, the specifications would restrict competition or otherwise preclude the most economical purchase of the required items. In case of disagreement as to the contents of the specifications, the Board, after reviewing all available data, should make the final determination.
B. 
Purchase request.
(1) 
Each department head is responsible for compliance with the purchasing procedures adopted.
(2) 
Only purchase request forms provided by the purchasing director shall be used.
(3) 
The purchase request will be prepared by the ordering department and signed by an authorized department head.
(4) 
All purchase requests will be approved by the purchasing agent.
(5) 
The bookkeeper will certify on each purchase request that moneys are available.
(6) 
The number of purchase requests will be kept to a minimum.
(7) 
Purchase requests shall be processed to conform with the purchasing schedule established by the purchasing director. Purchase requests shall be left for the purchasing agent by the end of the day on Thursdays and returned to the requesting department on Mondays.
(8) 
Do not plan to walk in and get immediate approval. The above procedure will be followed.
A. 
The purchase request form has three carbonized sheets. In the block on the upper left, type the name and complete address of the supplier or vendor. All purchase requests must be coded in accordance with the accounting system (i.e., proper coded line item). In the column marked "quantity" indicate the number of each item desired. In the column marked "description," give as complete a description of the item as possible, including catalogue number, if available. Include unit price and shipping charges, if any, extending the total amount of each item and the total of the purchase request to the bottom. This is necessary for accounting and budgetary procedures.
B. 
When the purchase request is prepared, forward the complete set (three copies) to the purchasing director. When approved by the purchasing director, the following procedure will take place:
(1) 
White copy (original) will be mailed to the supplier/vendor by the individual departments who will retain a photocopy or computer generated copy for the file.
(2) 
Yellow copy will be retained by the office of accounting (bookkeeper).
(3) 
Pink copy (receiving) will be retained by the office of the Town Clerk.
C. 
In no event are purchase requests to be mailed direct to the supplier/vendor without first routing through the office of the purchasing director.
D. 
When canceling an order, attach a copy of the correspondence with the company to the photocopy of the request and send to the purchasing director's office.
E. 
When making a partial cancellation of an order, a copy of the correspondence with the company and request form will be sent to the purchasing director's office.
In the event that an appropriation balance is insufficient, the purchasing director will return the purchase request to the originating department. It will be accompanied by a statement containing the following information:
A. 
Amounts available for transfer, i.e., contingent account, other unneeded appropriation balances or unappropriated cash surplus.
B. 
Any unestimated revenues, i.e., state, federal, insurance recoveries or gifts not previously appropriated.
A. 
The purchasing director's office will notify the department head of the unavailability of funds. To request an increase in appropriations, the department head will proceed as follows:
(1) 
The request for transfer, or increase in appropriations, will be in writing and directed to the purchasing director (copy to the office of the Town Clerk).
(2) 
An explanation as to why the purchase is necessary must be included in the request.
(3) 
The amount needed and the code involved must be indicated.
B. 
From the office of the fiscal officer, written recommendation for approval or disapproval will be obtained.
C. 
After accumulation of all related information, the purchasing director shall submit the request to the Board for action. Upon approval, the purchasing director shall notify the requisitioner, who shall resubmit the purchase request. A copy of the Board approval shall be attached to the request and voucher.
D. 
The office of the bookkeeper shall make the appropriate adjustments to records and certify to the availability of funds.
A. 
Written notice will be given to each supplier/vendor explaining the purchase format. Vendors deviating from the purchasing procedure will be notified immediately and informed of the possible consequences.
B. 
Consideration will be given to the inclusion of the following statement in both procedure adopted and notice to vendors:
THE TOWN OF GREENVILLE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PURCHASES MADE WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION FROM THE PURCHASING DIRECTOR EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE STATED HEREIN.
A. 
Blanket purchase requests or open-end accounts may be issued to various vendors for purchase of items considered to be of immediate need or for the purchase of consolidated (bulk) purchases.
B. 
The reason for the use of blanket purchase orders is twofold.
(1) 
To eliminate the necessity for the issuance of separate orders for groups of items which are purchased frequently from the same vendor. An example of this would be automotive supplies (such as spark plugs, battery cables, points, etc.) used in a central garage and office supplies.
(2) 
To permit the department to purchase items of this nature on an as-needed basis when there is no provision to maintain an inventory.
C. 
The vendor's billing cycle (usually monthly) will be considered in determining the period of time covered by a blanket purchase request.
D. 
The amount of the purchase request shall be determined by the office of the fiscal officer and purchasing director. It should be based on information available in the records covering previous fiscal years and data obtained from the department bead involved.
E. 
The bookkeeper will keep a record of purchases made to ensure that they do not exceed the amount allowed by the blanket purchase order.
F. 
When supplies are delivered or picked up, receipts, delivery slips or other documents transmitted by the vendor will be signed by the individual receiving the supplies. The blanket purchase request number will also be placed on the documents which will be attached to the receiving copy of the purchase request and forwarded to the purchasing director at the end of the period for which the blanket purchase request was issued However, if the amount allowed on the blanket purchase request is reached prior to this time, the covering documents should be forwarded to the purchasing agent and a new blanket purchase request requested.
A. 
A verbal order, subject to subsequent confirmation by a written purchase request, may be given in cases where necessity for immediate action exists. Naturally, such deviation from the norm should have a very limited use.
B. 
The individual placing such an order shall justify the need for this action in writing. Lack of proper planning should not be considered a valid reason for this process.
C. 
A confirming order should be issued immediately after availability of funds is determined and certified to. This order shall follow the same procedures but shall not have priority so that the vendor will receive the order without delay. The order shall be marked "confirmation."
D. 
The Town of Greenville will notify all department heads and employees that it will not be responsible for orders placed in this manner unless a confirming order has been cleared through the purchasing office. If a confirming order is disapproved, the materials or supplies shall be returned, if possible. The Town Board, department head and vendor shall be notified immediately and appropriate steps taken.
A. 
The requistioning department head shall be given the receiving copy of the purchase order.
B. 
When a delivery is made, the receiving employee (one other than the person who prepared the purchase request must fill in the information as to the quantity, which can only be obtained by counting or weighing the goods delivered.
C. 
The completed and receipted receiving copy should immediately be forwarded to the purchasing director who should compare it with the vendor's claim. Any invoices and/or shipping reports received from the vendor should also be transmitted to the purchasing director. If this procedure is followed, the Town of Greenville will have the advantage of taking discounts offered for prompt payment. The purchasing agent should make every effort to persuade vendors to grant discounts.
D. 
Failure of vendors to make promised deliveries should be reported to the purchasing agent for follow-up by telephone to local vendors or by telephone and/or mail to out-of-Town vendors.
A. 
A claim submitted to the appropriate officer (designated councilman) or Board for audit for payment shall qualify when the following conditions are met:
(1) 
Itemization is in sufficient detail for audit (any allowable discounts should be noted).
(2) 
It is accompanied by the third (receiving) copy of the purchase order signed by the receiving office. This copy should state that the item has been received or the service rendered.
(3) 
All invoices or other supporting statements are attached.
(4) 
There is proper certification or verification by the claimant, if required by the Town Board.
(5) 
The claim is approved for payment by the official whose action gave rise or origin to the claim.
B. 
If a claim is presented to the Town Board for materials and supplies for which no purchase request was issued, the matter should be brought to the attention of the purchasing director so he/she will be aware of deviations in order to take corrective action. The claim should not be sent to the purchasing office for a useless purchase request, a purchase request after the fact is a complete waste of time and effort.
Thus far we have discussed the procedures to be followed when a purchase request is needed. We reflected on the need for cooperation and control. Control involves not only compliance with required purchasing procedures, but also affects the paperwork necessary. Overpapering can ruin the effectiveness of the system almost as quickly as noncompliance. There are certain expenditures for which the processing of a purchase request is unnecessary. The following should be made without purchase requests:
A. 
Contracts for professional/personal services. Any encumbering should be on the basis of contracts.
B. 
Employee expenses, such as conference expenses, mileage and meal allowances. All out-of-Town travel and classes or courses must be preapproved by the Town Board as per the Personnel Policy.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 41, Personnel Policies.
C. 
Reimbursement of petty cash funds.
D. 
Utility bills.
E. 
Service contracts for a fixed monthly or annual amount (may be encumbered on the basis of the contract).
F. 
Interdepartmental charges, for instance Water Department billings to recreation; Fire Department billing for fire alarm system; intergovernmental charges, etc.,
G. 
Medical examinations.
H. 
Legal notices.
I. 
Claims for food for jurors.
J. 
Postage costs.
A. 
Purchase requests prepared and forwarded to purchasing director.
B. 
Purchase requests approved.
C. 
Purchase request released to vendor (original) with a voucher by department head and originating department retaining a copy.
D. 
Goods delivered.
E. 
After information on receipt of goods (date received; signature of receiving official, on receiving pink copy of purchase request, who should be someone other than person who made out requisition and quantity) and departmental approval are completed, receiving copy is transmitted to the auditing body (Town Board) by the Town Clerk.
F. 
Claim and/or invoices sent to the auditing body and approved.
G. 
Claim audited and abstract (listing) of claims prepared and sent to the office of the fiscal officer for payment and the Town Clerk or Deputy Supervisor to gain a two of three signature authorization for payment.
H. 
Check prepared and transmitted to vendor and accounting records adjusted.
I. 
The Town Board shall receive monthly by the Town Clerk's office a detailed breakdown of the budget.
To be determined by the Town Board at reorganization each year.
Shall be determined by the Town Board at reorganization each year.