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Solicitaion and Advertising

8.0 SOLICITATION AND ADVERTISING

8.1 Method of Solicitation.

8.1.1 Micro Purchases. The Agency may contact only one source if the price is considered reasonable and is deemed an emergency procurement. For all other purchases, three quotes are required. Quotes may be solicited in writing through e-mailing.
8.1.2 Sealed Bids and Competitive Proposals. Solicitation must be done publicly. The Agency must use one of the following solicitation methods, provided that the method employed provides for meaningful competition.
- 8.1.2.1 Advertising in newspapers or other print mediums of local or general circulations.

8.2 Time Frame. For purchases of more than $50,000.00, the public notice should run not less than once each week for two consecutive weeks.

8.3 Form. Notices/advertisements should state, at a minimum, the place, date, and time that the bids or proposals are due, the solicitation number, a contact that can provide a copy of, and information about, the solicitation, and a brief description of the needed items(s).

8.4 Time Period for Submission of Bids. A minimum of 30 days shall be provided for preparation and submission of sealed bids and 15 days for competitive proposals. However, the Executive Director may allow for a shorter period under extraordinary circumstances. A few examples of when this might be a shorter time frame would be a roofing emergency, major plumbing issue, electrical issue, and a natural disaster.

8.5 Cancellation of Solicitations.

8.5.1 An IFB, RFP, or other solicitation may be cancelled before bids/offers are due if:
- 8.5.1.1 The supplies, services or construction are no longer required;
- 8.5.1.2 The funds are no longer available;
- 8.5.1.3 Proposed amendments to the solicitation are of such magnitude that a new solicitation would be best; or
- 8.5.1.4 Other similar reasons.
8.5.2 A solicitation may be cancelled and all bids or proposals that have already been received may be rejected if:
- 8.5.2.1The supplies or services (including construction) are no longer required;
- 8.5.2.2 Ambiguous or otherwise inadequate specifications were part of the solicitation;
- 8.5.2.3 All factors of significance to the Agency were not considered;
- 8.5.2.4 Prices exceed available funds, and it would not be appropriate to adjust quantities to come within available funds.
- 8.5.2.5 There is reason to believe that bids or proposals may not have been independently determined in open competition, may have been collusive, or may have been submitted in bad faith; or
- 8.5.2.6 For compelling cause of a similar nature when it is in the best interest of the Agency.
8.5.3 The reasons for cancellation shall be documented in the procurement file and the reasons for cancellation and/or rejection shall be provided upon request.
8.5.4 A notice of cancellation shall be sent to all bidders/offerors solicited and, if appropriate, shall explain that they will be given an opportunity to compete on any re-solicitation or future procurement of equivalent items.
8.5.5 If all otherwise acceptable bids received in response to an IFB are at unreasonable prices an analysis should be conducted to see if there is a problem in either the specifications or the Agency's cost estimate. If both are determined adequate and if only one bid is received and the price is unreasonable, the Contracting Officer may cancel the solicitation and either
- 8.5.5.1 Re-solicit using an RFP; or
- 8.5.5.2 Complete the procurement by using the competitive proposal method. The Contracting Officer must determine, in writing, that such an action is appropriate, must inform all bidders of the Agency's intent to negotiate, and must give each bidder a reasonable opportunity to negotiate.

8.6 Credit (or Purchasing) Cards. Credit card usage should follow the rules for all other micro purchases. For example, the Contracting Officer may use a credit card for Micro Purchases without obtaining additional quotes provided the price is considered reasonable. However, for amounts above the Micro Purchase level, the Contracting Officer would need to have obtained a reasonable number of quotes before purchasing via a credit card. When using credit cards, the Agency shall adopt reasonable safeguards to assure that they are used only for intended purposes (for instance, limiting the types of purchases or the amount of purchases that are permitted with credit cards).