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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicies - BOCCGrant County Personnel Policy wlm 1504 — Purchasing Policy for Goods and Services Issue Date 02/03/20 ec ate o Revision Date 02/03/20 Chair Cindy Carter Vice Chair Tom Taylor Commissioner Richard Stevens X C. 1504 - Purchasing Policies and Procedures 1504.01 Purpose. This policy is intended to direct the purchase of goods and services at a reasonable cost, using an open, fair, documented and competitive process whenever reasonable and possible. The integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness of Grant County's procurement functions are critical elements of sound government. 1504.02 Policy statement. 1) The County desires a fair and open process for procurement of goods and services that is free from the potential for bias and conflict of interest. In addition, the County desires consistent and appropriate practices for solicitations and contracting. All procurements of goods and services shall provide the County with the best quality and best value. All purchases are to be made within budgetary limitations and for the purpose of the goals and objectives approved in the County's budget. Any requested purchase that is not included in the current County budget shall be pre -approved by the Department Director/ Elected Official, or Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), based on allowable signing authority. All purchases made by the County shall ultimately be approved by the BOCC through the voucher approval process. 2) All County of Grant County departments shall make a good faith effort to purchase goods within the County when they are available and suitable to County needs at a price that is competitive. Departments/Offices are expected to procure goods and services that are of high quality and that perform for their intended purpose, and to use good judgment during the procurement process. 3) The Administrative Services Coordinator is charged with developing administrative procedures to implement this policy. Procedures should ensure the fiscal responsibility of the County in expending resources for goods and services for County operations. The procurement procedures of the County shall be based on guidelines provided in the Revised Code of Grant County Personnel Policy Page 1 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy Washington, by the State Auditor's Office, and by Municipal Research Services Center. 4) The purchasing procedures of this policy govern the purchase of supplies, materials and equipment, nonprofessional and professional services, and public works contracts. These policies authorize the County to procure goods and services through the small works roster process as defined in Section V1. D. The small works roster procedures are established for use by the County, pursuant to RCW 35.23.352, 35A.40.210 and Chapter 39.04 RCW. Leases of equipment or other personal property shall follow procedures for purchase of goods, with the aggregate of lease payments used in lieu of purchase price. Purchase or lease of real estate, franchise agreements, and intergovernmental or inter -local agreements will be entered into in accordance with state law. 5) Each County Department & Elected Office purchases specialty items unique to their function and items that are purchased just in time to make necessary repair or to keep equipment and amenities in safe and good working order. 1504.03 Definitions. 1) "Architectural and engineering services" means professional services rendered by any person, other than a County employee, to perform activities within the scope of the professional practice of architecture (Chapter 18.08 RCW), professional practice of engineering and land surveying (Chapter 18.43 RCW), and/or professional practice of landscape architecture (Chapter 18.96 RCW). 2) "Formal competitive bid" is the process of advertising and receiving sealed written bids from perspective vendors. The selection of the vendor is primarily based on the lowest cost from a responsible vendor. 3) "Informal competitive quotes" are price quotes from vendors that are obtained using a variety of mediums such as phone, fax, e-mail, or writing. Results must be documented and provided with the request for approval. The selection of the vendor is primarily based on the lowest cost from a responsible vendor. 4) "Inter -local agreements" are the exercise of governmental powers in a joint or cooperative undertaking with another public agency. 5) "Life cycle cost" means the total cost of an item to the County over its estimated useful life, including costs of selection, acquisition, operation, maintenance, and where applicable, disposal, as far as these costs can reasonably be determined, minus the salvage value at the end of its estimated useful life. 6) "MSRC Small Works and Consultant Roster" is a shared statewide small public works and consultant roster service managed by the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington used by Washington state Grant County Personnel Policy Page 2 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy local public agencies. The Small Works and Consultant Roster is maintained and operated in full compliance with state laws and purchasing requirements. 7) "Nonprofessional services" are services that are purchased by the County for which the contractor receives specific instructions and guidance from the County and does not meet the definition of professional services, architectural and engineering services, or public works projects. Examples include machine repair, debt collection services, temporary service agencies, credit card services, equipment service agreements, auctioning services, delivery services, inspections, advertising, etc. 8) "On-call contract" means a contract that is awarded with general provisions for the services to be rendered. As services are to be rendered, specific task orders are initiated that are to be completed by the contracting firm. 9) "Ordinary maintenance" is work not performed by contract and that is performed on a regularly scheduled basis (e.g., daily, weekly, seasonally, semiannually, but not less frequently than once per year), to service, check, or replace items that are not broken; or work not performed by contract that is not regularly scheduled but is required to maintain an asset so that repair does not become necessary. 10) "Prevailing Wage" is defined as the hourly wage, usual benefits and overtime, paid in the largest County in each county, to the majority of workers, laborers, and mechanics. Prevailing wages are established, by the Department of Labor and Industries, for each trade and occupation employed in the performance of public work. They are established separately for each county, and are reflective oflocal wage conditions. 11) "Professional services" are services provided by consultants that provide highly specialized, generally one-time expertise to solve a problem or render professional opinions, judgments or recommendations. The labor and skill involved to perform these types of services are predominately mental or intellectual, rather than physical or manual. Examples include graphics design, advertising, analysis, financial expertise, accounting, artists, attorneys, bond brokers, computer consultants, insurance brokers, economists, planners, real estate services, etc. This term does not include architectural and engineering services. 12) "Public work," as defined in RCW 39.04.010, means a complete project, and includes all work, construction, alteration, repair or improvement other than ordinary maintenance, executed at the cost of the County or which is by law a lien or charge on any County property. Public work projects include the related materials, supplies and equipment to complete the project. For purposes of this policy, the term "public work" may include contracts for maintenance of County facilities or real property (i.e. janitorial services). Grant County Personnel Policy Page 3 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy 13)"Purchasing Cooperative" is a type of cooperative arrangement, often among businesses, to agree to aggregate demand to get lower prices from selected suppliers. Retailers' cooperatives are a form of purchasing cooperative. It is often used by government agencies to reduce costs of procurement. 14) "Request for proposals (RFP)" means a process that requests interested firms to submit a statement of their proposal for completing a project. Proposals are then evaluated based on the idea, including originality, suitability, practicality, expertise, etc. Proposals may be selected based on the quality of the proposal, experience, cost, and references. Examples of solicitations appropriate for an RFP are banking services, software, garbage collection services, non -A&E consulting services, public art acquisitions, and various studies and assessments. 15) "Request for qualifications (RFQ)" means a process that requests interested consultants to submit a letter of interest and a statement of their qualifications. Consultants are evaluated upon their qualifications, expertise, and references. Cost cannot be a consideration until after a consultant has been selected at which point the price may be negotiated. 16) "Small works roster" is a roster of qualified contractors maintained for use in a modified formal bid process. When the contract amount for a public works project is within the limits set forth by RCW 39.04.155, a County may follow the small works roster process for construction of a public work or improvement as an alternative to formal competitive bid requirements. 17) "Small Works Roster Manual for Local Governments" is a manual prepared bythe Municipal Research & Service Center of Washington (MRSC) that contains state laws and regulations regarding small works contracting. 18) "Sole Source" occurs when competition among potential vendors is not possible for a particular procurement. These situations may occur when; there is clearly and legitimately only one source capable of supplying the subject matter, when there are special market conditions that result in only one source and in the event of an emergency. 19) "Vendor list" means the process to award contracts for the purchase of any materials, equipment, supplies or services in lieu of formal sealed bidding pursuant to RCW39.04.190. 1504.04 General Provisions. 1) Grant funded projects may have additional regulations required for expending federal and state funding. 2) Breaking Down or Splitting Purchases. The breaking down, or splitting, of any purchase or contracts into units of phases for the purpose of avoiding the maximum dollar amount is prohibited. Grant County Personnel Policy Page 4 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy 3) It shall be the responsibility of the Administrative Services Coordinator to ensure MRSC rosters and vendor lists are maintained, paid for and advertised as may be required by state law. 4) Amendments or change orders to contracts, including inter -local agreements may be approved by the BOCC. 5) Signature Authority. a. The BOCC has signing authority on contracts valued at $5000.00 or more. b. Department Heads and/or Elected Officials have signing authority on contracts valued at less than $5000.00. 6) Requests to purchase must be submitted to the BOCC and shall include the following information: a. Kind of Purchase: L Public Work ii. Materials, Supplies and equipment not connected to a public work project iii. Service/leases b. Which method of procurement chosen L Vendor Roster ii. MRSC Roster iii. Qualifying Interlocal Agreement/ Purchasing Cooperative iv. DES Contract v. RFB/RFP/RFQ c. Responses from solicitation d. Vendor selected e. Approved budgeted amount f. Total purchase cost, including taxes g. Method of purchase (Credit Card/Invoice) 7) Any and All purchases from Amazon utilizing County resources for the purchase of items for the use by County departments, offices or employees shall be made through the Central Services Amazon account. 8) All Technology related purchases shall be approved and/or performed through the Central Services Department. 1504.05 Purchase of materials, supplies or equipment. Grant County Personnel Policy Page 5 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy 1) Purchasing Limitations. Purchase limitations apply to the cost of individual items or the sum of the same items purchased at the same time to fulfill a specific business need, which are not part of a public works project as defined by RCW 39.04.oio and these policies. Cost is inclusive of sales tax, delivery charges and any related miscellaneous charges. Limits shown and processes identified in the Contract Authorization Summary shall be followed when authorizing the acquisition of materials, supplies or equipment. 2) Exceptions to Purchasing Limitations (RCW 39.04.28o). The BOCC is authorized to allow open market purchases without obtaining the regularly required competitive quotes or bids under the following conditions: a. Special Market Conditions. When supplies or used equipment is offered at a very favorable price and will be sold before the County will have a chance to complete the bidding process. It is possible to procure obvious bargains through the procurement of surplus or distress material, supplies or equipment without following bidding procedures b. Auctions. RCW 39.30.045 authorizes the County to acquire supplies, materials, and equipment through an auction conducted by the United States or any agency thereof, an agency of the state of Washington, a municipality or other government agency, or any private party, without quotations or bids, if the items to be purchased can be obtained at a competitive price. c. Inter -local Joint Purchasing Agreements. Materials, equipment, supplies and services may be purchased under RCW 39.34•o8o using joint purchasing agreements with a city, county, state or other public agency where bid requirements of this policy have been followed by the cooperating agency in obtaining bids. Originating agency's bid process shall be vetted to assure compliance with all applicable laws. d. Sole Source Procurement. A contract for the purchase of materials, supplies, or equipment may be awarded without complying with the bidding requirements of this policy when the department director determines in writing, subject to BOCC approval through resolution, after conducting a good faith review of available resources, that there is only one source of the required materials, supplies, or equipment. The department director or his/her designee shall conduct negotiations, as appropriate, as to price, terms, and delivery time. Sole source purchases shall be made available for public inspection. e. No Bids, Proposals or Quotations Received. When no bids or quotations are received in response to an invitation to bid or request for quotations, the department director or his/her designee is authorized to procure the required item through direct Grant County Personnel Policy Page 6 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy negotiations with a vendor or to rebid as the BOCC deems appropriate. f. Emergency Procurements. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this policy, the BOCC may make or authorize others to make emergency procurements of materials, supplies, equipment, or services without complying with the requirements of this section when there exists a threat to public health, welfare, or safety or threat to proper performance of essential functions; provided, that such emergency procurements shall be made with such competition as is practicable under the circumstances. A written determination of the basis for the emergency and for the selection of the particular contractor shall be included in the contract file. As soon as practicable, a record of each emergency procurement shall be made and shall set forth the contractor's name, the amount and type of the contract, and listing of the item(s) procured under the contract, which shall be reported to the BOCC at the next subsequent meeting. The County must produce a negotiated contract for each emergency purchase within fourteen (14) days of procurement or the work being performed. 3) RCW 39.04.28o allows waiving of competitive bidding for the purchase of insurance and bonds. 4) Informal Competitive Quotes - Materials, Supplies or Equipment up to 10,000. a. A County representative shall make an effort to contact at least three vendors. The number of vendors contacted may be reduced if the item being sought is only available from a smaller number of vendors. When fewer than three quotes are requested or if there are fewer than three replies, an explanation shall be placed in the procurement file. b.. Whenever possible, quotes will be solicited on a lump sum or fixed unit price basis. c. At the time quotes are solicited, the County representative shall not inform a vendor of any other vendor's quote. d. A written record shall be made by the County representative of each vendor's quote on the materials, supplies, or equipment, and of any conditions imposed on the quote by such vendor. e. All of the quotes shall be collected and presented at the same time to the appropriate designee as appropriate for consideration, determination of the lowest responsible vendor and award of purchase. f. Whenever there is a reason to believe that the lowest acceptable quote is not the best price obtainable, all quotes may berejected and the County may obtain new quotes or enter into direct negotiations Grant County Personnel Policy Page 7 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy to achieve the best possible price. In this case, the department shall document, in writing, the basis upon which the determination was made for the award. 5) Vendor Lists - Materials, Supplies or Equipment between $10,00o and $50,000 a. The use of vendor lists is authorized by RCW 39.04.190 and whenever possible, requires at least 3 written, informal quotes. b. Vendor lists must be solicited at least twice per year in a newspaper of general circulation. c. Contracts must be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. d. Immediately after the award from a vendor list, all bid quotations must be recorded and made open to public inspection. e. At least every two months, the agency must post a list of contracts awarded using each list, including the date, the name of the contractor, the amount of the contract and a brief description of the items purchased. 6) MRSC Roster & DES Contracts 7) Purchasing Cooperatives - Materials, Supplies or Equipment a. If a Department Heads & Elected Officials looks to the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) seeking a contract for specific goods or services and one is not found, Grant County may utilize an approved purchasing cooperative provided: i. A membership is made and/or interlocal purchasing agreement is entered into, as deemed appropriate by the County's Civil Attorney, between Grant County and the selected purchasing agreement. 1. The BOCC shall approve all purchasing cooperatives. 2. A list of such approved purchasing cooperatives shall be maintained by the Administrative Services Coordinator b. Grant County shall ensure that: i. The desired contract was competitively bid; ii. The County will have access to all bid documents and have archived for its own purposes the bid, award, pricing, and contract documents for proper retention of the contract award; iii. These options shall include vendors with contracts for specific good and services; and iv. All other requirements will be met pursuant the County's normal procurement standards. 8) Formal Competitive Bid - Materials, Supplies, or Equipment Grant County Personnel Policy Page 8 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy a. General. Unless otherwise specifically approved by the BOCC, all contracts relating to the purchase of materials, equipment, or supplies shall be in accordance with the County budget. b. Invitation for Bids. An invitation for bids shall be issued which shall include the specifications and the contractual terms and conditions applicable to the procurement. c. Public Notice. Public notice of the invitation for bids shall be published a minimum of one time in a newspaper of general circulation within the County, not less than 13 calendar days prior to the date set forth therein for the opening of bids, unless for good cause shown, the County authorizes a different period of time. The public notice shall state the date and time of bid opening. Bids not received by the date and time statedfor bid opening will not be accepted or considered. d. Bid Opening. Bids shall be opened publicly and recorded at the time and place designated in the invitation for bids. e. Withdrawal of Bids - Cancellation of Awards. i. Grant County will automatically approve, in writing, any such timely and properly reported bid error and request for bid withdrawal it receives. Bidder will be asked for explanation of withdrawal. The withdrawn bid will be identified as such in the County's records and the submitted packet will remain a public record within the County's records pursuant to Washington State's Public Disclosure Act ii. Grant County reserves the right to give consideration to any claim of bid error not meeting the criteria set forth if doing so is believed by the County to be in the best interest of the County and the public it serves. f. Determination of Non -Responsible Bidder: Should Grant County determine that a bidder does not meet the requirements of a responsible bidder pursuant to RCW 39.04.350, it will provide, in writing, the reason(s) for the determination. The bidder may appeal the determination within three (3) working days by presenting additional information to Grant County. The County will consider the additional information before issuing its final determination. If the final determination affirms that the bidder is not responsible, then Grant County may not and will not execute a contract with any other bidder g. Award. The BOCC shall award purchases for amounts greater than the limits as identified in the County budget and for purchases not included in the adopted budget. The award of bid shall be made to the lowest responsible bidder whose bid meets the specifications and Grant County Personnel Policy Page 9 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy evaluation criteria set forth in the invitation for bids. The County may reject all bids at its discretion. h. Lowest Responsible Vendor. The following factors, in addition to price, may be taken into account by the County in determining the lowest responsible vendor; these criteria shall also apply in selecting products or services either offered with, or associated indirectly with, County programs or facilities: i. Any preferences provided bylaw to local products and vendors; ii. The ability, capability, and skill of the vendor to perform the contract; iii. The character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience, and efficiency of the vendor; iv. Whether the vendor can perform the contract within the time specified; N-. The quality of performance of previous contracts or services; Ni. The previous and existing compliance by the vendor with laws relating to the contract; vii. Such other information as maybe secured having a bearing on the decision to award the contract. viii. Life Cycle Costing. In considering the purchase of materials, equipment, supplies, whenever there is a reason to believe that applying the "life cycle costing" method of quote evaluation would result in the lowest total cost to the County, first consideration shall be given to purchases with the lowest life cycle cost which complies with the specifications. ix. Recycled Products. The County shall also seek to maximize purchase of products using recycled materials and products suitable for recycling, unless the purchase will result in an unreasonable increase in price or degradation of quality or performance over comparable products. 1504.o6 Public works projects. 1) Purchasing Procedures. Procedures for any public work or improvement shall be governed by RCW 35.23.620. Cost for a public works project includes all amounts paid for materials, supplies, equipment, and labor on the construction of that project which is inclusive of sales tax, unless exempted by law. 2) Purchasing Limitations. The BOCC may authorize the purchase and execution of public works projects equal to or less than the dollar threshold for small works projects as provided under RCW 39.04.155 as amended. Grant County Personnel Policy Page 10 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy 3) Competitive Bids. "Craft" or "trade" means a recognized construction trade or occupation for which minimum wage categories are established by the Department of Labor and Industries of the State of Washington in the locality of the County's projects or purchases. a. Projects for single craft or multiple crafts with a reasonably anticipated price equal to or less than the dollar thresholds as provided under RCW 35.23.352, as amended, require a minimum Of 2 - 4 written quotes. All purchases require an executed contract. b. Projects for single craft or multiple crafts with a reasonably anticipated price higher than the dollar thresholds as provided under RCW 35.23.352, as amended, up to the limits set forth by RCW 39.04.155 as amended shall either use the small works roster or a formal competitive bid procurement process. All purchases require an executed contract. 4) Small Works Roster. There is established for Grant County a small works roster contract award process for accomplishment of public works projects with an estimated value threshold as provided under RCW 39.04.155, as amended. 5) Roster List. Grant County shall contract with the Municipal Research and Service Center (MRSC) annually to establish, maintain and manage a current roster of eligible contractors from which the County may solicit bids for work on Small Public Work Projects (Projects $350,00o and under). 6) Process. Whenever work that has received BOCC approval is sought to be accomplished using a small works roster, a County representative shall obtain telephone, written or electronic quotations from contractors on the appropriate small works roster to assure that a competitive price is established and to award contracts to the lowest responsible bidder as follows: a. A contract awarded from a small works roster need not be advertised. Invitations for quotations shall include an estimate of the scope and nature of the work to be performed as well as materials and equipment to be furnished. However, detailed plans and specifications need not be included in the invitation. This paragraph does not eliminate other requirements for architectural or engineering approvals as to quality and compliance with building codes. b. Quotations shall be invited from all contractors in the appropriate category of the small works roster. As an alternative, quotations may be invited from at least five contractors on the appropriate small works roster who have indicated the capability of performing the kind of work being contracted, in a manner that will equitably distribute the opportunity among the contractors on the appropriate roster. If the estimated cost of the work is$250,000 to $300,000, the County may choose to solicit bids from less than all the appropriate contractors on the appropriate small works roster Grant County Personnel Policy Page 11 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy but must also notify the remaining contractors on the appropriate small works roster that quotations on the work are being sought. The County has the sole option of determining whether this notice to the remaining contractors is made by: i. Publishing notice in a legal newspaper in general circulation in the area where the work is to be done; ii. Mailing a notice to these contractors; or iii. Sending a notice to these contractors by facsimile or other electronic means. c. For purposes of this policy, "equitably distribute" means that the County may not favor certain contractors on the appropriate small works roster over other contractors on the appropriate small works roster who perform similar services. At the time bids are solicited, the County representative shall not inform a contractor of the terms or amount of any other contractor's bid for the same project. d. A written record shall be made by the project manager of each contractor's bid on the project and of any conditions imposed on the bid. Immediately after an award is made, the bid quotations obtained shall be recorded, open to public inspection, and available by telephone inquiry. e. At least once every year, the Administrative Services Coordinator or his/her designee shall provide a list of the contracts awarded under this process to the BOCC and to the general public. The list shall contain the name of the contractor or vendor awarded the contract, the amount of the contract, a brief description of the type of work performed or items purchased under the contract, and the date it was awarded. The list shall also state the location where the bid quotations for these contracts are available for public inspection. 7) Determining Lowest Responsible Bidder. Where bidders have not been prequalified, the County shall award the contract for the public works project to the lowest responsible and qualified bidder; provided, all bids may be rejected and the County may call for new bids. 8) Cancellation of Invitations for Quotations or Bids. An invitation for quotations or bids may be canceled at the discretion of the department director. The reasons shall be made part of the contract file. Each invitation for quotations or bids issued by the County shall state that the invitation may be canceled. Notice of cancellation shall be sent to all parties that have been provided with a copy of the invitation. The notice shall identify the invitation for quotations or bids and state briefly the reasons for cancellation. 9) Limited Public Works Process. a. The County may award a contract for work, construction, alteration, repair, or improvement projects estimated to cost less than $50,000 using the limited public works process provided: Grant County Personnel Policy Page 12 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy b. Public works projects awarded under this subsection are exempt from the other requirements of the small works roster process and are exempt from the requirement that contract be awarded after advertisement as provided under RCW39.04.010. c. For limited public works projects, the County shall solicit electronic or written quotations from a minimum of 3 contractors from the appropriate small works roster d. The County shall award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder as defined under RCW 39.04.010. e. After an award is made, the quotations shall be open to public inspection and available by electronic request. f. Department representative(s) must equitably distribute opportunities for limited public works projects among contractors willing to perform in the geographic area of the work. g. Department representative(s) shall maintain a list of the contractors contacted and the contracts awarded during the previous twenty-four months under the limited public works process. The list shall include" L The name of the contractor ii. The contractors registration number iii. A brief description of the type of work performed iv. The date the contract was awarded h. For limited public works project, the County may waive the payment and performance bond requirements of chapter 39.o8 RCW and may waive the retainage requirements of RCW 6o.28.o11(1)(a), thereby assuming the liability for the contractor's nonpayment of laborers, mechanics, subcontractors, material, persons, suppliers, and taxes, increases, and penalties imposed under Titles 50, 51, and 82 RCW that may be due from the contractor for the limited public works project, however the state agency or authorized local government shall have the right of recovery against the contractor for any payments made on the contractor's behalf. 1o) Formal Competitive Bid. For public works not using a small works roster, the formal competitive bid process, as defined by applicable 'RCW's, shall be used. 11) Bid Deposit, Performance Bond and Non -collusion Affidavit for Public Works Improvement Projects. Whenever competitive quotes or bids are required, a bidder shall be required make a deposit in the form of a certified check or bid bond in an amount equal to not less than five percent of the total bid, which percentage shall be specified in the call for bids. As part of any bid submitted, the bidder shall be required to warrant that the bid is a genuine bid, and that he/she has not entered into collusion with any other bidder or any other person. All public works contractors shall furnish a performance bond in an Grant County Personnel Policy Page 13 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy amount equal to the total amount of the contract and an executed and notarized non -collusion affidavit on a form approved by the County Attorney. In lieu of a performance bond on contracts of $35,000 or less, per RCW 39.08.010, a contractor may choose to have 50 percent of the contract retained for a period of 3o days after the date of final acceptance. 1504-07 Contracts and Agreements for Services. 1) Purchasing Limitations. Purchase limitations apply to the cost related to the acquisition of services to fill a specific business need. Cost is inclusive of any required sales tax and related expenses. a. All initial agreements with governmental agencies, annual renewal or extension of existing contracts and agreements require BOCC approval. 2) Process. a. Architectural, Landscape Architectural, and Engineering Services Contracts. Procedures set forth in Chapter 39.8o RCW shall be followed for contracts for architectural and engineering services, as defined in RCW39.80.020. b. Roster. Grant County shall contract with the Municipal Research and Service Center (MRSC) to establish, maintain and manage a current roster of eligible Architectural, Landscape Architectural and Engineering consultants from which the County may solicit bids for contract for providing these services. c. Contracts Less Than $100,000. Contracts that have an estimated cost of less than $100,00o can be procured using an informal request for qualification process. This process requires the County representative to develop a written scope of the project and any criteria used to select the service provider and then select a qualified contractor from the County's architectural, landscape architectural, and engineering service roster. If the County representative does not choose to use the appropriate roster, then a formal request for qualification process must be followed. d. Contracts Greater Than $100,000. Contracts that have an estimated cost in excess of $100,00o must use a formal request for qualification (RFQ) process. The development of an RFQ along with the proper public notification shall be made in accordance with procedures adopted by the finance department in the best interest of the County; provided, however, that the BOCC may in the following circumstances waive the RFQ process for contracts greater than $100,000, and allow the acquisition of servicesfrom the County's architectural, landscape architectural and engineering services roster: Grant County Personnel Policy Page 14 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy i. It is deemed in the best interest of the County to expedite the acquisition of services; or ii. It can be demonstrated that there are sufficient consultants on the roster that possess the required qualifications to perform the scope of work; or iii. A consultant on the County's roster has previously provided satisfactory service to the County, has previously provided services related to the specific project, and has the qualifications to perform the scope of work. e. Contract Required. A contract is required to purchase architectural, landscape architectural, and engineering services. 3) Professional and Nonprofessional Services (Services which are not Architectural, Landscape Architectural, and Engineering Services). a. Contracts Less Than $1oo,000. Contracts that have an estimated cost of less than $1oo,000 can be procured using an informal request for proposal process. This process requires the County representative to develop a written scope of the project and any criteria used to select the service provider. The County representative will use this information when selecting the contractor to provide the services. Multiple proposals are optional and at the discretion of the department director. If multiple proposals are used to make a selection, a standard process must be used for obtaining all proposals. b. Contracts in Excess of $1oo,000. Contracts that have an estimated cost in excess of $1oo,000 shall be procured using a formal request for proposal (RFP) process. c. Contract Required. A contract is required to purchase professional and nonprofessional services. 1504.08 Sole Source Procurement. 1) A contract for the provision of services may be awarded without complying with the bidding requirements of this policy when the Department Head/Elected Official determines in writing, subject to BOCC approval through resolution, after conducting a good faith review of available resources, that there is only one source of the required services. The department director or his/her designee shall conduct negotiations, as appropriate, as to price, terms, and delivery time. Sole source purchases shall be made available for public inspection. 1504.09 Interlocal joint purchasing agreements. 1) Cooperative Purchasing. The County may enter into interlocal governmental cooperative purchasing arrangements with other public Grant County Personnel Policy Page 15 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy agencies similarly authorized under RCW 39.34.030 when the best interests of Grant County would be served thereby. Any cooperative purchasing agreement shall set forth fully the purposes, powers, rights, objectives and responsibilities of the contracting parties and shall be governed by the requirements of State law in regard to competitive bidding, when applicable. The competitive bid process of the original jurisdiction shall substitute for Grant County's. All interlocal joint purchasing agreements shall be presented to the BOCC for prior approval. Originating agency's bid process shall be vetted to assure compliance with all applicable RCW's. 1504.10 Real property acquisition. 1) Real Property - BOCC Acquisition Authority. The BOCC or designee is authorized, in the following instances, to accept by gift or acquire dedications, easements, rights- of -way, fee estates or other interests in real property for use by or on behalf of the County or any department of the County: a. Minor Acquisitions. Any such acquisition where the estimated value is less than $1o,000. b. All other real property acquisitions will be submitted to the BOCC for approval. 2) Real Property BOCC Leasing Authority a. The BOCC is authorized to execute leases of real property on behalf of the County where the term of the lease does not exceed one year and the consideration does not exceed $1o,000 per year as budgeted by the County. i. A designee may be authorized to execute leases by formal resolution. b. A lease that exceeds the limits stated in subsection (b) (i) of this section, shall be submitted to the County for approval. 1504.11 Telecommunications and Data Processing Purchases. 1) RCW 39.04.27o allows local governments to use a competitive negotiation process when purchasing telecommunications and electronic data processing computer equipment or software instead of traditional competitive bidding. This alternative process requires an RFP. 2) An RFP may be used for solicitations for services when Grant County determines that price, along with qualifications, is the best method to achieve the intended outcome. a. A request for proposals (RFP) must be published in a newspaper of general circulation at least 13 days before the submission deadline. Grant County Personnel Policy Page 16 of 17 Grant County Personnel Policy b. Reasonable procedures for technical evaluation of the proposal must be used for awarding the contract. c. The contract must be awarded to the qualified bidder whose proposal is most advantageous to the County. d. The agency may reject all proposals for good cause and request new proposals. The RFP should include several sections as follows: i. Purpose. This section provides a brief description of what the procurement is seeking. ii. Agency Background. This optional section should briefly outline how the project was developed. iii. Goals and Objectives. This should describe what the project needs. iv. Scope of Work. This section should be well-written and done so in a manner that encourages fair competition. It should include an adequate level of detail that addresses the tasks and products of the project. Clarity in the scope of work will help you avoid future disputes about intended performance. v. Selection Process and Anticipated Timeframe. This details the process for selecting an awardee. vi. Evaluation Criteria. The evaluation criteria should be clear, should tie the criteria to the scope, and should identify the value in the scoring process to each criteria. Include the scoring matrix in this section and provide the decision schedule, if available. vii. Submittal Requirements. In this section list all the information that firms should submit, including the firm's general approach to the project, a list of key personnel who would work on the project, along with their experience and availability, and general scope and deliverables. It helps to keep the submittal requirements, page limitations, and due date in the same section of the RFP, and to allow for flexibility in the format of responses. viii. Submittal Deadline. A good deadline allows an adequate response time based on the complexity of the project. Agencies should be willing to accept electronic proposals and should acknowledge receipt of all proposals. e. The Agency's Standard Terms and Conditions. By attaching this information to the RFP, you are asking the proposing vendor to affirm that your agency's terms and conditions are acceptable. If the terms are not acceptable, require that the vendor describe the reasons for taking any exceptions, and that the vendor propose alternative language. Include this as part of the evaluation criteria Grant County Personnel Policy Page 17 of 17