§ 3.04.040. Purchase procedures—Equipment and supplies.

A.

Purchases of equipment and supplies by the purchasing agent or by any assistant purchasing agent shall be made in accordance with the applicable provisions of this section, state or federal law, and such consistent purchasing policies or regulations as may be adopted by the purchasing agent.

B.

Informal Bid Process. Unless otherwise specified by this chapter or state law and except where the purchasing agent finds that competitive bidding would not be in the public interest, purchase of supplies and equipment not exceeding fifty thousand dollars require proof of an informal bidding process including supporting information. For purchases of less than one thousand dollars, a minimum of one informal quote is required. For purchases of more than one thousand dollars but not exceeding fifty thousand dollars, a minimum of three informal quotes are required. The actions and results of obtaining informal quotes, including any vendors declining to quote, shall be documented in the form and manner prescribed by the purchasing agent. The purchase shall be awarded (if at all) to the responsible bidder submitting the quote that is most advantageous to the county and conforms to the needs of the county, as determined by the purchasing agent or assistant purchasing agent (if applicable) in his or her sole discretion. In the event that the quote selected is not the lowest price, the specific reason for selecting the higher quote shall be documented. If it is necessary to use a single source because of a unique product an explanation shall be included in the documentation for the purchase.

C.

Formal Bid Process. If the amount of the purchase is estimated to exceed fifty thousand dollars, then bids shall be solicited by public notice, except where the purchasing agent finds that competitive bidding would not be in the public interest. Following any bidding process, the purchasing agent may (but is not required to) authorize the proposed purchase. The method and extent of public notice shall be prescribed by the purchasing agent. All bids shall be submitted sealed to the purchasing agent or his or her designee. The purchasing agent may reject any or all bids for any or all supplies or equipment. A tabulation of all bids received, whether accepted or rejected, shall be open for public inspection for a period of not less than thirty days after the bid opening. In all cases, the award shall be made by the purchasing agent (if at all) to the responsible bidder submitting the quote that is most advantageous to the county and conforms to the needs of the county, as determined by the purchasing agent in his or her sole discretion. In the event that the quote selected is not the lowest price, the specific reason for selecting the higher quote shall be documented. If it is necessary to use a single source because of a unique product, an explanation shall be included in the documentation for the purchase. In determining whether to authorize a purchase, the purchasing agent shall take into consideration the quality offered and its conformity with the specifications, the delivery and discount terms and conditions of the bid, and other information and data required to prove the bidder's responsibility.

D.

Local Preference. With respect to any purchase governed by this section or by subsection B. of Section 3.04.050, the purchasing agent may in his or her sole discretion give preference of up to five percent to responsible local vendors, where the quality of the equipment, supplies, or services offered by local and non-local vendors is equal. In other words, the purchasing agent may approve a purchase wherein the price paid by the county to a responsible local vendor is five percent higher than the price the county would otherwise have paid to a responsible non-local vendor. A vendor shall be deemed "local" if his or her place of business is located in either Mono County or in the general vicinity of the City of Bishop in Inyo County. The rationale for allowing such a local preference includes assisting the county's economy, increasing local sales tax revenues, and encouraging new businesses to locate in the county. The purchasing agent may utilize any method of evaluating bids or quotations that achieves this purpose, including but not limited to deducting the amount of the preference from bids or quotations submitted by responsible local vendors and then comparing them to bids or quotations submitted by non-local responsible vendors. The purchasing agent's final decision of whether and how to give a local preference in the context of a particular purchase shall be made prior to any solicitation of quotations or bids.

E.

Board of Supervisors. In carrying out this section, the purchasing agent may (but is not required to) seek the advice and consent of the board of supervisors. In addition, the board reserves to itself, in lieu of the purchasing agent, the right to solicit bids and award any particular purchases pursuant to this section.

(Ord. 00-07 § 4, 2000: Ord. 273 § 4, 1957.)

(Ord. No. 09-02, § 5, 8-4-2009; Ord. No. 17-11, § 1, 8-15-2017)