Purchasing Authority

The Board delegates to the Superintendent or designee the authority to determine the method of purchasing, in accordance with CH (LOCAL), and to make budgeted purchases. However, any purchase that costs or aggregates to a total cost of $10,000 or more shall require Board approval before a transaction may take place.

Current Purchasing Policy

District purchasing procedures require the use of an approved, signed purchase order form processed via the business office for all orders obligating the District. This includes campus and student activity funds. Any purchase without a purchase order is against School Board Policy and current Administrative procedures. The Board shall not be responsible for debts incurred by persons or organizations not directly under Board control. Persons making unauthorized purchases shall assume full responsibility for all such debts.

Competitive Proposals

Competitive proposal requirements are applied to annual aggregate purchases made by the entire District. They are not applied on an individual campus basis. If you are unsure as to the requirements for purchasing goods or services for your campus/department, contact the Purchasing Department.

Contracts valued at $50,000 or more in the aggregate for each 12-month period shall be made by competitive proposal methods in accordance with Section 44.031 of the Texas Education Code. Please contact the Purchasing Department if you have any questions regarding these types of contracts or to obtain the approved vendor list and appropriate pricing. These competitive proposal methods will be handled by the Purchasing Department. Examples of these types of contracts include, but are not limited to, the following:

--Plumbing Services --Printing Services --Professional Services

--Athletic Supplies --Garbage Service --School Buses

--Nursing Supplies --Copier Service --Property Insurance

--A/C & Heating Services --Fleet Fuel --Vehicle Maintenance

--Instructional Supplies --Office Supplies --Telecommunications

If competitive proposal is chosen as the purchasing method, the Purchasing Department will prepare proposal specifications. A request for sealed proposals will be posted in the legal section of the local newspaper(s) and on the Navarro ISD website. The ad will run 2 times within 2 consecutive weeks. The proposal opening will be 10 days after the last date of advertisement. All proposals shall be submitted in sealed envelopes, plainly marked with the name of the vendor, RFP number, and the time of opening. All proposal vendors shall be invited to attend the proposal opening. Any proposal may be withdrawn prior to the scheduled time for opening. Proposals received after the specified time shall not be considered. The District may reject any and all proposals.

Purchases of goods or services valued between $1,000 and $10,000 in the aggregate for each 12-month period require written or telephone price quotations from at least three vendors from the vendor list for that category of items. Vendor lists may be obtained by calling the Purchasing Department. Telephone quotes must be confirmed in writing by mail, e-mail or facsimile. The written quotes must be attached to your purchase order and forwarded to the Purchasing Department for processing and final approval. The quotation records must be retained with school records and are subject to audit. The purchase shall be made from the lowest responsible vendor quote. If the lowest vendor quote is not chosen, an explanation must be stated on the quotation form. Please call the Purchasing Department should you have any doubt as to whether or not the items you wish to purchase should be quoted. Examples of these types of purchases include, but are not limited to:

• Equipment

• Textbooks

• T-shirts

If a purchase order over $1,000 is submitted without three (3) quotes, the purchase may be rejected.

The school district also participates in inter-local agreements with other local governments, the state, or a state agency to purchase goods and services. By purchasing under these agreements, the district satisfies the requirement to seek competitive bids for the purchase of the goods and services. Please contact the Purchasing Department if you are interested in purchasing goods and services through these agencies. Examples of these agencies include, but are not limited to the following:

• State of Texas Purchasing Coop

• Education Service Center Region 20

• Department of Information Resources

• Texas Cooperative Purchasing Network

• Buy board

• Pace