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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-266 ~ l' fD'. N\1fJ PlSf, PrtTv s FlY' ' RESOLUTION NO. 08-266 A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE ST. LUCIE COUNTY MANUAL OF PURCHASING REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES BY CREATING SECTION 4.12 TO ALLOW THE PURCHASE OF SOME CAPITAL EQUIPMENT BY PURCHASING CARD; AMENDING SECTIONS 5.31 5.41 5.51 5.6 AND 7.3 OF THE PURCHASING MANUAL TO INCREASE THE THRESHOLD FOR FORMAL BIDS TO $501000; AMENDING SECTION 5.5 TO CLARIFY THAT THE BOARD MAY WAIVE THE BID REQUIREMENT WHEN IT DETERMINES THAT IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE COUNTY TO DO SO; AMENDING SECTION 5.7 TO CLARIFY PIGGYBACKING PROCEDURE; AMENDING SECTION 6.3 TO CHANGE THE AUTHORIZATION LEVELS; AMENDING SECTION 7.1 TO EXEMPT PURCHASES OF LESS 'THAN $51000 AND PROVIDE, FOR THE USE OF INFORMAL QUOTATIONS FOR AMOUNTS UNDER $151000; AMENDING SECTION 7 .2 TO PROVIDE FOR THE USE OF FORMAL QUOTATIONS FOR AMOUNTS BETWEEN $151000 AND $491999.99; DELETING SECTION 7.3A AND INCORPORATING ITS ELEMENTS INTO SECTION 7.3; MOVING REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FROM SECTION 7.10 TO SECTION 7.6 AND SETTING FORTH COMPOSITION OF SELECTION COMMITTEES; AMENDING SECTION 7.7 TO REFLECT PUBLIC ENTITY CRIMES STATUTE; AMENDING SECTION 7.8 TO ADD AN APPEAL TO THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR BID PROTESTS; AMENDING SECTION 8.2 TO ALLOW LIQUIDATED DAMAGES TO BE INCORPORATED INTO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACTS UPON APPROVAL; MOVE WORK AUTHORIZATION FROM SECTION 9.7 TO SECTION 8.8; MOVE WORK AUTHORIZATION AMENDMENT FROM SECTION 9.8 TO SECTION 8.9; AMENDING SECTION 9.1 TO PROVIDE FOR USE OF FORMAL SEALED BIDS FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS OVER $501000.001 TO PROVIDE FOR USE OF FORMAL QUOTATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS BETWEEN $151000 AND $5010001 AND TO PROVIDE FOR INFORMAL QUOTATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UNDER $151000; DELETING OF SECTION 12.2 MULTIPLE PURCHASE ORDERS; AMENDING SECTION 14.2 TO INCLUDE REQUIREMENT FOR CONSULTANT EVALUATION FORM; CREATING SECTION 14.3 WORK AUTHORIZATION PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION PROCEDURES; AMENDING SECTION 14.6 TO REQUIRE THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT TO REPORT TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET EACH YEAR THE AMOUNT OF INTEREST PAYMENTS MADE BY THE COUNTY; AMENDING SECTIONS 18.11 18.61 AND 19.1 TO REFLECT THAT PERSONAL PROPERTY GUIDELINES ARE NOW SET BY RULE OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER NOT STATE STATUTE; AMENDING VARIOUS SECTIONS. TO REFERENCE THE MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DIRECTOR AND TO REFLECT NEW PURCHASING DIVISION STRUCTURE; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS1 on October 71 19851 the Board of County Commissioners for St. Lucie CountY1 (the "Board") adopted Resolution No. 85-212 which established the purchasing regulations and procedures for St. Lucie CountY1 Florida1 as set forth in the St. Lucie County Manual of Purchasing Regulations and Procedures (the "Purchasing Manual"); and since that date the Purchasing Manual. has been amended from time to time1 most recently by Resolution No. 08-123. NOW 1 THEREFORE1 BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida: 1. The St. Lucie County Manual of Purchasing Regulations and Procedures is hereby amended as shown in the attached Exhibit "A". 2. This resolution shall become effective upon adoption. After motion and second1 the vote on this resolution was as follows: Commission Joseph E. Smith1 Chair AYE Commissioner Paula A. Lewis1 Vice Chair AYE Commissioner Doug Coward AYE Commissioner Charles Grande AYE Commissioner Chris Craft AYE PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 2~ day of OU~ 1 2008. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ST. LUCIE COUNTY1.FLORIDA BY:.yU)~ /llee- Chairman . BY: PURCHASI.NGMANUAL St. Lucie County Purchasing _ Division 2300 Virginia Avenue, Room 228 Ft. Pierce, FL. 34982-5652 (772) 462-1700 htlP:/ /www.co.st-Iucie.fl.us EXHIBIT j HA {I SECTION 1 .11 12 1], 1.4 1,5 1,6 SECTION 2 .u 2,2 2,3 2.4 2,5 2,6 2,7 2,8 SECTION 3 li 3.2 3.3 3.4 3,5 3,6 3,7 3,8 SECTION 4 1.:1 4,2 4,3 4.4 4,5 4,6 4.7 4,8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 SECTION 5 ~ 5,2 5,3 5.4 5,5 5,6 5,7 5,8 J, ~ PURCHASING MANUAL EFFECTIVE DATE: MAY 13, 2008 XXXXX MANUAL INTRODUCTION Purpose Scope Distribution Implementation Revisions Recommendations GENERAL PURCHASING OVERVIEW Value of Centralized Purchasing Role of the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division Role of Operating Agencies Role of the Finance Department General Purchasing Policies Conflict of Interest Specific Purchasing Policies and Procedures Conflict of Interest:- Federally Funded Grant Projects Vendor Reference Requests PETTY CASH PURCHASES Petty Cash Policy Petty Cash. Purchqse Authorization Petty Cash FUnds Petty Cash Custod.ian Petty Cash DivisicmProcedure Petty Cash Reimbursements Petty Cash Ye;3r-End Reimbutsement Disallowancedf Petty Cash Purchases PURCHASING CARDS Purpose - Policies and Procedures How It Works Who Does What? Assignment and Control of the Purchasing Card Cardholder Us~ of Purchasing Card Proceduresf()rMaking and Paying forPurchases Disputes Dispute Proce9ure Review of Purchi3ses by Department Travel GafEIs Purchasing pard Disaster Plan Caoital Eauioment Purchases OUTSIDE PURCHASES Competitive. Bidding Policy Obtaining PricrEE$timates Outside Purfhi3s~sUnder $50.000 $25,000,00 Outside Purchases of Items of $50,000 $25,000 or More Bid Waiver Exempt Purchases of $50,000 $25,000.00 or More Piaavbackind:Pl.lrf::hase of Goods, Equipment, and Contractu31 Services from other Government?1 Bids Purchase Award Procedure ,.., SECTION 6 .u 6.2 6,3 6.4 6.5 SECTION? L1 7,2 1,3 7,3^ REQUISITION PROCEDURE Requisition Form Requisition Preparation Electronic Requisition Authorization Requisition Submission Requisition Review VENDOR SELECTION Informal Quotations Formal Quotations Forma/Sealed Bids St. Lucio County St~nd~rd Procodures for Competitive Bidding (Commodities ~nd Contr3ctu~1 Servicoc) Introdwction . . Public ,^,nnounconlonts Bid Seloction Procodures 7.4 Addenda to Specifications 7,5 Request for Proposals 7.6 . Request for Qualifications 7,7'J.-,@ Public Entity Crimes 7,8 H Resolution of Solicitation and Proposed Award Protests 7,9 +-cg Minority Business Participatiorr 7.10 M Authorization to Debar Vendors 7.10 Roquosts for QU3/ific3tions 7.11 Procurement Procedures for State or Federally Funded Grant Programs SECTION 8 8,1 8,2 8,3. 8.4 8,5 8,6 8.7 8,8 8,9 SECTION 9 QJ 9,2 9,3 9.4 9,5 9,6 9,7 9,8 9.7&,.9 SECTION 10 10,1 10.2 10,3 10.4 10,5 10.6 10,7 SECTION 11 ill 11.2 11,3 CONTRACT PROCEDURE Contracts in the Purchasing Process Contract Requirements Contract Preparation Contract Execution Contract Recording Procedure Issuance of Contract Purchase Order Contract Amendments Work Authorization Amendments to Work Authorization CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS Capital Construction Policy Construction Proposals Construction Contract Award Contract Initiation Contract Change Order Contract Amendment Work l\uthoriz~tion l\mondmontc to Work l\uthoriz3tion Bonding and Insurance Requirements PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACTS Competitive Negotiations Policy Professional Services Definition Professional Services Authorization Requests for Proposals Professional Services Negotiations Professional Service Contracts Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Professional Services Procurement Procedure EMERGENCY PURCHASES Emergency Purchase Policy Definition of an Emergency Emergency Purchase Authorization 1'1.4 11,5 SECTION 12 12,1 12.2 12.3 SECTION 13 13.1 13.2 13,3 Emergency Purchase Over $10,000 Emerge(1cy Purchase Follow-up PURCHASE ORDER Purchase Order Preparation Purchase Order Chanaes Multiple Purch~so Ordors Purch3se Ordor Ch3nges RECEIVING Receiving of Orders Receiving Report Receiving Procedure SECTION 14 PAYMENT PROCEDURES 14.1 Payment Authorization 14.2 Construction Contract Payment Authorization 14.3 Work Authorization Pavment Authorization 14.4 11.3 Payment for Construction Services 14.511,1 Retainage Procedures for Construction Services Contracts 1.4,6 11,5 Payment for Orders and Non-construction Services 14.7 11,6 PaymentLimits SECTION 15 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 1'5. 8 15.9 15.10 15.11 . SECTION 16 16,1 16,2 SECTION 17 17,1 17.~ 17.3 17.4 SECTION 18 18,1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18,6 18.7 18.8 18.9 SECTION 19 19,1 TRAVEL AND EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES Travel and Educational Reimbursements In County Travel Authorization Out of County Travel Authorization Travel Arrangements Travel Advances Travel Reimbursement Claims Educational Expenses Authorization Educational Expense Claims Organizational Memberships Subscriptions Payment to Outside Vendors MISCELLANEOUS OBLIGATIONS Mi.scellaneous Transactions Procedure for Miscellaneous Obligations MATERIALS CENTER Materials Center Authorization for Materials Center Use Scheduling. Work at the Materials Center Payment for Materials Center Orders CAPITAL ASSETS County Owned Personal Property Procedure for Acquisition of Capital Asset Porson31 property Procedure forthe Transfer of Capital Asset Person~1 Property Procedure for the Disposition of Caoital Asset Person~1 Proporty Property Less than $1,000.00 Asset Capitalization Guidelines Modular Furniture Hardware Costs Hardware/Software INTANGIBLE ASSETS Software Costs AMENDING RESOLUTIONS SINCE 1991 1994: 94-34,94-49, 94-66, 94-255 1997: 97-48,97-131,97-144,97-178 1"998: 98-25,98-181 1999: 99-234 2001: 01-26,01-102,01-2.89,01-300 2002: 02-8 2003: 03-253 2004: 04-66 2004: 04-159 2004: 04-189 2006: 06-183 2008: 08-118 2008: 08-122 2008: 0.8-191 SECTION 1 - MANUAL INTRODUCTION 1,.1 PURPOSE The Purpose of this Purchasing Manual is to serve as a source of instruction to all County Departments and Employees regarding the Purchasing Policies and Procedures of S1. Lucie County, Florida. The adoption of this Purchasing Manual and the approval of any subsequent revisions by the Board of County Commissioners shall authorize the Policies and Procedures contained herein for official use in County Business, 12 SCOPE The Scope of this manual includes all Departments and Dependent Taxing Districts under the jurisdiction of the Board of County Commissioners, as well as all purchasing transactions that are paid for directly from County Funds under the control of the Board of County Commissioners. a. Thismanual PREEMPTS all previously existing purchasing manuals, policies, and procedures. b. The Scope of this manual shall not include payroll transactions relative to the Board of County Commissioners. 1,3. DISTRIBUTION This manual will be distributed to all County Departments and to all County Employees involved in the purchasing process. The Purchasing Department Division shall be responsible for distributing copies of this manual to all appropriate parties. 1.4 IMPLEMENTATION The County Administrator shall be responsible, through the Purchasing. Dop3rtment Division, headed by the Purch3sing Director of Management and Budget for implementing and enforcing the policies and procedures set forth in this manual. a. Each Department Director shall be responsible for implementing and enforcing these policies and procedures within their respective jurisdictions. b. The Purch3sing Director or Manaaement and Budget, as head of the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division, shall exercise functional authority over the County Purchasing Process for the purpose of implementing and enforcing these policies and procedures on a countywide basis, as well as in the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division for its role in the process. c. The Finance Department, headed by the Finance Director, and under the authority of the Clerk to the Board, an Independent Elected Officer, shall exercise dual authority over the County Purchasing Process for the purpose of implementing and enforcing these policies and procedures on a countywide basis, as well as in the Finance Department for its role in the process. d, A violation of any of the policies and procedures in this manual may be grounds for disciplinary action. .In addition, a violation may result in the County's refusal to pay for any improperly ordered good~ or service~. e, The Board of County Commissioners shall have the authority, in specific cases determined to be exceptional, to waive or override the policies and procedures in this manual and to directa different handling of each such case. ". , 1.& REVISIONS This manual is to serve as a permanent and up-to-date guide to County Purchasing Policies and Procedures. As necessary changes are made in policies and procedures, appropriate revisions will be made. The Purchasing. Dep3rtmont Division shall be responsible for accurately maintaining this manual and for distributing revisions to all appropriate parties, .1& RECOMMENDATIONS Responsible County Employees are encouraged to make recommendations on sections of the manual that, due to changing conditions, may need revision. Also, they are encouraged to make recommendations on new subjects not currently included in the manual. a. Any such recommendation should be submitted through appropriate Organizational Channels to the County Administrator for review and consideration. b. The County Administr3tor Attorney shall be responsible for presenting any proposed revision to this manualto the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration. $ECT'ON 2 - GENERAL PURCHASING OVERVIEW 2.1 VALUE OF CENTRALIZED PURCHASING The strength of the Central Purchasing System is its ability to serve the Departments without requiring them to maintain their own internal purchasing process. The Value of Centralized Purchasing has long been recognized in both government and private Business. a, Centralized Purchasing promotes economy and efficiency by facilitating accounting and finance control and by enabling quantity purchasing and the standardization of frequently used items. b, Also, Centralized Purchasing facilitates public advertising and competitive bidding by channeling the purchasing process through a specialized Purchasing Department Division. 2.2 ROLE OF THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT DIVISION The role of the Purchasing Department Division in the purchasing process is to serve the Departments. a. The Purchasing Dep3rtment Division is responsible for verifying that the departments have adhered to County Purchasing Policies in locating and ordering goods and services, and more particularly, as follows: 1. Conform to the specifications provided by the Department; 2. Are the lowest reasonable cost; 3. Are available within the time requested by the Department, or as soon as possible; and, 4. Conform to the procedures of a professional and ethical purchasing process. b, The Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division is also responsible for insuring proper authorization and recording of all purchase transactions by its personnel. 2,3 ROLE OF OPERATING AGENCIES The role of Departments in the purchasing process is to utilize the services of the Purchasing DopartmentDivision. a, Departments are responsible for: 1. Identifying, as soon as possible and sufficiently in advance, their needs for goods and services in their County Operations and Activities. 2. Notifying the Purchasing Department Division of all purchasing needs, utilizing the proper forms and procedures as described in this manual. 3. Providing clear and precise specifications for each item or service being ordered. 4. Determining that sufficient funds are available in their authorized budgets to pay for each item or service that they order. 5, Inspecting all items or services as delivered, and notifying the Finance Department of the receipt in order to authorize payment to the Vendor. b. Departments shall adhere to proper procedures for all purchase transactions initiated by their personnel. 2.4 ROLE OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT . The role of the Finance Department, as an agent of the Clerk to the Board, is to serve as the Accountant and Treasurer to the Board of County Commissioners. In the purchasing process, the Finance Department is responsible for: a. Pre-auditing all payment requisitions, prior to disbursement, to determine accuracy, legality, and propriety, and to determine that appropriate policies and procedures have been followed. b. Rejecting any payment requisition for a purchase transaction in which the policies and procedures outlined in this manual Has have not been followed. c. Disbursing funds for purchase transactions that are legal and proper, and in compliance with aJlappropriate policies and procedures. d. Recording all disbursements in the County's Accounting Records. 2.5 GENERAL PURCHASING POLICIES The adoption of this Purchasing Manual formalizes the General Purchasing Policies of the Board of County Commissioners, as follows: a. All purchases shall be made by the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division, except as otherwise provided hereinafter. b. A County employee acting in a private capacity shall not rent, lease, or sell any realty, goods, or services to the County. A County employee, for the purposes of this section only, shall not include any member of the S1. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners. With regard to the receipt of any benefit or profit from any contract or purchase made by the County, the actions of the County Commissioners as well as the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budaetor any other County employee having the authority to commit the expenditure of County funds through the issuance of a purchase order shall be governed by Chapter 112, Florida Statutes. c. No County employee shall solicit' or accept anything of value to the employee including a gift, loan, reward, promise of future employment, favor, or service based on any understanding that the judgment of the employee would be influenced thereby. d. The Purchasing Dep3rtment Division strives to maintain a strong and enduring relationship '1ith vendors of proven ability. To accomplish this, purchasing activities will be conducted so that vendors will value County business and make an effort to meet our requirements on the basis of quality, service, and price. e. The County will buy only from suppliers who have adequate financial strength, high ethical standards, and a record of adhering to specifications, maintaining shipping promises, and giving a full measure of service. New sources 'of supply shall be given due consideration as multiple sources of supply are necessary to ensure availability of materials, f. All Bidders must Qe afforded equal opportunities to.furnish price quotations and are to compete on equal terms. g. The Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall act as the County Representative on all matters pertaining to Purchasing, h. The Purchosing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall not knowingly issue a Purchase Order when there is evidence of a conflict of interest. In instances when a conflict may exist, but its existence is not clearly established, the Purchosing Director of Manaaement and Budget shall refer the matter to. the County Attorney whose opinion shall be final in the absence of any specific action by the Board of County Commissioners. All contracts between the County and any vendor or consultant shall contain the following c1Eluse: CONFLICT OF INTEREST The CONTRACTOR represents that it presently has no interest and shall acquire no interest, either direct or indirect, which would conflict in any manner with the performance of services required hereunder, as provided for in Section 112.311, Florida Statutes 112,311, The CONTRACTOR further represents that no person having any interest shall be employed for said performance. The CONTRACTOR shall promptly notify the COUNTY, in writing, by certified mail of all potential conflicts of interest prohibited by existing state law for any prospective business association, interest or other circumstance which may influence or appear to influence the CONTRACTOR'S judgment or quality of services being provided hereunder. Such written notification shall identify the prospective business association, interest or circumstance, the nature of work that the CONTRACTOR may undertake and request an opinion of the COUNTY as to whether the association, interestor circumstance would, in the opinion of the COUNTY, constitute a Conflict of Interest if entered into by the CONTRACTOR. The COUNTY agrees to notify the CONTRACTOR of its opinion by certified mail within 30 days of receipt of notification by the CONTRACTOR. If, in the opinion of the COUNTY, the prospective business association, interest or circumstance would not constitute a Conflict of Interest by the CONTRACTOR, the COUNTY shall so state in the notification and the CONTRACTOR shall, at his/her option, enter into said association, interest or circumstance and it shall be deemed not in Conflict of Interest with respect to services provided to the COUNTY by the CONTRACTOR under the terms of this Agreement. I. The County has established a policy that any professional Consultant that contracts with the COUNTY as an advisor as to the feasibility of any County capital project, shall not be .eligible to participate in any future design work on that project that might become necessary as a result of the Consultant's advice. This policy shall be included in any request for proposals requesting advice as to the feasibility of any County Project. The Board of County Commissioners may determine to waive this policy by majority vote if the Board determines that there is a compelling reason to waive the policy. j, Products or Materials with Recycled Content Any Vendor contracting with the County is required to procure products or materials with recycled content with respect to work performed or products supplied under the contract when those products or materials are available at reasonable prices. A decision not to procure such items must be based on a determination. that such procurement: 1. Is not available within a reasonable period of time, or 2. Fails to meet the performance standards set forth in the applicable specifications or fails to meet the reasonable performance standards of the agency; The vendor shall provide the County with a written statement indicating what recycled products were used or supplied, If a decision was made not to use recycled products, the vendor shall provide the County with a written statement indicating the basis for the decision using the above-specified criterion. 2,6 SPE:CIFIC PURCHASING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Specific purchasing policies and procedures will vary depending on the type and cost of the item or service being purchased. This manual is organized into a number of sections describing policies and procedures applicable to different purchasing transactions and controls. a. Primary Purchasing Transactions Primary Purchasing Tr~msactiQns are divided into a number of mutually exclusive categories. These categories areas follows: 1. Petty Cash Purchases - Section 3 2. Outside Purchases - Section 5 3. Construction Contracts - Section 9 4. Professional Services Contracts - Section 10 5. Emergency Purchases - Section 11 6. Travel and Educational Expenses - Section 15 7. Miscellaneous Obligations - Section 16 b. Purchasing Controls Various Purchasing Controls are utilized by the Purchasing Division and Finance Departments and' other Central Management Agencies to oversee various purchasing transactions. These controls are as follows: 1. Requisition Procedure - Section 6 2. Vendor Selection - Section 7 3, Vendor Certific3tion Proceduro Section 7,9 ;l.4. Professional Services Negotiations - Sectiong 10.5 9.6 ~md 9,7 4. a, Contract Procedure - Section ll4-1- i2. g. Purchase Orders - Section 12 ,2. +. Receiving - Section 13 L g. Payment Procedures - Section 14 2,7 CONFLICT OF INTEREST - FEDERALLY-FUNDED GRANT PROJECTS In addition to the provisions of Section 2.5f9j of this Purchasing Manual, the following standards of conduct apply to all federally supported grant projects: No elected official, employee, or agent of the County shall participate in selection or in the award or administration of a contract supported by Federal funds if a conflict of interest, real or apparent would be rnvolved. Such a conflict wO!dld arise when: a. The elected official, employee, or agent b. Any member of his or her immediate family, c, His or her partner, or d. An organization which employs, or is about to employ, any of the above, has a financial or other interest in the finn selected or considered for award. The County's elected official~, employees, or agents shall neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from contractors, potential contractors, or parties to sub-agreements, Violations of these standards of conduct may result in disciplinary action as set forth in SectionChaptor112,317, Florida Statutes (1997) provided that such disciplinary action does not conflict with the jurisdiction of the State of Florida Commission on Ethics. 2,8 VENDOR REFERENCE REQUESTS From time to time, the CQunty receives requests for references regarding vendors, contractors, and professional services providers with whom the County does business. All such requests are to be handled by the Purchasing Departmont Division. In the event an employee receives a verbal request for a reference, the employee should refer the person making the request to the Purchasing Director of ManaQement and Budaet for response, If the request is in writing, the employee should forward the written request to the Purchasing Director of Management and Budaet for response. SECTION 3 - PETTY CASH PURCHASES ;t1 PETTY CASH POLICY The cost of purchasing supplies and services of small monetary value through the usual purchasing procedure is usually excessive in relation to the value of supplies and services received. For this reason, the County has adopted a Petty Cash Purchase Procedure. 3.2 PETTY GASH PURCHASE .AUTHORIZATION Petty Cash Purchases are authorized for minor purchases as follows: a. Freight and Postal Charges with no dollar limit. b. Minor items with a limit of $25.00 per transaction when needed by a Field Crew or County Facility in a remote location.. A remote location shall be a distance of five (5) or more miles from the County Administration Building. c. Fees for summons, subpoenas, and witnesses with no dollar limit. d; Fees for recording instruments and documentary stamps paid to the Clerk of the Courts with no dollar limit. e. Fees for tags and titles payable to the State of Florida or to the Tax Collector. 3,~ PETTY CASH FUNDS The establishment of a Petty Cash Fund and the amount of such a fund for any Division must be authorized by the Board of County Commissioners and the Clerk of the Circuit Court. a. Any agenda item requestLllil for the establishment of such a Fund, or for an increase or decrease of the amount, bya Division should be submitted to the Management & and Budget Director for review Drior to Board approval. b. The M3n3gement & Budget Director shall submit 311 requests to the B03rd of County Commissioners for thoirconsider3tion. b. G7lf approved by the Board of County Commissioners and the Clerk of the Circuit Court, the Finance Department will make the disbursement to establish or increase the fund. c. G.ln event of the disestablishment of a Division or its Petty Cash Fund, or the reduction of the amount authorized for such a fund, the Finance Department shall be responsible for recovering the appropriate amount from the Petty Cash Fund. 3.4 PETTY CASH CUSTODIAN In each Division authorized to maintain a Petty Cash Fund, the Division Director shall designate a single employee as Petty Cash Custodian, and another employee as Relief Custodian. a. Such designations must be made in writing and filed with the Finance Department. . I . b. The Division Director, the Petty Cash Custodian, and the Relief Custodian must have their signatures on filewith the Finance Department, and must certify in writing to the Finance Department their knowledge and understanding of the policies and procedures governing Petty Cash, c. Petty Cash Custodians will be accountable to the Finance Department for the fixed amount of the Petty Cash Funds under their custodianship. d. Petty Cash Custodians will keep all Petty Cash Funds in a metal box equipped with a lock. At all times, other than regular working hours this locked box will be stored in a safe or in a locked desk. e, No Employee other than the Custodian and Relief Custodian will have access to the Petty Cash Fund. f. In the event of a change in the Petty Cash Custodian in a Division, the Former Custodian must submit the amount of the fund and any un-reimbursed vouchers to the Finance Department to close out the custodianship. Only after close outbythe Former Custodian will the New Custodian receive custody of the Petty Cash Fund from the Finance Department. g. Petty Cash Custodians will be liable personally for any loss or misapplication of the Petty Cash Funds under their custodianship, except in the case of theft. 35 PETTY CASH DIVISION PROCEDURE Each Division Director authorized to maintain a Petty Cash Fund shall be responsible for enforcing the general authorization for Petty Cash Purchases within their Department. a. Each Division Director shall establish Departmental Internal Control Procedures for making and approving Petty Cash Procedures. b. Any employee so authorized by the division procedure may make a Petty Cash Purchase directly from a vendor in accordance with the general authorization of Section 3.2. . c. A Division Director shall have authority to disallow any purchase not made in accordance with Division and County Policy and Procedure. d. PETTY CASH VOUCHER FORM must be prepared to record each Petty Cash Purchase, The Voucher shall be pre numbered and must: 1. Be typed or prepared legibly in ink, 2. Bear the signature of the person receiving the money, 3, Be supported by a Vendor's Original Invoice or Receipt. e. All Petty Cash Purchases must be approved in writing by the Division Manager and the Petty Cash Custodian, who shall affix their signatures upon the PETTY CASH VOUCHER FORM. f. The original copy of the PETTY CASH VOUCHER shall be submitted for reimbursement, and a duplicate copy shall be maintained on file with the Petty Cash Custodian. 3,6 PETTY CASH REIMBURSEMENTS To obtain a Reimbursement for Petty Cash Vouchers, the Petty Cash Custodian will prepare a PETTY CASH REPORT FORM and submit iUo the FinanceDepartment. a. A PETTY CASH REPORT may be prepared any time during the month when it is determined that a reimbursement is necessary. The report will be prepared as follows: Assign to the report a Transmittal Number that will be consecutively numbered for each fiscal year for the Department in the following format: "FY91-001," "FY91-002," etc; 1. Count all cash in the fund and record the amount counted on the PETTY CASH REPORT - "Actual Cash on Hand." 2. Group all PETTY CASH VOUCHERS to be reimbursed by Voucher Number. 3. List and enter all Vouchers by Voucher Number, the account number to be charged, and the dollar amount in 'the space provided under "Vouchers Attached for Reimbursement." There must be a Vendor's Invoice or Receipt and a PETTY CASH VOUCHER FORM for each transaction listed. 4. Total of petty cash on hand and petty cash vouchers must equal petty cash fund amount. 5, The report must be signed by the Custodian and approved by the Division Director for reimbursement. b, After approval by the Division Director, the original of the PETTY CASH REPORT FORM along with all supporting vouchers will be forwarded to the Finance Department. The duplicate copy of the report shall be maintained on file with the Petty Cash Custodian. c, After receiving the PETTY CASH REPORT with supporting vouchers, and after appropriate pre-audit review, the Finance Department will prepare the reimbursement payment for. the department's petty cash fund. 1. Payment will be charged against the appropriate departmental budgetary expenditure accounts. 2. AI.I payments reimbursing petty cash funds will be drawn payable' to the respective petty cash custodian by their personal name and words "Petty Cash." 3. The Finance Department will cancel each and every voucher and other supporting documents attached to the report with a paid stamp immediately after the reimbursement warrants are prepared. The paid stamp will be placed only once on the front of each document and the date must coincide with the date on the payment. 4. Any irregularity found during the pre-audit shall be reported immediately to the respective Division Director. . 3.7 PETTY CASH YEAR-END REIMBURSEMENT At the end 0f the fiscal year, all Petty Cash Vouchers must be submitted for reimbursement and cash balance taken to Finance for verification of fund amount on the last workday of the year. This year-end reimbursement and audit will insure that Petty Cash Purchases are recorded in the proper fiscal year and that proper control is maintained over all Petty Cash Funds, 3,8 DISALLOWANCE OF PETTY CASH PURCHASES Any Petty Cash Purchase not made in accordance with Division and County petty cash policies and procedures will not be paid or reimbursed by the County. Both the Division Director and the Finance Department shall have the .authority to disallow any purchase not made in accordance with such policies and procedures. AI:' SECTION 4 - PURCHASING CARDS The St. Lucie County Purchasing Card Program is designed to improve efficiency in processing low dollar purchases from any vendor that accepts the Visa credit card. Most of our suppliers accept the Visa Purchasing Card. This program allows the cardholder to purchase approved commodities and services directly from our vendors. Each Purchasing Card is issued to ,a named individual and St. Lucie County is clearly shown on the card as the Governmental buyer of goods and services. Purchasing and Accounting will monitor the performance of the program. All questions or concerns should be directed to: Procurement Policy related: Purch3sing Director Procurement Coordinator Ext. 1700 Procurement Operations related: Procurement Coordinator Ext. 1700 Payment related: Accounts Payable Supervisor Ext. 1493 4.1 PURPOSE - POLICIES AND PROCEDURES a. Provide an efficient method of purchasing and paying for goods and services not exceeding $2,499 per purchase, b. Reduce the use of small and multiple, purChase orders. c. Ensure that Purchasing Card purchases are in accordance with the County's ordinances, policies, and procedures. , d. Reduce the time spent processing low dollar transactions. e. Ensure that the County bears no legal liability from inappropriate use of Purchasing Cards. . f. Provide for disciplinary action if th..e Purchasing Cards are misused. Herein are the minimum standards for County Departments. . County Departments may establish additional controls with approval of the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budaet. 4,2 HOW IT WORKS The Purchasing Card system simplifies the procurement/disbursement process. Procurement responsibility is delegated to the ordering department enabling an authorized cardholder to place an order directly with the vendor. When a purchase authorization is requested by the supplier at the point-of-sale, the Visa Purchasing Card system checks the transaction against preset limits established by the employee's department. Transactions are approved or declined (electronically) based on the Purchasing Card authorization criteria established. The authorization criteria may be adjusted periodically as needed and may include, but is not limited to, the following: a. Single purchase limit as set by Department Director (not to .exceed$2,499) b. Monthly spending limit c. Approved Merchant Category Codes d. Number of transactions allowed per day e. Number of transactions allowed per month The authorization process occurs through the electronic system that supports the Purchasing Card processing services under St. Lucie County's agreement with Bank of America. 4.3 WHO DOES WHAT? The following are the responsibilities of the individuals and organizations involved in the Purchasing Card system: Cardholder: · Hold and keep secure Purchasing Card and card number . Order materials and services .. . Receive and inspect all ordered materials and services, report discrepancies to merchant, card representative, and to Purchasing · Save all sales receipts, turn into Department Card Representative as soon as possible . I"dentify disputed charges . Review monthly charges with Purchasing Card Representative · Sign monthly statements certifying charges prior to submission to Finance Department Purchasing Card Representative: (Individual(s) designated by Department Director) . Review monthly statement with cardholder . Match receipts with monthly card statement, encode proper account . Review monthly statements for validity of all transactions . Verify that funds are available in the proper account to pay for the purchases . Process accountina data in Banner .. Sign the monthly st3tement authorizing charges . Verify the appropriateness of cost center codes (Le., fund r agency / org. assigned to charges) . Handle disputed items identified by cardholder .. Forward statement(s) '.'lith completed transmittal form to the Purchasing Finance Department . Perform regular inspection of card possession by cardholders Department Director or Designee(s): . Request Purchasing Card(s) for designatedemployee(s) . Set Card spending limits within established guidelines . Collect cards from cardholders who end employment .. Evaluate the need to cancel or reissue cards when employees transfer . Notify the Card AdministratOr otterminatedcards . Appoint a Department Purchasing Card Representative . Sign the transmittal form authorizing charges Purchasing Card Administrator or Designee(s): (Appointed by Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet) . Coordinate issuance and cancellations of cards . Coordinate program policy issues . Participate in ongoing program reviews . Participate in resolving billing disputes . Maintain Policy and Cardholder guides/manuals .0 Finance Department: · Receive approved monthly transmittal form from Deoartment Purchasina Card Reoresentative statements from cardholders · Receive consolidated statement from Purchasing Card issuer · Confirm that all charges are authorized by Department Representatives · Notify department when approved monthly transmittal forms statoments are not received · Pay monthly charges from consolidated statement · Process payment to Bank of America accounting dotainto .Ban nor · File andstore approved transmittal forms st3temonts · Administer 1099 reporting · Conduct periodic operational and compliance audits Purchasing Dep3rtment Division: · Approve/disapprove requests for Purchasing Card · Final resolution of supplier disputes · Pursue supplier discount opportunities · Evaluate Purchasing Card feedback from suppliers · Coordin3tominority business reporting · Establish and monitor benchmarking objective · Coordinate and maintains internal controls · Target new cardholders and expand use of Card · Perform physical audits of card possession by cardholders 4.4 ASSIGNMENT AND CONTROL OF THE PURCHASING CARD a. REQUESTS FOR AND ISSUANCE OF PURCHASING CARD 1. Requests for new Cardholders or for changes to current Cardholders shall be made by. submitting a completed Request/Certification/Receipt form to the Purchasing Card Administrator. 2. All requests for Purchasing Cards must be signed by the Department Director. 3. Purchasing Cards may be issued to individual employees who frequently purchase goods and services, 4. The Purchasing Card will have the employee's name, the County name, and the expiration date embossed on the face of the card. The County's Florida s31es t3x exemption number is preprinted on the Purchasing Card. The Purchasing Card issuing company will not have individual Cardholder information other than the Cardholder's work address. No credit records, social security numbers, etc., of the Cardholder are maintained by the issuing company. 5. When the Purchasing Card Administrator receives a Purchasing Card from the issuing card company, the Cardholder will be required to personally attend and complete Purchasing Card training, take receipt of the card and sign a certification/receipt form. The Cardholder will be given a copy of the Purchasing Card Policies and Procedures guide and an oral review of the program. Each Card Will be activated by the Purchasing Card Administrator after the Cardholder has attended the training and received his/her Card. b. LOST OR STOLEN PURCHASING CARDS OR CARD NUMBERS 1, If a Purchasing Card. is lost, stolen, or misplaced, or if the Cardholder thinks that the number has been used without hjs or her authorization, the Cardholder must immediately notify the Purchasing Card Company and the Purchasing Card Administrator of the loss. DO NOT ASK BANK OF AMERICA TO REPLACE YOUR CARD!! Purchasinq will do that. BANK OF AMERICA 1-888-449-2273 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) 2. The Cardholder shall report all information necessary and complete aU forms required to reduce the. liability to the County for. a lost or stolen card or card number, and shall work with any law enforcement agency in prosecuting theft. c, TERMINATION OR TRANSFER OF CARDHOLDER 1. When an employee ends his/her employment or is transferred to another department,. the Department Director shall collect the Purchasing Card, destroy it (cut it in half), and submit the pieces of the card to the Purchasing Card Administrator. 2. If the Department Director is unable to coll.ect the Purchasing Card when an employee leaves, he/she shall immediately notify the Purchasing Card Administrator by telephone followed by a memo, The Purchasing Card Administrator will ensure that the card is canceled. 4,5 CARDHOLDER USE OF PURCHASING CARD a, CARDHOLDER USE ONLY The Purchasing Card shall only be used by the employee whose name is embossed on the card. No other person is authorized to use the card.. The cardholder is responsible and accountable for all transactions that occur on his/her card. Upon receipt of the Purchasing Card, the cardholder should NOT sign the back of the card, but, should write in indelible ink one of the following: SEE PHOTO ID, SEE COUNTY ID, or SEE DRIVERS LICENSE. b. COUNTY PURCHASES ONLY The Purchasing Card is to be used for County authorized purchases only. The Purchasing Card shall not be used for any personal use and any such use will require immediate reimbursement and will result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal. c. SPENDING LIMITS 1. The Department Director approving the assignment ofa Purchasing Card will set two limits for each cardholder: single purchase limit and 30-day limit. The maximum limit shall be $4.999.000 $2199.00 for a single purchase. Additional limitations maybe mav be imposed by the requesting Director. 2. Requests for spending limit changes shall be initialed by a memo to the Procurement Card AdministratorPurch::1sing Director by the Department Director. 3. A purchase may be made of multiple items, but the invoice cannot exceed $4.999.000 $2199.00 or the Cardholder's limit if less than $4.999,000 $2"l99,OO. Charges for purchases shall not be split to stay within the single purchase limit. Splitting charges will be considered abuse of the Purchasing Card Program. 4. When it is in the_best interest of the .county, the Purch3sing Director of Management and Budget or Designee(s) can over ride larger purchases. 5, When in the best interest of the County, The County Administrator may authorize the Purchasing Department Division to make payment by credit card to take advantage of discounts. The funds will be encumbered until paid by the card. d. OTHER CONDITIONS 1. All items purchased over-the-counter must be immediately available. No back ordering is allowed. 2. All items purchased during one telephone transaction must be delivered in a single delivery. If an item is not immediately available, no back ordering is allowed. 3. All items purchased by telephone must be delivered by the vendor within the 30- day billing cycle. The order should not be placed without this assurance. e. PROHIBITED USES OF PURCHASING CARDS The following types of items shall not be purchased with a Purchasing Card, regardless of the dollar amount: . Cash advances . Alcohol or drugs . No Capital Equipment (over $1,000)(This aoolies to Department Cardholders ~ . Entertainment (except when authorized by the County Administrator via Entertainment Justification Form) . Professional or Contracted Services that are related to an active County contract . Clothing . Food or Recreation (except for special programs) . Travel expenses such as hotels, automobile rental,. and airline tickets (unless cardholder has a card specifically authorized for travel expenses.) . Any additional goods or services specifically restricted by the department 4,6 PROCEDURES FOR MAKING AND PAYING FORPURCHASES a. DOCUMENTATION OF OVER-THE-COUNTER PURCHASES 1. When an over-the-counter purchase is made, the Cardholder must obtain the customer's copy of the charge slip. 2. The charge slip will be retained either by the Cardholder or by the Department Purchasing Card Representative. b. TELEPHONE ORDERS When placing a telephone order, the. Cardholder must confirm that the vendor will charge the Purchasing Card when shipment is made so that receipt of the supplies may be certified on the monthly Statement of Account. This is also a requirement of the vendor's contract with VISA. c. SALES AND USE TAXES The County is exempt from paying any State of Florida (and generally all other States) sales and/or our use tax, even if the purchase is made with the Purchasing Card. If the vendor charges sales tax, the Cardholder must contact the vendor and obtain a credit equal to the amount of the sales tax. This applies to out of state purchases also. St. Lucie County's S-310s T3x. exemption number is printed on tho bce of tho Purch3sing C3rd. If you have a problem with any merchant about sales or any other tax, please contact thePurchasing Dop3rtment Division. d. MISSING DOCUMENTATION If for some reason the Cardholder does not have documentation of the transaction to send with the statement to his/her Purchasing Card Representative, he/she must attach a description of the purchase along with a signed certification that the purchase was made in accordance with the County's Policies and Procedures and that the purchase was required for County operations, Failure to promptly provide such certification may result in disciplinary actions and the employee may be required to pay the County for the undocumented expense. Continued incidents of missing documentation will result in the cancellation of the employee's Purchasing Card. e. PAYMENT AND INVOICE PROCEDURES 1. The Purchasing Card company will mail one consolidated statement for all Cardholders to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division, This Statement of Account will list all transactions processed during the previous billing cycle (usually 30 days). (Each individual Cardholderwill receive their statement directly from Bank of America and/or electronically from the Purchasing Dop3rtmont Division) If no purchases were made on the Purchasing Card during the billing cycle, no Statement of Account will be generated unless adjustments for previously billed transactions have been processed during that cycle. 2. . The Cardholder must review the statement and note any errors or disputes. Account numbers for each item (or account numbers and total dollar amounts fo'r groups of items) should be written on each receiotand the tr3nsmittal form to be attached to the statement. The st3tement Each receiot will then be reviewed and signed by the cardholder. By signing the receiots st3tement, the cardholder is certifying that all charges are appropriate and authorized County purchases. The statement will then be reviewed and signed by the Department Purchasing Card Representative and lor Department Head. Once the department representative has reviewed and signed all statements for which they are responsible fef, the statements and the transmittal with signatures will be forwarded to the Finance Department within five working days after receipt. Card charge slips/receipts for all items listed on the statement shall be retained in the department fqr auditing purposes. Auditing will be at the discretion of Purchasing, Finance, or the County Auditors. 3. The Finance Department will ensure that the Purchasing Card charges are paid timely and that the consolidated statement received is reconciled against the individual cardholder statements forwarded from the department. Department Directors, Purchasing, and Purchasing Card Administrator will be notified when individual statements are not received in the allotted time. Continued failure to meet the five workday .deadlines may result in the revocation of Purchasing Cards at the discretion of the Purch3sing Director of Management and Budaet. 4. If the statement is not received in the Finance Department within the five days, then Finance will pay the statement and charge any transactions to the card's default account number. A late transaction processing charge may be added to late submittals. 4,7 DISPUTES a, If items purchased with the Purchasing Card are defective, the Cardholder must return the item(s) to the vendor for replacement or credit. If the service paid for with a Purchasing Card is faulty, the vendor must be notified and asked to correct the situation or provide a credit. If the vendorrefuses to replace or correct the faulty item or service, the purchase will be considered in dispute. If the quantity of items received is less than the invoice and charge billing, then the transaction musLbe disputed. b. If a vendor charges the Cardholder Sales Tax on the purchase, and the Cardholder is unable to get a credit for the amountof the tax, then this isa non-disputable item and must be paid by the cardholder. c. A disputed item must be explained with a note on the Cardholder's Statement of Account before the statement is forwarded to the Accounts Payable section for payment. d. It is essential that the time frames and documentation requirements established by the Purchasing Card issuer be followed to protect the cardhol~er's rights in dispute. 4.8 DISPUTE PROCEDURES . A dispute occurs when a Cardholder questions a transaction that has been charged to his/her account. The following steps must be taken to ensure prompt settlement: a. . The Cardholder contacts. the vendor about the transaction and supplies the necessary information to begin the resolution process, AND; b. The Cardholder completes the Bank of America VISA Dispute Form and faxes to Bank of America (facsimile1-800-253-5846) explaining the reason(s) for the dispute aswell as a copy of the statement, if the item has posted. Bank of America will then place the transaction into a disputed status. c. If the problem is resolved between the merchant and the Cardholder, the Cardholder should write the solution agreed. upon on the bottom of the Dispute Form that was previously faxed to Bank of America and fax it to Bank of America as soon as possible. If an agreement cannot be reached the following steps will be completed: d. After the item has been entered as a dispute, Bank of America must determine who is responsible by researching the transaction including requesting a copy of the sales draft when necessary. When responsibility. for the transaction is determined, the dispute will be settled on-line. e. When an account is in a dispute status, the disputed amount is still included in calculating the available money for authorizations (monthly limit). At the time the item is placed in dispute, it is removed from all finance charge, late charge, over limit fee,.and past due amount calculations. Finance charges which accrue from posting until the item is placed in dispute must be handled according to County policy. Any Cardholder statements generated while the account is in dispute will display the following message: YOUR ACCOUNT IS IN DISPUTE FOR $XXX.XX. THIS AMOUNT HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE FINANCE CHARGE OR PAYMENT CALCULATIONS, f. If the Cardholder is actually responsible for the transaction, the dispute is settled in favor of Bank of America and no further actions are required. If the Cardholder is not responsible for the transaction, the dispute is settled for the Cardholder and the . Charge back process may be initiated against the vendor. g, If there continues to be problems with a particular vendor, the Cardholder shall notify the Purch3sing Director of Management and Budget of the problems. 4,9 REVIEW.OF PURCHASES BY DEPARTMENT a, Because of their knowledge of the job responsibilities and requirements, Department Purchasing Card Representatives are required to review each Purchasing Card expenditure (item purchased,amount, and vendor) to ensure the goods or services were necessary, and for official use. By signing the transmittal form. the Purchasing Card Representative is. certifvina that all Purchasina Card exoenditures were necessarv.'and for official use. Tho Department Purchasing C3rd Representative must certify in writing all of the purch3ses on st3tements submitted to the Finance Department by the c3rd represent3tive, b. When purchases are questioned, the Department Director or the designated Department Purchasing Card Representative will be responsible for resolving the issue With the Cardholder. If the Department.. Director is not satisfied that the purchase was necessary and for official use, the Cardholder must provide either a credit voucher proving the item(s) were returned for credit; or a personal check (or cash) made payable to S1. Lucie County for the full amount of the purchase plus applicable sales tax. Checks alona with a coov of the invoice beiria reimbursed must be sent to the Finance Deoartment with the transmittal form Purch3sing Director within one week with a written explanation of why the violation occurred and the action taken to prevent reoccurrence. The personal check along. with a copy of the invoice being reimbursed will be JOr\'Varded to the. Finance Department by the Purchasing Director. c. The designated Department Purchasing Card Representative shall not review or approve charges to his/her own Purchasing Card. The Department Director must approve all charges made by a designated Purchasing Card representative. d. To help the department in their re'.'iews, management reports will be available from Purch:Jsing/Finance, 4,10 TRAVEL a. The S1. Lucie County Travel Regulations apply to all travel related transactions. The Travel Regulations reporting requirements are in ADDITION to the Purchasing Card requirements. The Travel Expense Request shall be submitted and approved prior to travel. b, The Original receipt(s) shall be submitted with the completed Travel Reimbursement Form. A copy of the travel charge receipt shall be maintained in the Cardholder's or Card Representative's office for verification against the monthly statement, (a copy of the receipt must be with the card holders monthly statement if they used their purchasing card to pay for their travel (i.e.: hotel/motel rooms gas, rental car, or airline tickets, etc,) and for archive purposes, Also, a copy of their travel receipts should be kept with their travel forms filed and kept in their department. The completed. Travel Reimbursement Form (with original receipts attached) shall be submitted to the Finance Department within five (5) days after completing the trip. c, Payments will be made to Bank of America by Finance on the regular monthly cycle for all. Purchasing Card transactions regardless of when the Travel Expense Request Form is received in the Finance Department. (i.e., khowyour monthly limit and how much is charged against it.) d. Employees that have Travel Authorized Purchasing Cards are NOT eligible for advance travel payments. 4,11 PURCHASING CARD DISASTER PLAN The Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division will have special high limit credit purchasing cards which will be issued during disaster type emergencies. These cards will be locked in the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division safe and signed out to the departments in a timely manner as directed by the County Administrator or his designee. These cards will be non-restricted and .carry a value of $250,000, Accordingly, this particular credit card will expedite purchases during these types of disaster. In addition, this will enable a controlled means of tracking expenses and reporting capabilities, as these cards are restricted for disaster use only. 4.12 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT PURCHASES When in the best interest of the County. capital eauipment may be ourchased with a soecifically desianated ourchasina card that will be in the name of the Finance Director. All caoital equipment purChases will 00 through the required reauisition procedures outlined in. the purchasina manual.. The Finance Director and the Director of Manaaement and Budaet will make the final decision on caoital eauipment exoenditures that are to be purchased with. the ourchasina card, All other Countv Durchasina cardholders are not oermitted to. make caoital equioment ourchases with their countv-issued ourchasina card. S'ECTION 5 - OUTSIDE PURCHASES 5.1 COMPETITIVE BIDDING POLICY Normally, major purchases of materials, supplies, equipment, and contracted services (excluding professional services) from. outside vendors by County Departments will be acquired through Competitive Quotations or Bidding through the Purchasing Deportment Division or pursuant to State Contract as provided by Chapter 287, Florida Statutes. The only exceptions permitted to this policy are those authorized in the other sections of this manual or authorized by the Board of County Commissioners. The acquisition of Professional Services is expressly exempted from this policy and such services shall be approved in accordance with Sciction 9 Section 10 of this manual. 5.2 OBTAINING PRICE ESTIMATES To obtain price estimates and/or product information, a Department should contact the Purchasing Deportmont Division for assistance, a. For a price estimate, the Department should prepare an APPROPRIATION form and submit it to the Purchasing Deportment Division. b. In response to such a request, the Purchasing Deportment Division will contact various vendors and obtain price estimates and/or product information. c. Afterward, the Purchasing Deportment Division will return the APPROPRIATION form indicating potential vendors, estimated prices, and product information. d. Such estimates should be distinguished from quotes, which will be obtained by the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division when an order is actually placed. 5.3 OUTSIDE PURCHASES UNDER $50.000 $25,000.00 Items or services under $15.000 $7,500 normally will be acquired through informal quotations as provided in Section 7..2 Section 7,1 of this manual. Items or services over $15.000 $7,500 and under $50.000 $25,000,00 normally will be acquired through formal quotations as provided in Section 7,3 Section 7.2 of this manual. However,purchases of less than$5.000, $2,500 or less are exempt from this policy. a. Purchases for the following items are. exempt from the purchase order process and shall be paid via the Check Request Form: 1. Subscriptions & Membership Dues 2. Registration Fees and Lodging Fees to include Airfare once approved via a Travel Request Form. 3, Permits, impact fees, and other such fees approved by the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet and Finance Director. b. To acquire items or services under $50.000 $25,000.00 a Department will prepare a REQUISITION form and submit it to the Purchasing Deportment Division. Section 6 of this manual governs the preparation and submission of the REQUISITION form. c, After receipt and review of the form, the Purchasing Deportment Division shall assist the Requisitioning Department in selecting a vendor for the requested item or service through informal quotations as provided in Section. 7.2 Section 7.1 or formal quotations as provided in Section 7,3 Section 7.2 of this manual, Other purchasing procedures, such as formal quotations or formal sealed bids, may be used to select a vendor .if the Purchosing Director of Management and Budaet deems such procedures appropriate for a particular purchase or group of related purchases, d. If there is a sole source for an item under $50.000 $25,000,00, the requirement for formal/informal Quotations may be waived by the Purchosing. Director of Manaaement and Budaet. However, written documentation by the Requesting Department Director shall be required and filed with the purchase order. e. After selecting a vendor for the purchase, the Purchasing Deportment Division will complete the purchase award process. 5.4 OUTSIDE PURCHASES OF ITEMS OF $50.000 $25,000.00 OR MORE Items of $50,000 $25,000.00 or more shall be acquired through Formal Sealed Bids approved by the Board of County Commissioners or under a State Contract, or Federal General Services Administration Contract pursuant to Chapter 287, Florida Statutes. a. To acquire items or contracted services of $50:000 $25,000,00 or more, a Department Director shall prepare a memorandu"m requesting the purchase and submit it to the Purchasing Dopartment Division along with any necessary applications. The memorandum must be signed by the Department DirectoL b. After receiptand review for completeness, the Purchasing Department Division will prepare a request for Formal Sealed Bids and follow the procedures set forth in Section 7,1 Section 7.3 of this manual. c. After a vendor has been selected by the Board of County Commissioners pursuant to Section 7.1 Section 7.3 of this manual, the Requesting Department will prepare a REQUISITION form for the purchase and submit it to the Purchasing Department Division. d. After receipt and review of the form, the Purchasing Deportment Division will complete the purchase award process. e, Professional services for $25,000.00 or more m3Y require a Request for Proposals (RFP) os set forth in Section 10,3, 5.5 BID WAIVER Certain purchases of $50.000 $25,000.00. or more shall be acquired through quotations if there is a Waiver of the requirement for formal sealed bids by the Board of County Commissioners. a. The Waiver of formal sealed bids may be requested: 1. If an emergency exists which would.. result in a direct loss to the County or imminent damage to public safety or health by requiring competitive bids due to the time loss inherent in the bidding procedures, 2, If there is oQly a single source for a purchase. 3, If used items are available which would result in a substantial savings over purchase of new items. 4. If the request is for a service contract for the maintenance, repair, or servicing of existing facilities or equipment owned or leased by the County. 5. If quotations indicate that the item may be purchased for a price, which is less than the price if purchased through State Contract~ as, provided by Chapter 287, Florida Statutes. 6. If the product is available from the State Department of Corrections Non-Profit Corporation for Correctional Work Programs organized under Chapter 946, Florida Statutes. 7. If no bids or only one bid is received in response to a request for formal sealed bids. 8. If the Board determines that it is in the best interests of the County to do so. b. FOr Bid Waivers on items of $50,000 $25,000.00 or more, a Department Director shall prepare and submit to the Purchasing Department Division a memorandum re- questing the waiver, stating the reason for such waiver and detailing the facts, circumstances, and conditions for the waiver. The memorandum must be signed by the Department Director. c. After receipt and review, the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division will recommend either to approve or to disapprove the request for a bid waiver. 1. If approval is recommended, the request will be submitted to the' County Administrator via an agenda request to the Board of County Commissioners. 2. If disapproval is recommended, the request will be returned to the Requesting Department. 3. Any dispute between the Purchasing Department Division and the Requesting Department shall be resolved by the County Administrator. . d. The County Administrator shall submit all recommended bid waiver requests to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration. e. If the bid waiver request is approved by a majority of Board of County Commissioners present at a regular or special meeting, the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division may proceed to acquire the requested items or services. If rejected, the item shall be advertised for sealed bids. 5.6 EXEMPT PURCHASES OF$50,000 $25,000.00 OR MORE Certain purchases, even if $50.000 $25,000.00 or more, shall be exempted from the requirement for Formal Sealed Bids approved by the Board of County Commissioners. , a, These exempt purchases are as follows: 1. Intergovernmental Purchases among County Departments. 2. Intergovernmental Purchases from other government agencies. 3. The purchase of petroleum products and utility services, including but not limited to water and sewer, electric, telephone, etc. 4. The purchase of items under State Contract, General Services Administration Contract pursuant to Chapter 287, Florida Statutes, once approved by the Board during the budgetary process, 5, The acquisition of Professional Services acquired in accordance with Section 10. 6. Purchases relating to computer hardware and software shall be at the discretion of the Board of County Commissioners. fat-- The Board recommends that all purchases relating to hardware and software, regardless of amount, be done by the formal quote process. 7. (a) Purchase of Library books, educational and/or personnel tests, similar audio/visual materials, periodicals, printed library cards afl€f,. f9t-- ~. Professional services and~ in instances where authorized by the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet. 'J'lhere commodities or services are-purchased directly from the owner of a copyright or patent, a governmental agency, a recognized educational institution, or where there are no other identifiable sources available, ~ 9. Goods, equipment and services acquired through the Request for Qualifications procedure described in Section 7 of this Manual. f9t-- ~ For such exempt purchases described above, except for items one and three, a Department will prepare a REQUISITION form and submit it to the Purchasing Department Division. 1, Section 6 of this manual governs the preparation and submission of the REQUISITION form. 2, Section 6,3(a)(6) Section 6,3(a)(5) of the this manual governs the authorization of such forms. fGt-- c. After receipt and review, the Purchasing Department Division will complete the purchase requested for the selected vendor. 5.7 PIGGYBACKING: PURCHASE OF GOODS, EQUIPMENT. AND CONTRACTUAL SERVICES FROM OTHER GOVERNMENTAL BIDS a. In lieu of a Reauest for Bids or Quotes. the County may pioovback off of contracts of other oovernments and aoencies to procure ooods and services if the followino conditions are present: 1. The bid documents and selection procedures used bv the other oovernment or aoencv are consistent with the County's purchasino reoulations: and, 2, The Vendor is willing to sion a County contract form (if applicable) as prepared bv the County Attornev's Office; and, 3. The Vendor is willino to offer to the County the same unit prices used in the orioinal contract/bid: and, 4. The unit prices in the orioinal contract(s) include every item that the County intends to purchase from the Vendor. b. Piooybackino may NOT be used for the followino types of aoreements, unless first approved by the County Administrator: 1. Construction services. 2. . Professional services contracts. 3, Any oood or service where the County would utilize a Request for Proposals or a Request for Qualifications. c, The County allows other oovernmental entities to piooyback off of its contracts. Goods, equipment, and contractu:J1 sorvices m:JY be purch:Jsed from other governmental :Jnd :Jgency bids without addition:J1 competitive bidding as long as: :J. The bid documents and selection procedures used by the other government or :Jgency are consistent with the County's purch:Jsing regul:Jtions :Jnd permit other governments to purchase from the bid; and, b, The purchase is :Jpproved by the BO:Jrd of County Commissioners for St. Lucie County which approval, :Jt the discretion of the BO:Jrd, may require an inter local agreement '."lith the other government or agency; and c, The contract procedure set forth in Section 8 in this M:Jnual is follov.'ed. 5,8 PURCHASE AWARD PROCEDURE After a vendor has been selected for a purchase, the Requesting Department will complete the award process. a, The Requesting Department will notify the selected vendor of the award of the purchase. b, When a Contract is required or desired for the purchase, the contract procedure outlined in Section 8 of this manual will be followed, c, When a Contract is not required, the Purchasing Dep:Jrtment Division will rely on the Purchase Order Document as the general contracting mechanism, d. The Requesting Department will conclude the details of the purchase with the vendor and issue instructions pertaining to it. e. The Purchasing Department Division will prepare a PURCHASE ORDER for the purchase as provided in Section 12 of this manual. SECTION 6 - REQUISITION PROCEDURE QJ. REQUISITION FORM The REQUISITION form shall serve asa request fOF'.all purchases. In addition, the REQUISITION form will be used to initiate the entry of all purchasing transactions into the County's Financial Records. There are two (2) forms of REQUISITIONS: Manual and Computer Generated. The Manual Form is used with the multi-part REQUISITION. The COMPUTER GENERATED REQUISITION; is used with the INTERNAL REQUISITION AUTHORIZATION FORM which will be used as the data entry document to generate the COMPUTERIZED REQUISITION. The INTERNAL REQUISITION AUTHORIZATION FORM, with the appropriate authorized signature, will be attached by the originating department to the returned COMPUTER GENERATED REQUISITION. 6.2 REQUISITION PREPARATION A REQUISITION form for a Department must be prepared by an authorized Requisitioner for the Department. a. All Department Directors should designate one or more employees as authorized Requisitioners with authority to prepare REQUISITION forms for the Department. b. The Authorized Requisitionershall prepare a REQUISITION form by typing a 4-part manual REQUISITION FORM and completing all appropriate portions of the form. If considered Computer Generated, refer to Section 6,1 and f+Ae the Requisition Processing System Manual available from Automated Services.j The following shall apply to both types of REQUISITION FORMS: 1. All entries, except signatures, must be typed or printed in ink to avoid errors in processing. 2. Blank, Internal Requisition Authorization Forms available from the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division. c. In preparing the form, the Requisitioner must determine that his or her Department has adequate funds budgeted to pay for any item requisitioned. d. In preparing a REQUISITION FORM, the Requisitioner will: 1. Identify item(s) orservice(s) to be ordered, and the estimated cost. 2. Review the Department's financial reports to self-audit for availability of Funds in the account to be charged, 3. Prepare a Line-to-Line Transfer Request if the Departmenthas funds available in a different account and forward to the Office of Management &. and Budget for review and processing. 6.3 ELECTRONIC REQUISITION AUTHORIZATION All ELECTRONIC REQUISITION FORMS submitted by a Department to the Purchasing Dop3rtment Division must be authorized by the appropriate level County Official. a. The appropriate levels of authorization are as follows: 1. For purchases that require a Purchase Order under $499,99 - any "Authorized" Requisitioner for the Requesting Department. 2. For purchases of $500.00 to $4,999,99 - the Division Manager or approved designee. 3. For purchases of $5,000.00 to $9,999,99 - the Department Director or approved designee. 4. For purchases of $10,000.00 to $49.999 $21,999.99 - the County Administrator or approved designee. 5. For purchases of $50.000 $25,000.00 or more - the Department Director or approved designee, and the. County Administrator certifying the approval of the Board of County Commissioners and showing the date of approval. 6. For exempt purchases of $50.000 $25,000,00 or more - the Department Director or approved designee, and the County Administrator certifying that the Board has deemed it exempt under Section 5,6 of this manual. b. The authorization by a Department Director will indicate to the Purchasing Department that the Authorizing Official is attesting to the availability of funds for the purchase and to the accuracy of all entries on the ELECTRONIC REQUISITION form. c. The authorization for an ELECTRONIC REQUISITION form must be given at the lowest appropriate level as designated in Section 6.3(a) above, but need not be given by a higher level. Authorization may be given at a higher level ifthe higher level official is one initiating the ELECTRONIC REQUISITION form. d. The authorization level required on an ELECTRONIC REQUISITION form will be based upon the estimated total cost of the purchase. If the actual cost of the purchase exceeds the estimate and exceeds the level of authorization given, the form will be returned for the appropriate higher-level authorization prior to ordering the requested items or service. e, An authorization must be given by affixing the signature of the Authorizing Official to the form. f. To establish or revoke Requisition "Authorization" for any employee, a SIGNATURE AUTHORIZATION form must be completed and submitted to the Purchasing Dop3rtment Division for each employee. 1. Requisition Authorization must be renewed at leastannl1ally. 2. The form must showthe signature and title of the authorized employee. 3; Any Special Authorization for the employee must be indicated on the form. 4. The authorization for any Departmental Employee must be signed by the Department Director, and for a Department Director by the County Administrator. Each Department must have a minimum of 2 authorized Requisitioner~ for all levels of requisitions at any time, thus designating a permanent record of an authorized individual in the absence of the Department Director. In the case of absence of both people, then a signature authorization form shall be circulated. 6.4 REQUISITION SUBMISSION After preparation and authorization, a hard copy"REQUISITION form mustbe submitted to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division for all purchases exceeding $15.000 $7,500, a, A copy of the form should be retained by the Department submitting it. b. Tofacilitate fiscalyear end close out, no electronic requisitions may be submitted by a Department during the last 15 days of the fiscal year except for Emergency Purchases. The actual cutoff date will be established by the Purchasing Department Division each year. All departments will be notified. c. The Department may enter in the appropriate box on the form any unique internal code number as its own reference number. 6.5 REQUISITION REVIEW Upon receipt of a REQUISITION form, the Purchasing Dop3rtment Division will review the formto determine proper preparation and authorization. The Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division will return, to the submitting Department, any REQUISITIONforrri that is: -Incomplete, - Unauthorized, - Authorized by an unauthorized person, - Involves a pre-purchase or other violation of County policies or procedures, a. The annual budget approved by the Board of County Commissioners is the Board's authorization for all purchases of capital equipment and improvements, and therefore permission to advertise for purchases is granted at time of budget approval. b. The proper authorization as provided in Section 6.3 is the Purchasing Department Division's authorization to process the requisition and make a purchase. b. All after-the-fact requisitions must be authorized by the County Administrator. The reauestina Department Director shall send a memorandum to the Countv Administrator explainina the reasons for the after-the-fact reauisition, SECTION 7 - VENDOR SELECTION 7.1 INFORMAL QUOTATIONS Informal quotations are used only for purchases of items or services from $5.000 to $14.999 under $7,500. a. Informal quotations may be obtained by the Purchasing Department Division. b. Informal quotations may be obtained by telephone, or in person or inwriting. c. In soliciting informal quotations, the Department should encourage competition by contacting as many vendors as possible. Utmost care must. be taken, howev~r, to insure that vendors are given exactly the same informationahd that prices are not disclosed from one vendor to another. d. For all purchases, the Purch3sing Director of Management and Budaetor designee shall make the determination of the "most responsive bidder." e, For purposes of this section, "most responsive bidder" shall be the Bidder whose proposal is determined to be most advantageous to the County taking into consideration: 1. The price, 2. The capability, integrity and reliability of the bidder to assure good faith performance, 3. Any evaluation factors supplied by the Requesting Department and Purchasing Dep3rtment Division to the Bidder. 7.2 FORMAL QUOTATIONS Formal quotations shall be used for purchases of items or services from $15.000 to $49.999$7,500 to $21J,999.00 or when bidding requirements have been waived or exempted for items or services over $50.000 $25,000.00 pursuant to Section 5.5 or Section 5.6. a. Formal quotations will be solicited by the Requesting Department. The Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division will solicit formal quotations upon written request with proper specifications. b. Requests for formal quotations are not required to be advertised, c. Requests for formal quotations along with the specifications will be requested from at least three (3) vendors for the particular item or service requested. If the specifications for a Formal Quotation are changed after the original mailing to Vendors, the Addendum Procedure in Section 7.5 Section 7.4 of this manual will apply. d. Formal Quotations will be received and tabulated by the Department Director. If bidding requirements have been w3ivod, or the item or cervice is exempt. from bidding requirements, 3nd the formal quotations are quot3tion is for $50.000 $25,000.00 or more, the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budget, County Administrator and Requesting Department Director will send a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners to request an advertisement for sealed bids, e. For purchases over $50.000 $25,000.00 when bidding requirements have been waived and three formal quotations have been received, the County Administrator B03rd of County Commissioners shall. make the determination of the "best responsible bidder" based upon the written report and recommendation of the Purchasing Dop3rtment DivisionT and the Requesting Department 3nd the County Administr3tor. 7,3 FORMAL SEALED BIDS Formal Sealed Bids will normally be used for purchases and services of $50.000 $25,000.00 or more. a. Except as stated herein, St. Lucie Countv follows the . aeneral. criteria set forth in Section 287.057. Florida Statutes. for the acquisition of commodities (Le.. aoods) and contractual services (Le.. construction contracts, maintenance and reoair contracts ). ~.a-;- Requests for formal sealed bids will be. prepared by the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division based . upon the memorandum and specifications submitted by the Requesting Department as provided in Section 5.4 of this manual. c.b. After the Board has aooroved the advertisement of the bid. a public announcement .of the Call to Bid shall be made through a local newspaoer. orother aporoved media and shall include adescriotion of theoroiect and/or aoods reauired. and where interested biddersmav aoolv for consideration, NotificEition of format sealed bids norm311y will be advertised in a local newspaper for one day. A bid packet mav be obtained as described in the Call for Bids, jj.G.vendors will be notified through an agreement with an outside provider. -All bid information will be available on the Internet. ~,4 If the specifications for a formal sealed bid are changed after the original advertising . and niailing to vendors, the addendum procedure in Section 7.4 of this manual will apply. f. The bid shall be considered resoonsive if it answers all requests for information. contains any and all reauired bonds. and is dulv sianed bv an authorized officer of the entitv on behalf of the entitv. . Onlv comolete bids shall be considered, Anv incomplete bid shall be deemed as non-responsive. a. The Board of Countv Commissioners of St. Lucie Countv reserves the riaht to waive anv informalities or minor irreaularities. reject anv and all. bids which. are incomolete. conditional. obscure. or which contain additions not allowed for. acceot or reiect anv bid in whore or in Dart with or without cause. and acceot the bid which best serves the Countv. h,&;- Formal Sealed Bids will be opened by the PurChasing Department~Division and tabulated, The tabulation will then be forwarded to the Requesting Department. 1. The. bids will be received by the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division until the . prescribed time and will be opened immediately thereafter. 2. Onlv complete bids shall be considered. Anv incdmolete bid shall be deemed as non-resoonsive, The followina criteria shall be considered in order of imoortance in evaluating bids. a, Price - Should the low bid be responsive but deviate from the soecifications contained in the Call to Bid. such deviation shall be reviewed for suitability to achieve the County's purpose, b,. Delivery auoted is within the allotted time. In some instances. (i.e,. in the case of emerGency repairs) deliverv shall take orecedence over all other factors. c. Current iob status as well asoast work oerformed for the Countv (in the case of vendors known to the Countv) shall be considered and will be given. equal weight as anv other of the ensuina aualifications. d. Experience in the field of aoolication shall be considered. and should the auestion of qualification arise. references shall be checked. The Countv reserves the riQhtto reiect anv bid where aninvestiQation ofthe available information indicates a bidder is not Qualified to oerform the obligations of the contract. 3. The County mav disaualify Bidders or cancel the Call to Bid at any time before or after bid openinQ if there is any reason to believe that collusion or fraud exists among Bidders. 4.6 The. Purchasing. Dep3rtment Division and the Requesting Department will tabulate the bids received and will send a recommendation for the award through the County Administrator to the Board of County Commissioners. Lf.- The County Administrator will notify the Purchasing Department Division and Requisitioning Department of the Board's action upon the recommendation, j. Once the vendor has been selected from the above criteria and the Board has aporoved the award, the vendor shall have 15 davs from the date of receiot of the Contract in which to sian all Contracts. return the performance and payment bonds (when reauired)' as well as the Certificates of Insurance. The subsequent Purchase Order shall follow. LJ..6 ST, LUCIE COUNTY STANDARD PROCEDURES FOR COMPETITIVE BIDDING (COMMODITIES AND CONTRACTUAL SERVICES) INTRODUCTION: 1. Sf. Lucie County follows the general criterb set forth in Chapter 287.057, Florida Statutes, f{)r the 3cquisition of commodities (i.e., goods) and contractual services (i.e" construction contracts, maintenance and repair contracts). 2. Complbnce '/lith these criteria is required when the procurement of commodities or contractual services is estimated to require approval by the Board of County Commissioners. 3. Compliance with the above criteria is. not required in . cases. of valid public emergencies, if it is determined by the County Administrator in writing that such services or products are available from only one source, and if only one bid or no bids arc. received. In such cases, the Board will be notified at the earliest possible meeting date. '1. Tho BO:Jrd of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County reserves the right to waive any informalities or minor irregularities, reject any and all bids which are incomplete, conditional, obscure, or which contain additions not allowod for, accept or reject any bid in whole or in part with or '.vithout cause, and accept the bi.d which best serves the County. PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Nter the Board h:Js ::lpproved the 3dvertisement of the bid, a public announcem.ent of tho Call to Bid shall be m3de through a local newspaper, or other :Jpproved media and shall include a description of the project and/or goods roquired, :Jnd 'Nhere interected biddors may apply for consider3tion, 1\ bid packet may be obtained as described in tho Call for Bids. The bid shall be considered responsivo if it anS'Ners all requests f-er information, contains :Jny and all required bonds, and is duly signed by an authorized officer of the entity on beh:Jlf of the entity. The Countyroserves the right to waive any minorirregul3rities. BID SELECTION PROCEDURES: Only complete bids sh:J1I be considered, ,^.ny incomplete bid shall bo deemed as non responsive. The following criteria sh:J1I be considered. in order of importance in evaluating bids. 5, Price Should the .10'.'.' bid. be responsive but deviate from the specifidtions containeqin the Call to Bid, such devi:Jtion shall be reviewed for suitability to achieve the County's purposo. 6. Delivery quoted is within the :JlloUed time. In. some insbnces, (Le., in the case of emergency repairs) delivery sh:J1I toke precedence over all other factors. 7. Current job status as 'Nell as past work porformed for the County (in tho case of vendors known to the County) shall be considered and will be given aqual weight 3S any other of the ensuing qualifications. 8. Experience in the field of application shall be considered, and should the question of qualification arise, roferences shall be checked, The County reserves the right to reject any bid'Nhere an investig:Jtion ofthe available information indicates a bidder is not qualified to perform the obligations of the contr:Jct. The County may disqualify Bidders or cancel the Call to Bid at any time before or after bid opening if there is any reason to believe that collusion or fraud exists among Bidders. Once the vendor has been selected from. the abov!) criteria. and the Board has :Jpproved the a'Nard, the vendor shall h3ve 15 days from the date of receipt of the Contract in which to sign all Contracts, return the performance and payment bonds ('Nhen required), as well :JC the Certificates of.lnsurance. The subsequent Purchase Order shall follow. In the caso of the purchase of heavy equipment, vehicles,. or other equipment not requiring installation, the Purchaso Order shall servo as the contracting document. 7.4 ADDENDA TO SPECIFICATIONS An Addendum to a specification shall be defined as a written addition or change in the already prepared specifications for which an invitation has been mailed for Formal Quotations or an advertisement has been published for a FormalAdvertised Sealed Bid. a, Any Addendum to a request for Formal Quotations or Formal Advertised Sealed bids shall be approved by the Department Director or Designee, The Addendum shall clearly point out any addition orchange to the specifications. b. The Purchasing Departmont Division shall be responsible for insuring that all Prospective Bidders who have received specifications are notified of the Addendum by Return Receipt Certified Mail or Fax. The vendor is responsible to acquire and incorporate all addenda into their bid. No Addendum shall be issued five (5) days prior to a bid opening without extending the bid opening date. unless the change or clarification does not materially affect the bid. 7,5 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS A Request for Proposal is a purchasing method that is established around general guidelines or a description of need for a service rather thana firm specification written in detail. It is used' when no fixed criterion exists and the County is seeking proposals regarding provision of a service, for example, an engineering project or study. a. Request for Proposals require some degree of creativity from the vendor and shall be applied in the same manner, procedurally, as Sealed Formal Quotations or Formal Sealed Bids, requiring advertising when deemed necessary. b. To evaluate competitive Requests For Proposals, judgmentfactors may be used not only to determine whether the proposal being offered meets the scope of services described, but also to evaluate competing proposals. . c. Under competitive sealed bidding, once the judgmental evaluation of compliance with' the bid is completed, award is made on a purely objective basis to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Under competitive sealed proposals, the quality Of competing services may be compared and tradeoffs made between price and quality of the service ,offered. d. Award under the competitive Request For Proposals is then made to the Responsible Vendor Gf whose proposal is most advantageous to the County. 7,6-++0 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The Board mav authorize the issuance of ReGuests for Qualifications (RFQ's) to select firms or businesses which are Gualified to orovide aoods. equipment. or services based on qualifications as approved by the Board. Resoonses to RFQ's shall be evaluated bv a selection committee aooointed by the Countv Administrator o~ desiGnee who will make a recommendation to the Board. unless the Board exercises its ootion to apooint itself to serve as the selection committee. The selection committee shall not be comoosed of more. than two (2). staff members from the same deoartmenf. unless aooroved bv the Countv Administrator in advance. Upon the selection of aualified firms aooroved by the Board. and unless otherwise directed by the Board. staff mav (1) enter into scooe of work and fee neGotiations with the firm or firms determined to be qualified which mav include simultaneous neGotiations with two or more Gualifiedfirms or (2) issue Invitations to Bid or Requests for Proposals as oreviouslv described in this section. Professional services regulated bv the Consultants Comoetitive Neaotiation Act. Section 287.055, Florida Statutes. (the "CCNA") may be acquired throuah RFQ's provided that the requirements of the CCNA are met as described in Section 10 of thisManual. 7,7-+6 PUBLIC ENTITY CRIMES Pursuant to Section Ch3pter 287.133, Florida Statutes, the Board of County Commissioners shall not accept any bid from, award any contract to, or transact any business in excess of Ten Thousand ::md 00/100 dolbrs ($10,000.00) Twentv-five thousand and 00/1 00 dollars ($25.000) with any person or affiliate on the Convicted Vendor List kept by the State of Florida Department of General Services for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the date that person or affiliate was placed on the Convicted Vendor List that unless that person or affiliate has been removed from the list pursuant to Section Ch3pter 287.133(3)(f), Florida Statutes. In the event thatthe Board of County Commissioners was transacting business with a person at the time of the commission of a Public Entity Crime which resulted in that person being placed on the Convicted Vendor List, the Board of County Commissioners shall not accept any bid from, award any contract to, or transact any business with any other person which under the same, or substantially the same, cohtrol as the person whose name appears on the Convicted Vendor List so long as that person's name appears on the Convicted Vendor List. For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: a. "Affiliate" means: 1. A predecessor or successor of a person convicted of a Public Entity Crime; or, 2. An Entity under. the control of any natural person who is active in the management of the Entity and who has been convicted of a Public Entity Crime. The term "Affiliate" includes thosE;} officers, directors, executives, partners, shareholder~, employees, members and agents Who are active in the management of an affiliate. The ownership by one person of shares constituting a controlling interest in another person, or a pooling. of equipment or income among persons when not for fair market value under an arm's length agreement, shall. be a prima facie case that one person controls another person. A person who knowingly enters into a joint venture with a person who has been convicted of a Public Entity Crime in. Florida during the preceding thirty-six (36) months shall be considered an Affiliate,... b. "Convicted" or "Conviction" means a finding of guilt or a conviction ofa Public Entity Crime, with or without an adjudication of guilt, in any Federal or State Trial Court of Record relating to charges brought by indictment or information after July 1, 1989, as a result of a jury verdict, non-jury trial, or entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere. c, "Convicted Vendor List" means. the list required to be kept by the State of Florida Department of ManaaementGcner31 Services. d. "Person" means any Natural Person or any Entity organized under the laws of any state or of the United States with the legal power to enter into a binding contract and which bids or applies to bid on contract~ for tho provision of goods or services let by the Hoard of County Commissioners or which otherwise transacts or applies to transact business with the Board of County Commissioners. The term "Person" includes those officers, directors, executives, partners, shareholders, employees, members, and agents who are active in managementof an Entity. e, "Public Entity" means the State of Florida, any of its departments or agencies, or any political subdivision. f. "Public Entity Crime" means a violation of any. state or federal law bya person with respect to and directly related to the transaction of business with any Public Entity or with an agency or political subdivision of any other state or with the United States, inCluding, butnot limited to, any bid. prooosal. reolv or contract for goods or services, anv lease for real property. or anvcontract for the construction or reoair of a oublic buildina or oublic work. to be provided to any Public Entity or an agency or political subdivision of any other state or of the United States and involving antitrust, fraud, theft, bribery, collusion, racketeering, conspiracy, or material misrepresentation. g. Each Vendor shall be required to comply with the requirements of Section Chapter 287.133 Florida Statutes; h. The following statement shall appear in all bid specifications and Requests for Proposals: PUBLIC ENTITY CRIMES: A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid. orooosal or reply on a contract to provide any goods or services to the County, may not submit a bid. orooosal. or reply on a contract with the County for the construction or repair ofa public building or public work, may not submit bids, < prooosals or reolies on le~ses of real property to the County, may not be awarded or .periorm work as a contraCtor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with the County, and may not transact business with the.. County in excess of $10,000.00 $25.000 for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list. The County will not intentionally award publicly-funded contracts to any contractor who knowingly employs unauthorized alien workers, constituting a violation of the employment provisions contained in 8 U,S.C, Section 1324afe1(Section 274A(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA")l.. The County shali consider the employment by any contractor of unauthorized aliens a violati..on of Section 274A(e) of thelNA. Such violation by the Recipient of the employment provisions contained in Section 274A(e) of the INA shall be grounds for unilatefaL cancellation of the Agreement by the County. 7.8 H RESOLUTION OF SOLICITATION AND PROPOSED AWARD PROTESTS a. RIGHT TO PROTEST; Any actual or prospective bidder or offeror who believes he is aggrieved in connection with. the solicitation or proposed award of a contract may protest to the Purch3sing Director of Management and Budaet. The protest shall be submitted in writing within twenty-four (24) hours after such aggrieveq pers.on knows or should have known the facts giving rise to the alleged grievance. b. RESOLUTION OF PROTESTS: 1. The Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall consult with the County Attorney concerning any protest involving the solicitation or prospective award of a contract bid. Following consultation with the County Attorney, the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall attempt to resolve the protest. 2. If the protest is not resolved by mutual agreement between the protesting vendor and the Purchasing Director of Management and Budaet, the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall consult with the County Administrator and the County Attorney and issue a final written deci.sion on the protest. Copies of the written decision will be mailed to the protesting vendor and any other vendor requesting a copy. Copies shall also be distributed to the County Administrator and the Department Head. The written decision shall: (a) State the reasons for the decision. . . (b) Inform the protesting vendor of his right to administrative review. 3, . The protesting vendor may request an administrative review of the decision issued bv the Director of Manaaement and Budaet to the Board of Countv Commissioners bv filing a petition of aooeal with the Countv Administrator within 24 hours of the date of the decision bv the Director of Manaaement and Budaet. TheBoard ofCountv Commissioners shall review the oetition at aoublic meeting within thirtv (30) calendar davs from the date of filinatheaooeal. The protesting vendor shall be orovided reasonable notice of the time. date. and place of the public meetina bv certified mail. return receipt requested. and invited to attend. Testimonv at the oublic meetina shall be limited to ten (10) minutes oerside. unless an extension of time is Granted bv the Board, Cooies of the decision of the Board shall be distributed to the protesting vendor and anv other oartv intervenina. c. DISTRIBUTION: ^ copy of this decision shall be mailod or other.vise furnished immedi3tely to the protesting bidder.3nd any other p3rty intervening. c. Eh STAY OF PROCUREMENT DURING PROTESTS: In the event ofa timely protest, the County shall not proceed further .with the solicitation or award of the contract pending resolution. of the. protest by the Purchasing Director of Management and Budget, issuance of a written decision by the Purchasing Director of Management and Budaet as provided above, or determination by the Board of County Commissioners that award of the contract must be made without further delay in order to protecUhe substantial interests of the County. 7.9 +,.g MINORITY BUSINESS PARTICIPATION a. Policy All contractors are encouraged to assist Florida's small and minority businesses in doing business with the Board of County Commissioners, Each contractor in assisting small and minority businesses will help to expand and develop the small and minority business sector of St. Lucie County. b. Definitions 1. "Certified Minority Business Enterprise" means a business enterprise which has been certified by the State of Florida Department of Management Services as a minority business enterprise in accordance with the provisions of the "Small and Minority Business Assistance Act of 1985". 2. "Minority Business Enterprise" means any small business concern which is organized to engage in commercial transactions, which is domiciled in Florida, and which is at least fifty-one percent (51 %) owned by minority persons, and whose management and daily operations are' controlled by such persons. A minority business enterprise may primarily involvethe practice of a profession. 3. "Minority Person" means a lawful permanent resident of Florida who is: (a) A Black American - a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups in Africa. (b) A Hispanic-American - a person of Spanish or Portuguese culture, with origins in Mexico, South America, Central America, or the Caribbean, regardless of race. (c) An Asian American - a person having origins in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Island, including the Hawaiian Islands prior to 1778. (d) A Native American - a person who having origins in any of the Indian Tribes of North America prior to 1835. (e) An American woman. c. "Small Business" means an independently owned and operated business concern which employs fifty (50) or fewer full-time employees, and which has a net worth of not more than one million dollars ($1,000,000.00), As applicable to sole proprietorships, the one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) net worth requirement shall include both personal and business investments. . d, County Selection Procedures 1. The County shall make a good faith effort to provide interested minority business enterprises or minority persons with adequate information about the plans, specifications and requirements of contracts or the availability of jobs; 2. The County shall make a good faith effort to effectively use services and resources of available minority community organizations, minority contractors' groups, local, state, and federal minority business assistance officers, and other organizations that provide assistance in the recruitment and placement of minority business enterprises or minority persons; and 3. The County shall make a good faith effort to provide written notice to a reasonable number of minority business enterprises that their interest in contracting with the County is being solicited in sufficient time to allow the minority business enterprises to participate effectively. e. Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Directory The Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Directory for the County shall be based upon the vendors list of certified minority business enterprises prepared and maintained by the State of Florida Department of Management Services pursuant to Section Chapter 287.0943, Florida Statutes. In addition, any business which the Small Business Administration has identified as an 8(a) firm shall be eligible for listing in the Directory. The purpose of this Directory is to enable the County's prime contractors to identify and utilize minority business enterprises, 7.10 +,g AUTHORIZATION TO DEBAR VENDOR The following is the procedure for the debarment of vendors, For the purpos.es of this procedure, Debarment means that a vendor is prohibited from submitting bids or proposals to perform work for 3t. Lucie County, or 'Nho bils to deliver m3terials or supplies, or delivers inferior goods etc., to 3t. Lucie County. a. Cause for Debarment. The causes for Debarment include: 1. Entry of a plea of guilty, no contest or nolo contendere contendro to or conviction for commission of a criminal offense as an incident to obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private contract or subcontract, or in performance of such contract. 2. Entry of a plea of guilty, no contest or nolo contendere contondre or conviction under state or federal statutes of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, or receiving stolen property, or any other offense indicating lack of business integrity ef or business honesty which currently, seriously, and directly affects responsibility as a County contractor. 3. Entry .of a plea. of guilty, no contest or nolo contendere contendre or conviction under state or federal anti-trust statutes grising out of submission of bids or proposals. 4. Violation of provisions of contracts with County, as set forth below, which is regarded by the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement andBudaet as cause for Debarment . (a) Failure without good cause to perform in accordance with specifications or within the time limits provided in the contract; or, (b) A record of failure to perform or of unsatisfactory performance in accordance with the terms of one or more contracts within the previous three (3). years; provided that failure to perform or unsatisfactory performance caused by acts beyond the control of the contractor shall not be considered to be a basis for Debarment. (c) Refusal tp enter into a contract with the County by failing to provide bonds, insurance, or other required certificates within the time periods as specified in bid/RFP response. (d) Refusal to accept a purchase order, agreement or contract, or to perform thereon, provided such order was issued timely and in conformance with the offer received. (e) Presence of principals or corporate officers in the business or concern who were principals within another business at the time. when the other business was suspended within the last three (3) years under the provisions of this section. Violation of the othic:)1 st3nd3rdc sot forth in st3to 13'#. (f) Vi61ationof the ethical standards set forth in. state law. illlfft Providing anything of value, including but not limited to, a gift, loan, reward, promise of future employment, favor or service to any employee to influence the award of contract or purchase of items from a contract. Lblffi-t Any other cause the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budaet determines to be so serious and compelling as to affect the credibility as a County vendor, including debarment by another government entity for any cause listed in this section. b. Recommended Decision, The Purchasing Director of Management and Budaet shall issue a notice letter, which advises a vendor that a recommendation will be made to the County Administrator to debar. The notice shall state the reasons for the action taken and inform the vendor of its rights toan administrative review. c, Hearing Procedure. 1. Right to Request a Hearing: Any person dissatisfied or aggrieved with the notification of the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement . and. . Budaet's determination regarding a Debarment must, within ten (1 0) calendar days of such notification, appeal the determination in accordance with the hearing procedures contained in this section. 2, Hearing Date: Upon receipt of the request for hearing, the County Administrator shall appoint a Hearing Officer -at which time the person shall be given the opportunity to. demonstrate why the recommendation of the Purch3sing Director . of Manaaement and Budaet should be denied. All parties shall be given prior notice of the hearing. 3. Decision: The Hearing Officer shall render a written decision within thirty (30) days of the hearing, Any decision to debar a contractor shall be in effect for a period not to exceed three (3) years. d. Appeals. An aggrieved party may appeal the decision of the hearing officer to the Board of County Commissioners. Such appeal shall be a hearing de novo. An appeal shall be filed within thirty (30) days of the execution of the written decision by the hearing officer. The Board's decision to debar a person or business shall be filed within thirty (30) days of the execution of the written decision by the hearing officer. The Board's decision to debar a person or business shall be final and conclusive unless the debarred person files a timely appeal of the Board's decision pursuant to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. e, Reinstatement. A person or corporation may be reinstated to do business with the County und~r the following conditions: 1. Discovery of new and material evidence not previously available. 2. Dismissal of indictment or reversal of condition. 3. Bonafide change in ownership or management sufficient to justify a finding of present responsibility. The request for reinstatement shall be forwarded in writing to the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet. The County Administrator shall determine whether to reinstate based. on written submission of evidence to the above referenced office, without further hearing. Upon consideration of, the written submission and any recommendation from the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budget, the County Administrator shall render the decision in writing within thirty (30) days from the receipt of a recommendation from the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budaet. The decision of the County Administrator may be appealed to the Board of County Commissioners as provided in Section 7,1 O(d) Section 7.9(d). 7,10 REQUESTS FOR QUALIFICATIONS The B03rd m3Y authorize the issu3nce of Requests for QU3lification€:: (RFQ's)to seloct firms or businesses which ,Jrequ3lifiod to provide goods, equipment, or services based on qU31ific3tions as 3pproved by the Board. Responses to R~Q's shall be evaluated. the B03rd or the Board may authorize the County Administrator to Qppoint 3 selection committee to m3ke a reqommendation to the Board. may (1) enter directly into contract negoti3tions . vvith the firm or firms determined to bo qualified. '""hich . may include simultaneous negotiations with t'....o or more qualified firms or (2) issuo Requests for Bids or Requests for Proposals 3S previously described in this section. Contract negotiations may be delegated by the Board to the. County .Administrator or his designees. Professional services regulated by the Consultmts Competitive Negoti3tion Act, Chapter 287.055, Florida Statutes, (the "CCNA") may be acquired through RFQ's provided that the requirements of the CCNA are mot 3S described in Section 10 of this ManU3!. 7.11 PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES FOR STATE OR FEDERALLY FUNDED GRANT PROGRAMS The Board recognizes that certain procurement procedures for state or federally funded grant programs may, from time to time, conflict with standard St. Lucie County procedures. The County Administrator, therefore, is authorized to modify County procurement procedures in. order to comply with procurement procedures for state or federally funded grant programs provided that no modification may be less stringent than the. corresponding County procedure unless approved by the Board. The County Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall maintain a list of state or federal procedures, which have been administratively approved by the County Administrator. SECTION 8 - CONTRACT PROCEDURE U CONTRACTS IN THE PURCHASING PROCESS Because legal protection is necessary in purchasing transactions, the County has adopted certain requirements and procedures pertaining to the preparation,execution, and monitoring of purchasing contracts and agreements. 8.2 CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS For purchasing purposes, a contract is a formal written agreement between the Board of County Commissioners (the "Board") and a selected vendor, consultant, or contractor for a particular purchase. a. A contract is required for: 1. Professional Services contracts as described in Section 10. 2. All Capital Projects as described in Section 9. 3. All services which are to be performed on property owned or controlled by St. Lucie County or performed on behalf of the County on property not owned by the County, b. A contract may be required for any other particular purchase, ifdeemed necessary and requested. by the Requesting Department, the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet, the County Administrator, the County Attorney, or the Board. c. A contract may be entered into if required by the Vendor. d. Unless specifically required by the Board, the County Administrator, or the County Attorney, purchases of goods or equipment which do not include any associated services, such as installation, do not require a contract apart from the Purchase Order. e. Upon aDDroval bv the County Attornev. the Director of Management and Budaet may determine that liquidated/delav damages be incorporated into Professional Services contracts. 8.3 CONTRACT PREPARATION Unless prepared by the Vendor, or as provided for below, all required contracts will be prepared under the direction of the County Attorney. If a contract is prepared by the Vendor, the contract must be submitted to the County Attorney for review and approval. The County's Risk Manager should be consulted to insure that the proper insurance requirements are included in the Contract Documents. a. Service Contracts for less than $25,000,00 Unless otherwise required by the County Attorney, the County Administrator, or the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet, a Purchase Order for services prepared by the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall serve as the contract between the County and the vendor for services valued at total of less than $25,000.00 for the purposes of yearly continuing contracts, the value may not exceed $25,000.00 per year per vendor. At a minimum all Purchase Orders must contain the following terms and conditions. 1. A statement in' conspicuous print which provided that the Purchase Order is subject to' all of the terms and conditions on the reverse side and that the vendor by acceptance of the Purchase Order agrees to be bound by and abide by all of the terms and conditions of the Purchase Order. 2. A condition that the vendor agrees to indemnify the County for any liability arising out of the service provided under the. Purchase Order and a condition that the vendor will maintain insurance sufficient to protect the interests of the County. The amounts and types of insurance shall be provided by the County Risk Manager. No work shall be performed underthe Purchase Order until the vendor has provided proof of insurance to the County. 3. The Purchase Order should also contain such other terms and conditions as required by the County Attorney and approved by the Board. b. Unlpss the contr3ct is prep3red by the vendor or the purchase is pursuant to a government contr3ct 3S described above, 311contr3cts Sh311 be prepared under the direction of the County Attorney. 8.4 CONTRACT EXECUTION a. Contracts less than $25,000,00. Except for Professional Services Contracts as described in Secti'on 10, all contracts for an amount less than $25,000.00 will be prepared or approved by the County Attorney and executed as follows: 1. All contracts for an amount less tha_n. $25,000,00 (when, required) shall be returned to the Requesting or Purchasing Department Division for signature by the vendor then returned to the County Attorney for approval as to legal form and correctness then to the County Administrator, or J::Hs-designee, for signature, and then distribution as described below. The County Administrator shall not sign any contract, which has been modified by the vendor unless written approval of the modification has been obtained from the County Attorney. 2. Provide there are four (4) fully executecl originals, the County Attorney will keep one original of the fully executed contract for. the County Attorney files, and will provide three (3) originals to the Contracts Coordinator or the Purchasing Director of Manaaement and Budget, who will in turn provide one (1 r original to the Finance Department, and two Originals to the Requesting Department who will provide an original to the vendor. b. Contract Execution for More than $25,000.00 Contracts for an amount of niore than $25,000.00 will be executed as follows: 1. Following preparation or approval. by the County Attorney, all contracts and contract documents shall be returned to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division or the Requesting Department. 2. The Purchasing Department Division or the Requesting Department Will have the selected vendor execute the contract prior to signature on behalf of the County. (a) Originals of the contract shall be forwarded to the vendor with instructions as to how the contract shall be executed, (b) The vendor must return all copies of the contracts to the Purchasing Department Division or the Requesting Department. 3. After receipt ofthe signed originals from the vendor, the Requesting Department must agenda it for presentation "to the Board for their consideration. However, if the Board has already approved the contractor has approved obtaining the services from the vendor subject to the preparation of. the standard County contract approved by the County Attorney, the signed originals from the vendor will" be returned tothe County Attorney to obtain the signature of the Chairman of the B,oard, or the Vice-Chairman in the Chairman's J::Hs absence. All contracts executed by the Board must be attested to by the Clerk of the Board or a Deputy Clerk as determined by the Clerk. 4, After Board approval, the County Attorney will obtain the signature of the Chairman ofthe Board, or the Vice-Chairman in the Chairman's J::l.i&-.absence. 5. Provide there are four (4) fully executed originals, the County Attorney will keep one original of the fully executed contract for the County Attorney file, and will provide three (3) originals to the Contracts Coordinator or the Purchasing Director of Management and Budaet, who will in turn provide one (1) original to the Finance Department, and two originals to the Requesting Department who will provide an original the vendor. 8.5 CONTRACT RECORDING PROCEDURE. For monitoring and control purposes, all County Contracts will be logged and recorded with the Finance Department. a. After the contract has been executed by the appropriate County official, the County Attorney's office will contact the Finance Department for recording and contract number assignment. The County Attorney's office will record the contract number of the contract prior to distribution of the contract as described above. The Finance Department will establish a primary individual, and alternatives, responsible for timely processing of contract. Contract Number: The contract number shall be assigned in the following format: b. After the Finance Department shall record the contract in a Master Control Log including, but.not limited to, the Execution Date, Contract Party, Project Number (if any) and assigned CYY-MM-SSS, where: CYY = C followed by the calendar year of logging MM = The month of the calendar year SSS = A number sequentially assigned in the month c. From its copy, the Finance Department shall establish a Master File Folder forthe contract in its central files. 8.6 ISSUANCE OF CONTRACT PURCHASE ORDER a. Upon receipt of the signed and attested contract Document, the Requesting Department will prepare the Requisition Form for the contract. The Contract Number signed by the Finance. Department will be entered on the Required Form in the format: "CYY-MM-SSS," as per Section 8.5eb) Section 8,6(b) as well as the date of the Board of County Commissioner approval if greater than $25,000.00. b. After receipt of the updated Requisition Form, the Purchasing Department Division will prepare a Purchase Order for the contract in accordance with Section 12 of this manual. 8.7 CONTRACT AMENDMENTS If it becomes necessary to amend the terms of the contract, a formal, written contract amendment must be prepared, The amendment must be approved by the official or Board which approved the original contract and should be processed following the same procedure used for the original contract. However, if the amendment of the contract increases the. total dollar value of the contract above the original threshold value for execution as described above, the. procedure for the higher threshold value should be used. See Section 9.60f this Manual. 8.8 WORK AUTHORIZATION Work authorizations shall be required for all continuina services contracts as determined bv specific contract lanquage. a. All work authorizations for an amount less than $25.000,00 will be preoared or aporoved bv the County Attornev and executed as follows: 1. All work authorizations for an amount less than $25.000,00 shall be returned to the. Requestinq or Purchasinq Division for siqnature bv the vendor.. then returned to the Gountv Attorney for approval as to leqal form and correctness, then to the Countv Administrator. or fti.s.. designee, for siqnature. and then distribution. as described below, The Countv Administrator shall not siqn any contract which has been modified by the vendor unless written aporoval of the modification as been obtained from the County Attorney, 2. Provide there are four (4) fullv executed oriqinals. the Countv Attorney will keep one oriqinal of the fullv executed contract for the. Countv Attorney files. and will provide three three (3) oriqinals to the Contracts Coordinator or Director of Manaqement and Budget, who will in turn orovide one (1) oriqinal to the Finance DeDartment. and two oriainals to the Requestinq Department who will provide an original to the vendor, b. All work authorizations for an amount of $25.000.00 or qreater will be preoaredor aooroved by the Countv Attorney and executed as follows: 1. The Reauestina Deoartment must agenda it for oresentation to the Board for their consideration, a. Oriainals of the work authorization shall be forwarded to the vendor with instructions as to how the contract shall be executed. b. The vendor must return all copies of the work authorizations to be Purchasinq Division or the Requesting Deoartment. 2. The sianed oriainals from the vendor will be returned to the County Attornev to obtain the sianature of the Chairman ofthe Board. or the Vice-Chairman in the Chairman's absence. All work authorizations executed bv the Board must be attested to bv the Clerk of the Board or a Deoutv Clerk as determined bv the Clerk. 3, Provide there are four (4) fully executed oriainals. The County Attornev will keep one oriainal of the fullv executed contract for the Countv. Attornev files. and will provide three (3) oriainals to the Contracts Coordinator or the Director of Manaaement and Budget, who will in turn orovide one (1) oriainaltothe Finance Department. and two oriainals to the Requesting Deoartment who will provide an oriqinal to the vendor. 8.9 AMENDMENTS TO WORK AUTHORIZATION ." After a work authorization has been awarded. and if it becomes necessary to amend the terms of the work authorization. the work authorization amendment must be aooroved by the Board. of Countv Commissioners if the oriainal work authorization was aooroved bv the Board of County Commissioners. If the oriainal work authorization was not sianed bv the Board. the work authorization amendment may be sianed bv the person who sianed the original unless the new total amount of the work authorization requires a higher level of authorization, In that case. the work authorization amendment shall reauireaooroval bv the level of authorization. Should.. the work authorization. amendment address a reduest for additional time. onlv. with no additional costs associated. the County Administrator shall then have the authority to aoorove. After approval bv the Countv Administrator. the orocedure outlined in Section 8.8 (a) of this manual will be followed. ~ SECTION 9 - CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS li CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION POLICY Because of their complexity and high cost, all capital construction projects to be performed by outside contractors must be awarded through formal sealed bids, formal quotations, or informal quotations through the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division. a. For construction contracts of $50.000 $25,000,00 or more, the contractor will be selected through formal sealed bids. b. For construction projects under $50.000 $25,000.00 but greater than $15.000 $7,500,00, the contractor will be selected through formal quotations. c. For construction contracts under $15.000 $7500,00, the contractor will be selected through informal quotations. d. Construction contracts will. be awarded only. to a contractor who is certified or licensed by the County and/or State as appropriate, and has provided proof 6f insurance in amounts satisfactory to the County. 9.2 CONSTRUCTION PROPOSALS To initiate a capital construction project, a Department must prepare a request and submit it to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division. a. The request should be prepared by the Department Director in the form of memorandum. b. If the project involves the construction, alteration, remodeling, or repair of a County~owned building, the request and specifications shall be reviewed by the Central Services Department. c. The request should include all necessary detailed specifications, including: 1. A Call to Bid or request for formal quotations, 2. A list of instructions to bidders or to responders to a request for formal quotations, 3. A Bid or quotation form. 4. If contractor selection is to be through formal sealed bids, a bid bond form, if appropriate. 5. A Public Construction Bond form, if appropriate. 6. General and special conditions and technical provisions. 9.3 CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARD "'..; After a contractor has been selected for a construytion project and approved by the Board of County Commissioners, the construction contract will be prepared and executed as follows: a. The County Attorney or Desianee Requesting Dep3rtment will prepare a 'contract pursuant to Section ll4G of this manual using the date the Board. awarded the bid to the contractor. In prcp3ring the contr3ct tho Dep3rtment sh311 use tho contract form(s) developed by the County Attorney. ,A.II contr3cts will be revie'Ned by the County Attorney before being sent to the contr3ctor for execution. Copies of311 bid documents 3nd. contr3ct 3tt3chments along with the relev3nt B03rd of County Commissioners minutes shall be 3tt3chod to the contract when sont to the County Attorney for review, b. Upon compliance with the procedure set forth in Section 8 and approval, the Reqqesting Department will have the successful contractor execute the contract. 1. Contract originals will be forwarded to the. contractor with instruction as to how to execute the contract. 2, The successful contractor shall obtain a public construction bond, if required, and a certificate of insurance, Section 9.7 of this manual outlines the requirements for bonding and insurance. 3. The successful contractor must return all copies of the contract, with the public construction bond,if required, and the certificate of insurance to the County Attorney. c. After receipt of the signed contract,- originals from the contractor, the County Attorney will have the contract executed by the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners pursuant to Section 8.4 of this manual. d. The County Attorney 'Nill send a fully executed original to the Finance Department and the Requosting Department Director 'Nho will transmit one (1) original to the vendor and a copy t6 the Purchasing Department will keep one original of the fullv executed contract for the Countv Attorney file. and will provide three (3) originals to the Contracts Coordinator or the Director of Manaaement and Budaet. who will in turn provide one (1) original to the Finance Deoartment. and two oriainals to the Reauesting Deoartment who will orovide an oriainal the vendor. e. The Requesting Department will prepare and submit a REQUISITION, to the Purchasing Department Division as provided in Section 6 of this manual f, After contract execution, the contract procedures outlined in Section 8 of this manual will be followed. g. After receipt and review of the REQUISITION, the Purchasing Department Division will prepare a PURCHASE ORDER for the contract as provided in Section 12 of this manual. 9.4 CONTRACT INITIATION After contract execution, the County Attorney and the Requesting Department will initiate the contract with the contractor in the following manner: When the Department is ready to proceed with the construction work, the Department Director will forward to the contractor one executed copy of the contract, the NOTICE TO PROCEED, and the Purchase Order. A copy is" to be ,sent to the Purchasing Department Division, Finance Department, County Attorney, and County Administrator. 9.5 CONTRACT CHANGE ORDER After a contract has been awarded, and if the Requesting Department finds it necessary to initiate a change order, the change order must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners with the exception that the County Administrator shall approve contract change orders up to $25,000.00 or 1 0% of the total contract price not to exceed $50,000.00 (cumulative). However, no change order shall exceed the original budget as agreed to by the Board without additional Board approval. a. The Department must prepare and submit a Contract Change Order to the County Administrator for referral to the Board of County Commissioners as necessary. 1, The Department must prepare and submit a PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM in conjunction with the contract change, as provided in Section 12.3 of this manual. 2. The Department must reference the "contract number" on both the contract change order and the PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM. b, After review, the County Administrator will submit the request to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration if required, based on the dollar amount of the change. Should the Contract Change order address a request for additional time only, with no additional costs associated, the County Administrator shall then have the authority to approve. ^fter approval. by the County /\dministrator, the procedure outlined in Section 8,-1 of this manual "Ivill be followed. c. After approval by theCountv Administrator or Board of County Commissioners, the procedure outlined in Section 8.4 of this manual will be followed. 9.6 CONTRACT AMENDMENT After a contract has been awarded, and if it becomes necessary to amend the terms of the contract, the amendment must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners if the original contract was approved by the Board of County Commissioners. If the original contract was not signed by the Board, the contract amendment may be signed by the person who signed the original uqless the new total amount of the contract requires a higher . level of authorization. In that case, the amendment shall require approval by that level of authorization. a. The County Attorney must prepare and submit a contract amendment to the vendor for execution with instruction as to how to execute the amendment. b. After receipt of the executed contract from the contractor, the County Administrator will submit the amendment to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration, if required according to the dollar amount of change. 'Nork:::luthorizations shall be required for 311 continuing services contracts :::IS determined by specific contract I3nguage, C. /\11 work ~uthoriz3tions for an amount less th~n $25,000.00 will be prcpetred or approved by the County Attorney ::md executed as follows: 1. .^.I1 workauthorizettions for an amountless than $25,000.00 shall bo returned to the Requesting or Purchasing Department for signoture by the vendor, then returned to the County Attorney for opproval as to legal form and correctness, then to. the County Administr:::ltor,. or his designee, f-or signoturo, ond then distribution as described below.. The County Administrotor shall. not sign any contract v/hich h3S been modified by the vendor unless 'Nritten approval of the modification 3S been obtained from the County Mtorney. 2. Providethero ore four (-1 )fully executed originals, the County .A,ttorney will keep one original of the fully executed contract for the County Attorney files, and 'Nill provide throe three (3) originols to the Contracts Coordinator or Purchasing Director, 'Nho will in turn provide ono(1) origiml to tho Finonce Dep3rtment, and two originals to the Requesting Department who will provide 3n original to the vendor. d. All work outhorizations for an etmountof $25,000.00 or greater 'Nill be prep3red or approved by the County Attorney :md execute,d 3S foIlO'.^/s: 1, The Requesting Dep:::lrtment must 3gend3 it for presentation to the BO:::lrd for their consideration, c, Origin:::lls of tho 'Nork :::Iuthorization 8h311 bo forv'lardod to the vendor '/lith im:tructions :::IS to how tho contract sh:::lll be executed. d. The vondor must return all copios of the ","ork 3uthorizations to be Purch:::lsing Department or the Requesting Department. 2, The signed originals from the vendor will be returned to the County /\ttornoy to obtain tho sign3ture of the Ch3irm3n of tho B03rd, or the Vice Ch3irm3nin his absence. All work 3uthorizations executed by the B03rd must be attestod to by the Clerk of the Board or a Deputy Clerk3s determined by the Clerk. 3. Provide there are four ('1) fully executed originals, The County /\ttorney will keep one original of the fully executed contract for tho County Attornoy files, 3nd will provide three (3) originals to the Contracts Coordinator or the Purchasing Director, vvho will in turn provide one (1 )origin31 to the Fin3nce Department, 3nd 1'.\10 originals to the Requesting Dep3rtmont who will provide an original to the vendor. . iUl AMENDMENTS TO WORK AUTHORIZATION After a work 3uthorization has been aI/larded, andifit becomes necessary to 3mond the terms of the '/Jork 3uthoriz3tion, tho wOrk authorization 3mendmont must be approved by tho Board of County Commissioners if the origin31 work authoriz:::ltion W3S 3pproved by tho Board of County Commissioners. If the original 'Nork authorization W3S not signed by tho Board, the work authorization amendment m3Y be signod by the person 'Nho signed the original unless the new total amount of the work 3uthoriz3tion requires a higher level of authorization. In th3t C3S0, the work 3uthoriz3tion 3mendmont 8h311 require approval by the level of authorization. Should tho work 3uthorization 3mendment 3ddr08s a requost for addition31 time only, with no addition31 costs 3ssociated, the County ,^,dministrator shall then have tho authority to 3pprove. Nter :::Ipprov31 by the County ^dministr3tor, the procedure outlined in Section 9.7 (3) of this m3nual will be followed. 9,79.9 BONDING AND INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS a. Public Construction Bond Section Ch3ptor 255.05, Florida Statutes, provides that any person entering into a formal contract with the Board of County Commissioners for the construction or repair of any public building or public work shall be required to execute the usual Penal Bond with good and sufficient sureties. Section Chapter 255.05, Florida Statutes, further provides that the Board of County Commissioners, in its discretion, may exempt any person entering intc> a contract that is for $200,000,00 or less from executing the usual penal bonds for construction and repair on public buildings and public work. The Board has determined to not require a public construction bond for projects under $100,000.00 unless deemed necessary by the Requesting Department or Purchasing Department Division, Request for waiver of the bond requirements betweeh $100,000.00 and $200,000,00 shall be reviewed and approved by the County Administrator on a case-by-case basis. b. The contractor shall be required to purchase and maintain such insurance as will protect him or her from claims set forth below that may arise out of or resulting from the contractor's operations under the contract, whether such operations be by the contractor or. by any subcontractor or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them, or by anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable for: 1. Claims under Workers' or Workmen's Compensation, Disability Benefit, and other similar employee benefit acts; 2, Claims for damages because of bodily injury, occupational sickness or disease, or death of the contractor's employees; 3, Claims for damages because of bodily injury, sickness or disease, or death of any person other than the contractor's employees; 4. Claims for damages insured by usual personal injury liability coverage which are sustained (1) by any person as a result of an offense directly or indirectly related to the employment of such person by the contractor, or (2) by any other person; 5. Claims for damages, other than to the work itself, because of injury to or destruction of tangible property, including loss of use resulting therefrom; and; 6. Claims for damages because of bodily injury or death of any person or property damage arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any motor vehicle. c. The insurance required by Section 9,7 (b) shall be written for not less than any limit of liability specified in the contract documents, or required by law, whichever is greater. The insurance required by Section g.? (b) shall include contractual liability insurance applicable to the contractor's obligations. d. The contractor shall purchase and maintain property insurance upon the entire work at the site to the full insurable value (replacement cost) thereof. This insurance shall include the interest of the County, the contractor, subcontractors and sub-subcontractors in the work and shall insure against the perils of fire and extended coverage and shall include "all risk" insurance for physical loss and damage including, without duplication of coverage, theft, vandalism, and malicious mischief. If the County is damaged by failure of the contractor to purchase or maintain such insurance and to so notify the County, then the contractor shall bear all reasonable costs properly attributable thereto. If not covered under the all risk insurance or otherwise provided in the contract documents, the contractor shall effect and maintain similar property insurance on portions of the work stored off the site or in transit when such portions of the work are to be included in an application for payment. e. The contractor shall file with the County certificates of insurance acceptable to the County prior to commencing the work. These certificates shall contain a provision that coverages afforded under the policies will not be canceled until at least thirty (30) days prior written notice has been given to the County. f. The policy forms must include: 3. Workers' Compensation covering the Florida exposures including voluntary compensation; and Federal and other State Benefits if any exposure exists, ~",. SECTION 10 - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACTS 10.1 COMPETITIVE NEGOTIATIONS POLICY Because price differences may only be a minor consideration compared to the quality of the professional's work, Professional Services are" exempted from the County's competitive bidding policy. Instead, Professional Services will be acquired through competitive negotiations. The Professional Services procedure described below also .insures that the County complies with Section 287.055, Florida Statutes, known as the Consultant's Competitive Negotiation Act (the "CCNA"). 1 0.2 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DEFINITION A Professional Service is assistance obtained in support of County operations from a consultant in a professional field. Services in the following fields are considered Professional Services: a. Medical Services - medicine, psychiatry, dental, hospital, and other health professionals. b. Legal Services - attorneys, including bond counsel, title insurance and services, and other legal professionals or experts. c. Financial Services - rating and underwriting, financial advisor, investment related or other financial services. d. Professional Services Regulated by the CCNA, and as may be amended from time to time, including those services within the scope of the practice of architecture, professional engineering, landscape architecture, or registered surveying and mapping, as defined by the laws of the State of Florida, or those Professional Services performed by any architect, professional engineer, landscape architect, or registered surveyor or mapper in connection with his or her employment or practice. e. Appraisal Services -real and personal property appraisers, f. Audit and Accounting Services - auditors and accountants. g. Consultants - Planning, Management, or Scientific Consultants. 10.3 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AUTHORIZATION a. Legal Services - All requests for outside legal services shall be approved by the County Administrator and the County Attorney within the amount budgeted for professional legal services by the Board of County Commissioners. ILso approved, all requests for legal services shall be referred to the County Attorney for negotiation. b. Auditor Services - All requests for Auditor Services will be referred to the Auditor Selection Committee established pursuant to Section 11.45, Florida Statutes, and as amended from time to time. Negotiations for such services shall be conducted as described therein. c. ProfessionClI Services obtained by or paid for by the County for the benefit of indigent criminal defendants shall be processed CIS provided in Section 16 of this Purchasing Manual, and shall be considered as Grants in /\id, Clnd not ProfessionClI Services. c. G, Financial Services - All requests for financial services to include rating and underwriting, financial advisor, investment related and other financial services shall be approved by the Board of County Commissioners, Q" e,. Authorization for obtaining the services described below shall be approved by the County Administrator. These services are exempt from the Professional Services Negotiation procedure described therein as well as from all other competitive purchase requirements and therefore, no further authorization is required. The County Administrator may, however, require the Department requesting the services t6prepare an RFP and to follow the Professional. Services Negotiation procedure described below. Contracts for these Professional Services shall be prepared in accordance with Section 8 of this Purchasing Manual except that the County Administrator shall execute all Professional Services contracts up to and including a fee of $25,000.00. 1. Appraisal Services - real and personal property appraisers. 2. Professional Services for a total fee of $25,000.00 or less, excluding Professional Services Regulated by the CCNA. 3. Professional Services Regulated by the CCNA for a total fee of $25,000.00 or less for a planning or study activity or fora project the basic construction costs of which are not expected to exceed $250,000. 4. Medical Services - medicine, psychiatry, dental, hospital, and other health professionals. . e, .f,. Authorization for requests for all non-exempt Professional Services must be reviewed by the County Administrator. Selection of firms to provide these services must follow the Competitive Negotiation Section procedure described below, if the Professional Services have been previously approved by the Board in the Requesting Department's budget for that fiscal year and unless otherwise required by the County Administrator, no further approval of the request is necessary. However, if the Professional Services have not been previously approved, or if required by the County Administrator, the request must be approved by the Board. 10.4 REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS Upon receiving the appropriate request approval, the Requesting Department shall prepare a Request for Proposals ("RFP") using a form approved by the County Attorney and provided by the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budaet. The RFP shall solicit proposals (the "Proposals") from interested firms (the "Proposers") to provide the requested service and at a minimum shall includ.e: a. A description of the scope of services requested. The description shall be sufficient to assure that all Proposers have the same understanding of the requested basic services, b. A request for specific and general information on how the Proposer will proceed with the project including written documentation of the Proposer's expertise and ability to perform the requested service. c. Specific instructions on how, when, and where the proposals shall be submitted including the date the proposal will be opened. d. A requirement that the proposal be submitted as a sealed package. e. If the request is for Professional Services Regulated by the CCNA, the RFP shall also include a statement that the Proposer shall not include proposed compensation as part of the proposal or that proposed compensation shall be provided in a separate sealed package, Such proposals for compensation will only be considered during competitive negotiations, f. A statement that the Board reserves. the right to reject all irregular proposals or to reject all proposals if it is deemed by the Board to be in the best interest of the County. g. A statement of the factors that will be considered in selecting the most qualified Proposer. h. In an RFP requesting proposals from design firms, including but not limited. to engineering and architectural firms, the Board may include a requirement that the Proposer provide a conceptual design of the project along with the proposal. 10.5 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS Unless waived by the Board in accordance with this Section, the following procedure shall be followed in obtaining Professional Services regulated by the CCNA for a total fee of morethan$25,000.00 for a planning or study activity orfor a project, the basic construction cost of which is expected to exceed $250,000.00, as well as for all other non-exempt Professional Services. In addition, it is the intent of the Board that the procurement of all Professional Services regulated by the CCNA shall be in accordance with the CCNA, as it may be amended from time to time and therefore, any conflict between this Purchasing Manual and the CCNA shall be interpreted in accordance with the CCNA. a. Public Announcement- After approval ofa request for Professional Services as described above, the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division will notify appropriate Proposers on the Master Bidders List or List of Consultants of the proposed project. In addition to such notification, a public notice shall be placed in a newspaper of general circulation in the County describing the services required and a closing date for receipt of proposals. Publications of statewide and nationwide distribution may be utilized for such notices if the magnitude of the project warrants. Such notice requirements may be waived by the Board except when the requirements are required. by state law in which case the Proposer at a compensation which is fair, competitive ~nd ro~son3ble. requirements of State law shall be met. b. The Countv shall follow the orocedures for selection and negotiation set out in the CCNA. e. If the Committee or the Board is unable to negotiate a saticf3ctorycontr3ct 'Niththe first Proposer, negotiations with th3t Proposer'shall be terminated and the Committee or the B03rd sholl.3ttempt to negotiate :J contract with the next most quolified Proposer, If theso. negotiations are not successful, negotiations sh311 be terminoted 'I/ith the second Proposer and attempted with the third most qU3lified.lf the Board or the Committee is not successful in negotiating a satisfactory contract with any of the selected Proposers, the Board or the Committee shall select additional Proposers in the order of their qualifications and continue negotiations until an agreement is reached or if no agreement can be reached the Board may reject all proposals and may thereafter re-advertise for new proposals. 10.6 PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACTS After a Professional Service Contract has been successfully negotiated as set forth above, the Department that requested the service will submit the contract, together with the recommendations of the Committee when required, to the Board for final approval. All contracts negotiated by the Committee shall be subject to final approval by the Board unless such approval is waived by the Board. a. The Contract Procedure described in Section 8 of this manual shall be followed. b, After Board approval, the Requesting Department shall prepare and submit a REQUISITION to the Purchasing Dop3rtment Division, as provided in Section 6 of this manual. c. After receipt and review of the REQUISITION, the Purchasing Dop:Jrtmenf Division will prepare a PURCHASE ORDER for the purchase as provided in Section 12 of this manual. 10.7 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ("CDBG") PROFESSIONAL SERVICES PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE In accordance with the federal regulations governing Community Development Block Grant ("CDBG") funds, the County shall adhere to the following procedures when obtaining professional services for CDBG projects. To the extent that the procedures set forth in this section conflict with other provisions of the Purchasing Manual, the provisions of this section shall control. a. Any public notice and/or Request for Proposals ("RFP") shall identify all evaluation factors and the maximum points which may be scored for each factor; b. the public notice shall be published in a newspaper of wide circulation in the region outside the County, or the RFP shali be mailed to firms outside the County which can provide the service and documentation of the mailings shall be maintained by the Purchasing Division; c. An evaluation procedure for selecting order of negotiation shall be identified in the public notice and/or RFP and shall be limited to oneofthe following methods: 1. The selection committee shall rank all proposals using a scoring form identical to the published evaluation criteria and forward the ranked listing of all proposers for approval or disapproval (only) to the Board of County Commissioners. If the Board rejects the ranking, the procurement process must start again from the development of another RFP. 2. The selection committee shall rank all proposals and forward the top three firms to the Board, without identifying the relative ranking of firms. Each Commissioner shall then rank each firm using a scoring form identical to the published selection criteria. Each Commissioner shall establish his or her personal ranking order based on the highest total points scored and the scoring sheets shall be maintained in the grant files as a public record. A summary of each Commissioner's personal ranking shall be created and one point shall be awarded if a firm is ranked number one by a Commissioner, two points if ranked number two, and so on. The County shall first enter into negotiations with the firm with the lowest score. If those negotiations are unsuccessful, the County shall enter into negotiations with the firm with the second lowest score, and so on. 3. The Commission shall review and score all firms in the matter described above in Section 10,7(c)(2) without the use of a selection committee or other screening method. d. As part of the contract negotiations, the selecte.d firm shall provide to the County a detailed breakout of its proposed fees. This breakout shall include, at a minimum, a complete identification of the anti~ipated level of work.. to be performed with each task, the expected hours to complete each task, an identification of the personnel expected to complete each tJ:!etask, the hourly rates of each person involved in the task, and the anticipated rate of profit for the project. e. The County shall include as part of the completion of the CDBG procurement process a checklist in a form approved by the Florida Department of Community Affaires, This checklist is to be kept by the County department/division applying for CDBG funds. ~ f. The County.. shall follow the protest procedure as outlined in Section 7.8 of the Purchasing Manual. In the event a protest in connection with the solicita~tionfor the proposed award of a contract for services in a CDBG project is received by the County, a written notification shall be sent to the Florida Department of Community Affairs, if such protest is received, as required by 24CFR 85.36 (b )(12). g. When a single public notice is used for different professional services, such as grant administration and engineering, in the CDBG procurement process, the public notice shall state that there shall be separate evaluations and separate contracts for each service. The County shall maintain separate scoring sheets in the CDBG project files for each contract. . SECTION 11 - EMERGENCY PURCHASES 1L1 EMERGENCY PURCHASE POLICY Although competitive bidding is desirable for most purchases, when an Emergency arises, the normal procedure is too time consuming. For this reason,. the County has adopted an Emergency Purchases Procedure. 11.2 DEFINITION OF AN EMERGENCY For purchasing purposes, an Emergency is defined as: an unforeseen situation involving a breakdown of County service and an urgent need to restore that service to avoid serious and adverse consequences affecting the life, health, welfare, or property of the citizens of St. Lucie County. 11.3 EMERGENCY PURCHASE AUTHORIZATION Emergency Purchases are authorized when there is an Emergency, and there is an immediate need for items or services to deal with the Emergency. a, If the Emergency occurs during normal working hours, the Department must attempt to obtain appropriate authorization for the purchase through.. telephone or verbal communications by notifying the Purchasing Department Division and submitting a REQUISITION through the steps required in Section 6 of this manual. b, In an Emergency situation, the County Administrator may authorize an Emergency Purchase and waive any bid requirement. c, If the Emergency occurs at night, on weekends, or on holidays, the Department Director may initiate independent action as provided in Section 11.4. 11.4 EMERGENCY PURCHASE OVER $10,000 For Emergency Purchases over $10,000, the Department Director must attempt to obtain the authorization of the County Administrator or f:Hs Designee, a, .'f time permits, the Department Director will notify the County Administrator or f:Hs Designee of the Emergency and request authorization to make the Emergency Purchase, b, After attempting to obtain authorization from the County Administrator or f:Hs Designee, the Department Director may mak.e the necessary purchases of the needed items or services, c. If the Department Director was unable to obtain prior authorization, the Department Director will obtain from the County Administrator or f:Hs designee "after the fact" approval of the purchase on the next working day. d, The County Administrator will request "after the fact" approval from the Board of County Commissioners at its next regular scheduled meeting. 11.5 EMERGENCY PURCHASE FOllOW-UP When an emergency purchase has been made, on the first working day afterward, the department will follow-up the purchase with the preparation and submission of a requisition. The Department will prepare and submit a requisition as provided in Section Q of this manual. a. The fact that the purchase was an emergency purchase should be "Highlighted" at the top of the description area, b. The Department Director will prepare a signed statement describing the emergency and stating the need for the emergency purchase. 1. This emergency statement will be submitted to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division along with the requisition. 2. The emergency statement must also be signed by the Department Director and the County Administrator, if involved, certifying their authorization of the Emergency Purchase. c. Upon receipt of the requisition form and Emergency Statement, the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division will prepare a purchase order for the purchase as per Section 12 of this manual. SECTION 12 - PURCHASE ORDER 12,1 PURCHASE ORDERPREPARATION A purchase order form will be prepared by the Purchasing Department Division for all purchasing transactions on the County's financial records. a, After receipt of a requisition form, the selection of the vendor and the award of the purchase, the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division will complete and distribute the purchase order. b. The Purchasing Departmont will enter tho dot3i1E of the purchase on tho purchaso order form. c. Aftor entering the. details, the Purchasing Department '.vill 3ssign the requisition form a purch3se order number. b, Eh The Purchasing Dep3rtment Division will distribute the final version of the completed purchase order form. 1. The first copy of the document shall be sent to the vendor by the Requesting Department. 2. The second copy of the document will be sent to the Finance Department. 3. The third copy of the document will be retained by the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division for reference. 4. The fourth copy of the document will be sent to the Requesting Department and will serve as the Department's file copy. 5. The fifth copy will be for receiving and payment purposes. 12.2 MULTIPLE PURCH,^,SE ORDERS /\ Multiple Purch3se Ordor \'\'ill be used when more th3n one invoice is oxpected for a single purchase order. 3. Tho issuance of Multiple PUrCh3SG Orders in3dvance will be permitted on 3n as needed b3sis in 3mounts loss than $5000 or in 3mounts 3t the discretion of tho Purch3Eing Director. b. Upon receipt of the fifth copy of the encumbered requisition document, the Requesting Dep3rtment will m3ke 3ddition31 invoicos expected, which 'Nill serve as 3dditional receiving reports, ~ PURCHASE ORDER CHANGES If a Department desires to cancel or change ,a PURCHASE ORDER, the Department must prepare and submit a PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division. a, The PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM is a 4-part paper document, which will be typed when prepared. The change order must be approved by the Finance Deoartment and Purchasing Dep3rtment Division prior to the change being effective, 1. Blank, pre-numbered forms will be issued by the Finance Department. b, By preparing the PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM, ~he Department may: 1. Cancel a Purchase Order, 2. Change the account pUrchase order will be charged to, 3. Increase or decrease the amount of the Purchase Order, c. An increase in excess of the original authorization will require the higher-level authorization on the form. d. When making a final payment and/or closing out a Purchase Order, a decrease is not necessary. e. To complete the preparation of the PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM, the Department must acquire the appropriate authorization for the form prior to submitting the form to the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division. f. After preparation and authorization, the PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM, all copies, will be submitted to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division. g. Upon receipt ofa PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM, the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division will review the form to determine proper preparation and authorization, the same as per Section 6.5 of this manual. h. After review, the Purchasing Dop::utment Division will process all properly prepared and authorized PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORMS. 1. The Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division shall have the authority to accept or reject the proposed changes as it may affect any outside vendor or purchasing transaction agreed to with any outside vendor. 2, The Requesting Department will inform the vendor of any change in the transaction e.f which will affect the vendor. 3. If the proposed change is approved, the Purchasing Department Division will indicate such by affixing an authorization signature to the forrn, 4. If the proposed change is approved, the Purchasing Department Division will distribute the copies of the form the same as per Section 12.1 (d). 5. If the proposed change is not approved, the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division will return the form to the Requesting Department with an explanation of why the change was not approved. SECTION 13 - RECEIVING 13.1 RECEIVING OF ORDERS A Department should receive ordered items or services at the place and within a reasonable time as indicated on the completed and encumbered Purchase Order Form and/or Contract Documents~ a, It is the responsibility of the Department to inform the Purchasing Dop~rtment Division of any unreasonable delay in delivery. b. The Department will assist the Purchasing Dep~rtmcnt Division in contacting' the vendor regarding any such delay. 13.2 RECEIVING REPORT The Receiving copy of the completed Purchase Order returned by the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division shall serve as a receiving report. a. For a Multiple Purchase Order, the Department should make additional copies as additional receiving reports for each delivery. b, All receiving reports should be placed in a "Receiving" File by the Department pending the delivery of the ordered items or service. 13,3 RECEIVING PROCEDURE When an item or service is received, a Receiver for the Department should: a, Identify vendor and item(s) or service being delivered, b,Obtain receiving report from file. If no receiving report is available, contact Purchasing Dep3rtment Division.to identify purchase order number and details. Use Shipper's Document as. the receiving report, but the receiving report must also be completed when it is available. c. Check all packages against the shipping Bill of Lading. d. Note any evidence of damage to packaging on Bill of Lading and on the receiving report. e. I nspect contents for proper quantity, specifications, as per the receiving report, f. Note any damage or discrepancy on the Bill of Lading and on back of the receiving report. g. Sign and date the receiving report and any documents (Bill of Lading, Packing Slip, Invoice, etc,) accompanying the delivery (signature must be that of the person who personally received the delivery). The date shall be the date the documents are received. h. Forward the receiving report and any documents accompanying the delivery (Bill of Lading, Packing Slip, Invoice, etc.) to the Department's Authorized Requisitioner. SECTION 14 - PAYMENT PROCEDURES 14,1 PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION To initiate payment for a received order from an outside vendor, the Department will submit the receiving report and the invoice for the order to the Finance Department. a. After receiving the completed receiving report and the invoice for a completed order, the Department's Requisitioner will authorize payment by signing receiving report, and then submitting it to the Finance Department. b. If the order was incomplete, and only a partial shipment was accepted, the Department will authorize the partial payment on one of the copies made of the receiving report and submittothe Finance Department. The remaining copies will be held until future shipments come in. Upon receipt of last shipment, the original copy should be marked "Final Invoice," authorized for payment, and submitted to the Finance Department. c. See Section 5,3 for payment of items using Check Request Form. 14.2 CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION All payments for Construction Contracts will be initiated by a Department by utilizing a REQUEST FOR PAYMENT FORM. a. A Department will requisition periodic payments for a Construction Contract on a REQUEST FOR PAYMENT FORM. b, To authorize the final payment for Construction Contract, the Department must obtain a Release of All Liensfrom the Contractor, 1. Upon completion of the construction, but prior to final payment, the appropriate Department Director shall be responsible for obtaining a Release of Liens from all Subcontractors and sworn statement from the General Contractor that all persons, firms, and corporations who have furnished services, labor or materials in the construction of the premises have been paid and that there are no outstanding monies owed on the contract by the General Contractor, The Release of Liens will be submitted to the County Attorney for review. 2. The properly executed Release of Liens. a comoleted CONSULTANT "EVALUATION FORM,. and a written certification by the Department Director that the project has been completed per plans and specifications will be forwarded to the County Administrator for review and approval. 14.3 WORK AUTHORIZATION PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION All payments for Work Authorizations under continuina contract will be initiated bv a Department bv utilizing a REQUEST FOR PAYMENT FORM or submittina the approved vendor invoice. a. A Deoartment canreauisition oeriodic oavmentsfor a Work Authorization on a REQUEST FOR PAYMENT FORM or bv submittina aooroved oroaress invoices, b. Uoon comoletion of the oroiect. but. orior to final oayment. the appropriate Deoartment Director Shall be resoonsible for submittina a. comoleted CONSULTANT EVALUATION FORM and a written certification that the proiect has been completed oer the scooe of services to the Countv Administrator for review and aoproval. 14.4 44-3 PAYMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION SERVICES a, "Construction Services" is defined as all labor, services, and materials provided in connection with the construction, alteration, repair, demolition, reconstruction, or any other improvements to real property, b. It shall be County policy that vendors should mail invoices directly to the Finance Department. Invoices mailed to any other Department shall be considered improper. All invoices shall be marked as to the date of receipt. 1. If Vendor Invoices, Credit Memos, or Monthly Statements, are inadvertently mailed to a Department, the Department should forward them to the Fingnce Department immediately. Invoices are not considered proper until they are received by the Finance Department. 2. The Finance Department will maintain all invoices on file for use in processing f3ayments for orders, 3. Any invoices, Credit Memos, or Monthly Statements forwarded by the Finance Department to the Department for review and/or verification shall be returned to the Finance Department within five (5) days of receipt. c, Payment shall be made within twenty-five (25) business days of receipt of a proper Invoice by the Finance Department. d. If the invoice is improper, it shall be rejected withintwenty (20) business days of receipt. The rejection must be in writing, by the County Project Manager or Designee, and must specify the deficiency in the invoice and the action necessary to make the irwoice proper. e. If any portion of the invoice is undisputed, the undisputed portion shall be paid within twenty-five (25) business days of receipt by the Finance Department. The County Project Manager or Designee shall submit a memorandum to the Finance Department indicating which portion of the invoice is undisputed and the Finance Department shall timely remit payment for that portion. If necessary for that Contract, the County Project Manager or Designee shall include in the memorandum a corrected calculation of retainage to be withheld from the partial payment. f. If the invoice is rejected as improper under subsection (d) and the Contractor submits a corrected invoice which corrects the deficiency, the corrected invoice must be paid or rejected on the later of: 1. Ten business days after the date the corrected invoice is stamped as received by the Finance Department; or 2. If the Board of County Commissioners must approve the payment, the first business day after the next regular scheduled meeting of the Board held after the corrected invoice is stamped as received by the Finance Department. g. If the second invoice submitted by the Contractor is still improper or if the dispute between the County and the Contractor still cannot be resolved, the dispute shall be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedure prescribed in the Contract between the County and the Contractor. h. The Finance Department shall timely pay any proper invoices, which are submitted subsequent to an improper invoice, even if the dispute regarding the improper invoice has not yet been resolved, 14.5.:t44 RETAINAGE PROCEDURES FOR CONSTRUCTION SERVICES CONTRACTS a, If a Construction Services Contract is for more than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000.00), the County may withhold retainage from each progress payment in an amount not exceeding ten percent (1 0%) of the payment until Fifty. Percent Completion of such services. b. The term "Fifty Percent Completion" shall be defined in each Contract. c. After Fifty Percent Completion of the Construction Services have been completed pursuant to the Contract, the County must reduce to five percent (5%) the amount of retainage withheld from each subsequent progress payment made to the Contractor, unless it is notified to do otherwise by the Contractor. 14,6 ~ PAYMENT FOR ORDERS AND NONCONSTRUCTION SERVICES After receiving a receiving report or payment request, the Finance Department will process it for payment in accordance with the appropriate procedure for processing invoices. a. Payment checks will be issued by the"Finance Department weekly on Tuesday. 1. To have a check issued for an order, the receiving report/payment request and invoice must be submitted to the Finance Department by noon on the preceding Thursday. . b. It shall be County policy that vendors should mail Invoices directly to the Finance Department. All invoices shall be marked as to the date of receipt. 1. If Vendor Invoices, Credit Memos, or Monthly Statements, -are inadvertently mailed to a Department, the Department s~ould promptly forward them to the Finance Department within five (5) days of receipt. . 2. The Finance Department will maintain all invoices on file for use in processing payments for orders. 4. Any Invoices, Credit Memos, or Monthly Statem.ents forwarded by the Finance Department to the Department for review and/or verification shall be returned to the Finance Department within five (5) days of receipt. c. Payment shall be made within forty-five (45) days of receipt of the Invoice by the Finance Department. d. If a proper invoice is not received by the County, payment shall be made within forty-five (45) days from the date: 1. On which. delivery of personal property is accepted by the -County; 2. On which services are completed; 3. On which the rental period begins; or 4. On which the County and the vendor agree in a contract, which may provide dates relative to payment periods. e. If the terms under which a purchase is made allows for partial deliveries and a proper invoice is submitted for such a partial delivery, then the time for payment for such partial delivery shall be . calculated from the time of such partial delivery and the submission of such invoice as provided above in Section 14,6(d) Section 11.3(d). f. All payments due from the County not made within the time specified within this section shall bear interest from thirty (30) days after the due date at a rate of one percent (1 %) per month on the unpaid balance. Any overdue period of less than one (1) month shall be considered as' one (1) month in computing interest. Unpaid interest shall compound monthly. With respect to each past due payment, interest shall cease to accrue after interest on that payment has accrued for twelve (12) months. For purposes of this section, one (1) month shall constitute a period beginning on any day of one (1) month and eriding on the same day of the following month. g. No Contract between the County and a vendor shall prohibit the vendor from invoicing the County for late payment interest allowable under this section. h. Any dispute involving an Invoice shall be resolved in the following manner: 1. In any case. in which an improper invoice is submitted by a vendor, the County Project Manager or Designee, within ten (10) days of receipt of the improper invoice, shall notify the vendor that the invoice is improper and indicate what corrective action on the part of the vendor is needed to correct the invoice, 2. In the eventa dispute occurs between the County Proj~ct Manager and a vendor, the vendor may appeal the decision of the County Project Manager to the County Administrator or Designee no later than forty-five (45) days after receipt of the proper invoice by the Finance Department. The appeal shall be filed with the County Administrator or Designee in writing and shall state the nature of the dispute and the vendor's requested relief. Within five (5) days of receipt of the appeal by the vendor, the County Project Manager $hall provide the County Administrator or Designee with a written report on the pispute. The County Administrator or Designee may request additional infqrmation from the vendor and the County Project Manager as he/she feels Qecessary. The County Administrator or Designee shall issue a written decision. on the dispute within sixty (60) days of the date of the receipt of the proPElr invoice by the Finance Department. 3. If the County' Administrator or Designee resolves the dispute in favor of the County, interest charges shall begin to accrue fifteen (15) days after the issuance of the County Administrator or Designee's final decision, If the dispute is resolved in favor of the Vendor, interest shall begin to accrue as of the original date the payment became due. 4, Durina November of each Year. Finance shall notify the Director of Manaaement and Budaet of any interest paid durina the preceding fiscal year if the total amount of such oayments exceeded two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00), 4. During December of each year, the Office of Management & Budget shall report to the Board of County Commissioners the number of interest payments made by the County under this section during the preceding fiscal year and the total amount of such payments. if the oavments exceeded. two hundred andfiftv dollars ($250.00). 14.711.6 PAYMENT LIMITS The Finance Department may not make any payment on any purchase that exceeds the payment limit on a Purchase Order or the contract amount of a Contract. a. For a Purchase Order only, the amount of the Purchase Order plus 10% or $100,00 whichever is less, is the payment limit. b. For a Contract, the Contract amount is the firm payment limit. c, When anex.cess payment over the payment limit or contract amount is invoiced by the vendor, the Finance Department will notify the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division and Department concerned. d, If the Department wishes to pay the excess amount, it must prepare and submit a PURCHASE ORDER CHANGE FORM, as per Section 12,3, and/or a Contract Change Order approved by the Board of County Commissioners as per Section 8.7 of this manual. e. After the Purchase or Contract Amount has been increased to the appropriate figure for the higher than expected invoice, the Finance Department may then make payment up to the appropriate amount. f. If the Purchase or Contract Amountis not increased, the Finance Department may make payment only up to the originally authorized payment limit or ContractAmount. SECTION 15 - TRAVEL AND EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES 15.1 TRAVEL AND EDUCATIONAL REIMBURSEMENTS When County officials or employees spend their personal resources for Travel or Education, which is in the course of County business or in support of a County purpose, such officials and employees may be reimbursed for such expenses from County funds. 15.2 IN COUNTY TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION When authorized, County employees may, for County business, utilize their personal vehicles and incur personal expenses for travel within St. Lucie County and shall be eligible for reimbursement for the allowable expenses of such travel. a. Employees who travel frequently on County business, 250 miles or more per month, shall be eligible for a fixed monthly reimbursement. 1, To authorize such, a Department will prepare each fiscal year a list of all Departmental Employees who should receive fixed monthly reimbursements and amount of their monthly allowances. 2. The list should be forwarded to the County Administrator forreview and approval. 3. After approval, the County Administrator will return a copy of the approved list to the Department and also forward copies to the Finance Department. 4. Any changes to the list during the fiscal year should be approved and processed in the same manner. 5. The monthly allowance for an employee should be based on a signed statement of the employee showing the places and distances for a typical month's travel on official business and the amount that would have been allowed under the approved rate per mile for the travel shown in the statement if payment had been made pursuant to Section 112.061 (7)(d), Florida Statutes, a. New Employees shall submit such a signed statement showing at least one month of actual mileage of 250 miles or more prior to being placed on the list. b. Other Employees on the list shall submit such a signed statement annually showing that they still incur in one- month actual mileage of 250 miles or more to remain on the list. 6. The allowable reimbursement for such travel will be limited to the fixed monthly allowance approved by the County Administrator. b. Employees who travel less than 250 miles per month on County Business shall be eligible for a variable reimbursement based upon actual mileage traveled and for actual travel-related expenses incurred. 1. To authorize such, a Department will annually prepare a TRAVEL EXPENSE REQUEST FORM and submit it to the Finance Department for the Employee's Travel Reimbursement. 2. The allowable reimbursement for such travel will be the approved mileage rate for miles traveled and other actual travel-related expenses for tolls, parking fees, transit fares, and phone calls. ' 3. Expenses for lodging and meals may not be reimbursed under a variable travel authorization, 4. New Employees who have not yet established a travel record will also be reimbursed on a variable rate until they are approved for a fixed monthly reimbursement. (a) A Travel Expense Request should be prepared and submitted for new Employees, who will be traveling, as soon as they start working. 5. For each period, which cannot be longer than one month, a Travel Expense Voucher must be completed, signed by Employee, signed by the appropriate supervisor, and forwarded to Finance for payment. c. Travel on County business to and from an adjacent or nearby County for less than one (1) day, if only mileage, tolls, parking, transit, and/orphone expenses are sought for reimbursement, shall be considered the same as in-county travel for any County employee. 1. However, if reimbursement 1s sought for lodging, meals, or educational expense, such must be handled as out-of-county travel for the County employee. 15,3 OUT OF COUNTY TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION When it is necessary for a County employee to travel out-of-county in the course of County business, such travel must be approved in advance. a. A Department must request approval and authorization simultaneously when the necessity of the travel becomes evident. b. To obtain immediate authorization for an out-of-county travel, a Department must prepare a TRAVEL EXPENSE REQUEST FORM. c. A TRAVEL VOUCHER FORM shall also be prepared for the employee's travel reimbursement and submitted to the Finance Department. 1. Section ~ 15.6 of this manual will apply to the preparation and submission of the TRAVEL VOUCHER FORM. 2. On such forms, the employee and/or any related registration, tuition, etc. will be listed as the vendors. d. After preparation, the TRAVEL EXPENSE REQUEST and TRAVEL VOUCHER forms must be signed by the Department Director. e. The appropriate levels of authorization for a TRAVEL EXPENSE REQUEST FORM are as follows: 1. Upon approval by the Employee's Department Director, the County Administrator may authorize any in or out-of-state employee travel. 2. The Board of County Commissioners shall authorize annually out-of-state travel for the County Administrator and the Board of County Commissioners regardless of cost. f. After authorization, the TRAVEL EXPENSE REQUEST form will be forwarded to the Finance Department. g. Travel approval may be obtained after the departure date in the following cases: 1, Due to emergency or unforeseen circumstances, travel was necessary, and it was not possible to obtain prior approval. 2, Due to last minute change, an alternate employee must substitute for another employee on an already approved travel. 3. In such cases, the Department Director must seek and obtain verbal approval from the appropriate Authorizing Official prior to travel departure. 4, Afterward, the Department will still be responsible for following, as soon as possible, the procedure outlined above for preparing a TRAVEL EXPENSE REQUEST FORM and forwarding them to the Finance Department. 5. The appropriate Authorizing Official must certify that verbal approval was given for the trip, and otherwise, process it in the same manner as a regular request. h. The allowable reimbursement for out-of-county travel will be the approved mileage rate for miles actually traveled when utilizing a personal vehicle, common carrier fares, automobile rental, tolls, taxi or transit fares, parking fees, private charters, lodging, meals, phone and telegraph fees, and conference fees. 1. All Private Charters must be authorized in advance by the County Administrator. 15.4 TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS The Traveling Employee, or their Department, will be responsible for making the appropriate travel arrangements for Out- of-County Travel. a. If a travel expense is to be paid directly to an outside vendor by the County, rather than paid through an employee reimbursement, the arrangements may be submitted to the Finance Department. 1, When such arrangements are to be made, the submitting Department will prepare the Travel Expense Report and submit them to the Finance Department. 15.5 TRAVEL ADVANCES It shall be County policy to limit travel advances; however, they may be made as follows: a. Travel advances may be issued to a County Employee when specifically authorized by the County Administrator for hardship cases or cases where an Employee will be away from home for five or more days. b. Travel advances shall be issued by completing a Purchase Confirmation Letterform and submitting it to the Finance Department, along with required supporting documentation. 15,6 TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT CLAIMS To obtain Reimbursement for Travel Expenses, other than for a fixed monthly allowance, a County Employee shall prepare, through their Department, a TRAVEL VOUCHER FORM and submit it to the Finance Department. a. For in-county travel, the form may be submitted monthly for reimbursement, but need not be submitted every month. However, the form must be submitted at the end of the fiscal year for any reimbursement claimed up to the end of the fiscal year. b. For out-of-county travel, the form shall be submitted after the completion of the out-of-county trip. c. The TRAVEL VOUCHER form will serve as the employee's invoice for their reimbursable travel expenses and must be supported by the original receipts showing proof of the expenses claimed and incurred unless the. employee requests per diem reimbursement in accordance with Section 112.061(6) 112,Q61(b), Florida Statutes. 1. The form must be signed by both the employee claiming the reimbursement and their Department Director. If a Department Director claims reimbursement, the form must be signed by the Department Director and the County Administrator. d, After receiving the TRAVEL VOUCHER with the required supporting documentation, and after appropriate pre-audit review, the Finance Department will prepare the reimbursement payment for the employee. 15.7 EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES AUTHORIZATION When properly authorized, educational expenses or reimbursements for outside training for County employees may be paid from County funds. ' a. For authorization and expense purposes, outside training shall be classified into two (2) categories: 1. Educational Leave - for outside training during work hours Vl[hen an employee is specifically authorized and paid for attending such training. 2, Tuition Assistance - for outside training after work hours when an employee optionally pursues a training objective on his own time. b, For an educational leave, upon proper authorization, the. County will assume an obligation to pay all associated cost of the training including payroll, education expenses,andtrav~. c. For tuition assistance, upon proper authorization, as per the rules and procedures of the Board of County Commissioners, the County will assume an obligation under its EMPLOYEE TUITION REFUND PROGRAM. d. To authorize educational expenses or reimbursements, an outside . training application request must be submitted by an employee. to his Department Director prior to enrollment in the training program. 1. The application must be approved by the Department Director and then forwarded to the County Administrator. 2. After approval by the County Administrator, a copy of the application will be submitted to the Purchasing Deportment Division and another copy returned to the submitting Department. e. Educational expenses and reimbursements will be handled the same as outside purchases under Section 5 and 2,. 1. After approval of the request, the Department will prepare a REQUISITION form and submit it to the Purchasing DepClrtment Division. (a) On such forms, the expenses or reimbursements will be charged to the departmental accounts "Educational Expenses." (b) On such forms, the employee will be listed as the vendor for any reimbursable expenses, other than travel expenses, or for a tuition refund. 2, The employee or their department will be responsible for making all appropriate arrangements for the training. 3. Any travel expenses associated with an educational leave must be handled separately as per Section 15,2, 15.3, and 15.4. f. The Purchasing DepClrtment Division will be responsible for preparing a PURCHASE ORDER form to encumber all properly authorized educational reimbursements, arrangements, and refunds. 15,8 EDUCATIONAL EXPENSE CLAIMS For Educational Reimbursement Claims, a County employee shall, through their Department, complete the "Payment Request" section of their approved request for training. a. The form will serve as the employee's invoice for their reimbursable educational expense or tuition refund and must be supported by original receipts showing proof of the expenses claimed and incurred, 1. The form must be signed by both the employee claiming the reimbursement or tuition .refUnd and the Department Director. 2. The form must indicate the number of the encumbered PURCHASE ORDER FORM for the employee's reimbursable expenses or tuition refund. 3. For a tuition refund, the employee must also submit a grade report for the courses taken for which the tuition refund is sought. b. The payment request will be forwarded to the County Administrator for approval. 1. After approval by the County Administrator, the request will be forwarded to the Finance Department. c. After receiving the payment request with the required approvals and supporting documentation, and after appropriate pre-audit review, the Finance Department will prepare the reimbursement or refund for the employee. 1. The reimbursement or refund will be charged against the encumbered PURCHASE ORDER by the employee's claim. 15.9 ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIPS The County recognizes the necessity of membership to various professional groups and maintains the policy of paying membership costs for approved organizations. a. As part of the budget preparation process, a Department shall budget for organizational memberships as appropriate. b. To authorize an organizational membership, a Department will prepare a Check Request Form and submit it to the Finance Department for the membership dues. 15.10 SUBSCRIPTIONS The County recognizes the necessity of subscribing to various professional trade journals, and maintains the policyof paying subscription costs for approved publications. For purpose of this policy, a professional publication is any publication of a work-related professiooal nature providing necessary information, a. Payment for subscriptions shall be done by a Check Request Form, as per Section 5,3. 15.11 PAYMENT TO OUTSIDE VENDORS Payments to outside vendors for travel and educational expenses, for organizational memberships, and for subscription fees will be handled according to Section 5.3, SECTION 16 - MISCELLANEOUS OBLIGATIONS 16,1 MISCELLANEOUS TRANSACTIONS It is recognized that there are certain transactions, which are unique in nature, and therefore, cannot be handled through competitive bargaining and negotiations. These transactions shall be referred to as MISCELLANEOUS OBLIGATIONS, and shall be grouped as follows: a. The Acquisition of Real Property, such as land, easements, rights-of-way, existing buildings, structures, or improvements, resulting from negotiations and approved by . the Board of County Commissioners. b. The payment of court-orderedfines and judgments, resulting from litigation, to which the County is a party te. c. Any exceptional disbursement as authorized by the Board oJ County Commissioners. d. The payment of court..:ordered fees, resulting from the judicial process, processed by the Clerk of the Court, and recorded against the budget for such fees. For such fees, the County is merely the public taxing agency responsible for supporting the judicial system. e. Cash transfers and investment transactions for fiscal management purposes, processed through the Finance Department, and against general ledger accounts, f, The payment of accrued or current liabilities already charged against the budget, processed through the Finance Department, and recorded against general ledger accounts. g, Debt service payments processed by the Finance Department and charged against budgetary accounts. h. Refunds of current or prior year revenues charged against budgetary accounts. I. Grant disbursements to federal, state, or local government agencies, or to private groups oragencies. j. Disbursements to County Officers offunds budgeted for their requisition and use. k. Inter-fund or interdepartmental transfers or reimbursements within or among County Departments. I. Aid disbursements for JPT A participants, housing and rental subsidies, hospital indigent payments, or other welfare and medical assistance. 1. Payments for insurance including, but not limited to, liability, property, medical, and workers compensation insurance or payments from any loss fund established for sU,ch purpose. 2. Payments for utilities, advertising, toll charges, gas cards, and postage. 16.2 PROCEDURE FOR MISCELLANEOUS OBLIGATIONS Miscellaneous obligations will be processed in the Finance Department. a, The Finance Department will make the appropriate disbursements for such obligations. b, The Finance Director will establish the procedures that the Director deems appropriate, for the processing of such disbursements. c, The authorization levels and requirements for mi~cellaneous obligations when submitted on a Check Request Form are as follows: 1. For the acquisition of real property, the County Administrator must certify the Board approval of the acquisition ar:1d the date of the Board's action, . 2. For grant disbursements to private groups or agencies, there must be grant agreement approval by the Board of County Commissioners and the grantee. Such a Grant Agreement will be treated the same as a Contract under Section 8 of this manual. 3, The adopted or amended budget shall be considered as authorization for debt service obligations, for County Officers requisitions, and for grant disbursements to other government agencies. . 4, For the payment of court..;ordered fines or judgments, in addition to proper authorization, the submitting Department must indicate the case title and number on the form. SECTION 17 - MATERIALS CENTER 17,1 MATERIALS CENTER The Materials Center shall serve as the central reproduction facility for the County when reproducing large documents and for high volume reproduction. a. The Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division will publish and distribute to all County Departments a Materials Center Price List showing the charge for each service available from the Materials Center. b. New items may be added to the Materials Center Price List as need arises depending upon demand. . c. The Material Center Price List will be updated periodically either by supplemental sheets or by the issuance of an addendum to the list. 17.2 AUTHORIZATION FOR MATERIALS CENTER USE To authorize the use of the Materials Center, a Department Director/Division Manager must prepare and submit to the Materials Center a list of authorized employees who may charge items to the Department. a. This list must be renewed at least annually. For billing purposes (inter-fund transactions), the Department must also prepare and submit a Reproduction Request Form tothe Materials Center to reproduce items. 17.3 SCHEDULING WORK AT THE MATERIALS CENTER Any authorized Departmental Employee may request reproduction services as needed Hem from the Materials Center by telephone or in person. Such orders shall be followed up by a Reproduction Request Form. a. The Materials Center will deliver items to Departments as time permits, Otherwise, Departments will have to pick up items from the Materials Center. b. Any employee receiving items from the Materials Center will sign for each withdrawal, at that time, on the bottom of the Reproduction Request Form. The Materials Center will retain the Request Form for each department's printing request. 17,4 PAYMENT FOR MATERIALS CENTER ORDERS A Department agrees to pay for work done by the Materials Center at the time the work is performed. This consent shall be implied by the completion and submittal of the Reproduction Request Form, and subsequent signature upon receipt of reproduced items. a. Upon receipt of the Reproduction Request Form for printing services, the Materials Center shall bill the Requesting Department on a monthly basis. b. The Department will indicate on the Reproduction Request Form the appropriate accounts to be charged for the monthly transaction. c. Each Department will receive a monthly invoice ~ of all Materials Center transactions for verification. d. Any disputed charge will be brought to the attention of the Purch:Jsing Director of Manaaement and BUdget. The Purch3sing Director of Management and Budget shall resolve any disputed items and make adjustments to the billings as is necessary. '~';~1 "if,' , 'I SECTION 18 - CAPITAL ASSETS 18,1 COUNTY OWNED PERSONAL PROPERTY All equipment not incorporated into a facility and in excess of the threshold $1,000,00 (established by Rule of the Chief Financial Officer. Rule 691-73.002 by Section 27-1,02, Florid3 St3tutes) and a oroiected useful life of one (1) vear or more, are considered Tangible Personal Property. All land, buildings, and improvements are considered real property, Both Tangible Personal Property and. real property are considered capital assets and purchases of these types of items will be approved by the Board of County Commissioners. 18.2 PROCEDURE FOR ACQUISITION OF CAPITAL ASSETS All purchases will follow the procedures outlined: a. After a department determines a need for a capital asset, they will obtain approval to purchase the item during the annual budget preparation or at a Board of County Commissioners public meeting. The Requesting Department shall request the assistance of the Purchasing .Q.ep3rtment Division to establish a budget for the item. 1. Information Technology may purchase Tangible Personal Property as approved by the Board of County Commissioners. b. After Board approval is obtained, the Requesting Department will enter a requisition into the computer system and forward a hard copy to the Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division with the required authorization. The requisition shall contain a detailed description of the item, Equipment Request number assigned by OMB (if applicable) and the date of Board approval. c. If the capital asset increases in cost after budgeting approval by the Board, the Department may purchase the asset with County Administrator approval provided that the cost does not exceed the Department's capital asset budget. In addition, the Purch3sing Director of Manaaement and Budaet shall provide quarterly reports (Equipment only) to the Board and the County Administrator if any equipment is purchased over the budgeted amount. The purchase of a new capital asset over $1,000.00 that has not received Board budgetary approval shall require Board approval before purchase. d. After receiving a personal property item, the Requesting Department will send the invoice (with payment authorization), receiving copy of the Purchase Order, Property Acquisition/Disposition/Transfer Form and a copy of Board approval to the Finance Department (Equipment Only). The Capital Assets Custodian (Purchasing Dep3rtmont Division) will place an inventory tag on all Tangible Personal Property. e. Annually the Capital Assets Custodian (Purchasing Dep3rtment Division) will physically inventory all Tangible Personal Property, update the inventory (transfers and purchases) and dispose of surplus property in accordance with current state and local laws. Real property will be inventoried as outlined in procedures established by the Finance Department. f. Donated property with a value in excess of $1,000,00 will be included in the requirements of this section. 18.3 PROCEDURE FOR THE TRANSFER OF CAPITAL ASSETS All transfers of capital. assets between departments must be approved by the County Administrator or his designee, Transfers within a department must be approved by the Department Director, a, . All. transfers of Tangible Personal Property must be submitted to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division and all transfers of real property must be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMS), on a Property Acquisition/Disposition/Transfer Form with Jhe proper authorization, 18.4 PROCEDURE FOR THE DISPOSITION OF CAPITAL ASSETS Before an item of Tangible Personal Property is removed from service, the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division must be notified of the Department's desire to dispose of the item. Purchasing will instruct the Requesting Department on where to deliver the equipment. Before a real property .item is removed from service, OMS must be notified of the Department's desire to dispose of the item. At that time, OMS will provide further instructions to the requesting department. All dispositions of capital assets must be approved by the Department Director. a. All dispositions of Tangible Personal Property must be submitted to the Purchasing Department Division and all dispositions of real property must be submitted to OMS, on a Property Acquisition/Disposition/Transfer Form with the proper authorization. b. The Purchasing Department Division and/or OMS will attempt to find another department with a need for the items to be disposed of prior to removing the item from the Capital Asset Inventory. c. The Purchasing Department Division and/or OMS will seek approval from the Board of County Commissioners to remove the item from the Capital Asset Inventory if the item cannot be utilized elsewhere in the County. d. The item will be disposed of in accordance with Section Chapter 274,06, Florida Statutes. e. Tangible Personal Property and real property paid for by a grant must require special treatment for transfers and disposition. The user. department is responsible to insure that these items are handled in the proper manner. 18.5 PROPERTY LESS THAN $1.000.00 It is the duty and responsibility for all departments to retain a record of all items purchased that cost between $50.00 and $1,000.00, A copy of this record is to be sent to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division. At the end of each Fiscal Year, the list is to be physically verified and the additions, deletions, or missing items are to be recorded. A copy of this physical inventory, along with an explanation of any diScrepancy is to be sent to the Purchasing Dep3rtment Division, 18.6 ASSET CAPITALIZATION GUIDELINES These guidelines are being provided to assist management when making the determination between which asset related expenditures are/are not recommended to be , capitalized in accordance with governing laws, rules and regulations. The following guidelines, except where noted, apply equally to both Governmental Funds (funds that start with the #001, 1, 2, 3 or 6Land Proprietary Funds (funds that start with the #4 or 5). Definitions are provided as needed. a. New Assets - Consistent with the threshold limit set forth in Rule of the Chief Financial Officer. Rule 691-73.002 Chapter 271.02(1) F.S. and addressed in Section " 18,1. of this Purchasing Manual, costs of $1,000.00 or more incurred to acquire assets or to make aSSets ready for their intended use should be capitalized. b. Additions - Non-transitory additions to previously capitalized assets that meet the capitalization requirements of 18.6(a) above, should be capitalized as add-on's to the existing asset/property record. However, transitory additions to previously capitalized assets that meet the capitalization requirements of 18,6(a) above, should be capitalized as a separate asset/property record. c. Replacements - The cost to replace an entire asset in a Proprietary Fund should be capitalized if it meets the capitalization requirements of 18,6(a) above, old costs are removed and new costs are capitalized. The replacement cost of add-ons or major components, for Proprietary Funds, are recommended for capitalization if they meet the capitalization requirements above and at least one of the following criteria: 1. Extend the useful life of an asset 2, Increase the quantity of services provided by an asset 3. Increase the quality of services provided by an asset. Two methods are recommended to recognize these costs: 1) Substitution Method - remove the old costs and associated accumulated depreciation and replace with the new. 2) Capitalization of New Cost Method - The new costs are capitalized to the original asset account without removing the old costs. This method may be appropriate when it is reasonable to assume that the original cost has been reduced to an insignificant amount through depreciation charges. In practice, this method is used when original component costs are indeterminable. , The cost to replace an entire asset in a Governmental Fund should be capitalized if it meets the capitalization requirements above, old costs are removed and new costs are capitalized. However, replacement costs for add-on's or major components should be treated as non-capital expenditures, unless the costs significantly impacts the carrying value of the asset. Inthis case, remove the old cost associated with the add-on or major component being replaced and capitalize the new cost provided the new cost meets the capitalization requirements above. d. Repairs & Maintenance - Costs that are associated with repairs and maintenance (Le., dredging, resurfacing, beach nourishment, utilities fieldwork) are not recommended for capitalization. However, major repairs that provide additional service benefits for future periods are recommended for capitalization in Proprietary Funds, if they meet the capitalizat!on requirements of 18,6(a) above. e. OVERVIEW OF CAPITALIZATION GUIDELINES: Govt. Fund Accts. Proprietary Fund Accts. 56XXXX New Asset Costs (If $1 ,000.00 or more) 56XXXX 56XXXX Cost of Additions (If $1 ,000.00 or more) Perm. - Add-on Non-Perm - Sep. Asset 56XXXX 5XXXXX Replacement cost of Add-on Non - Cap. # or Major Component 56XXXX (If $1 ,000.00 or more) 56XXXX Cost to Replacement Asset 56XXXX Note: Acct. #s that start with 56 are capital expenditures, If the 2nd digit is anything other than a six (6), the expenditure is non-capital. 18.7 MODULAR FURNITURE This section has been added to provide additional guidance as it specifically relates to modular furniture, However, the guidelines established in Section 18,6 (Asset Capitalization) of this Purchasing Manual also apply. a. In accordance with Auditor General recommendations, it is recommended that modular furniture be capitalized as part of the building when it is management's intent to have it permanently installed. b. When this is not the case, it should be capitalized as equipment and furniture, by individual unitor by lot. 18.8 HARDWARE COSTS Capitalization guidelines are set forth in Section 18.6 (Asset Capitalization) of this Purchasing Manual. a. This section has been added to provide additional guidance as it specifically relates to computer hardware. COMPUTER HARDWARE CAPITALIZATION: Govt. Fund Accts. Proprietary Fund Accts. 564000 New Equipment (If $1,000.00 or more) 564000 564000 Costof Additions/Upgrades (If $1 ,000.00 or more) Perm. - Add-on Non - Perm - Sep. Asset 564000 551501 Cost of Additions (If Less than $1,000.00) 551501 551501 Replacement/Upgrade of Add-on or Major Component (If $1,000.00 or more) 564000 564000 Cost to Replacement Asset 564000 b, Disposition of Computer Hardware - The procedures for the disposition of County property are addressed and should be followed as outlined in Section 18.4 of this Purchasing Manual. 18,9 HARDWARE/SOFTWARE The IT Director, or his designee, is responsible for all County computer and telephone equipment, software, computer security, data and voice circuits, and has final decision making authority over all computer-related purchases, All computer-related purchases must be reviewed and approved by the IT Director, in advance, including the purchase of hardware, software, peripherals, upgrades, licenses, data and voice circuits, and any item that is connected to the County network or a stand- alone computer. Computer related purchase requests will be reviewed with consideration of the following items: Intended usage Initial and ongoing training requirements Compatibility and adherence to County standards Maintenance, repair, and support requirements Cost/benefit relationship, inclusive of the total cost of ownership Security Availability of alternative solutions Budgetary constraints Other considerations related to County-wide goals, policies, or benefits All requests must he in writing and fully explained. This also applies to donated equipment and equipment valued below $1 ,000. SECTION 19 -INTANGIBLE ASSETS 19,1 SOFTWARE COSTS These guidelines are being provided to assist management when making the determination between which asset related expenditures are/are not recommended to be capitalized in accordance with governing laws, rules and regulations. The following guidelines apply equally to both Governmental & Proprietary Funds except where noted, a. New Assets - Consistent with the threshold limit set forth in Rule of the Chief Financial Officer. Rule 691-73,002 Ch::mtor 271,02(1 ), F.S., costs of $1,000,00 or more incurred to acquire assets (not internally developed) or to make an asset ready for its intended use should be capitalized. b. Upgrades - Upgrades to existing software"that meet the capitalization requirements of 19.1 (a) above should also be capitalized. Remove old costs and capitalize new. If old remains in use, capitalize new costs separately. c. This section has been added to provide additional guidance as it specifically relates to computer software capitalization. ' SOFTWARE CAPITALIZATION: Govt. FLJnd Accts. Proprietary Fund Accts, 564000 Original Software if Purchased with PC or System (Aggregate $1,000.00 or more) 564000 OR 568000 (If Purchased Separately and Value is $1,000,00 or more) 568000 568000 Add New Software to PC or System (Capitalize if $1 ,000.00 or more) 568000 OR 551501 (Expense if under $1 ,000.00) 551501 568000 Upgrades to Software ($1000.00 or more) 568000