Grass Valley Municipal Code Art. XIII Contracts and Centralized Purchasing

All contracts shall be drawn under the supervision of the city attorney unless the council shall otherwise provide by ordinance, resolution or order appearing in the minutes of the council. All contracts must be in writing, executed in the name of the city, by an officer or officers authorized to sign the same, and must be countersigned by the city clerk who shall number and register the same in a book kept for that purpose.

(a) Contracts on Public Works: Except as hereinafter provided, every contract involving an expenditure of more than the ceiling established by the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act, Public Contracts Code § 22010 et seq. or in a lesser amount as may be established by ordinance for the construction or improvement of public buildings, works, streets, drains, sewers, utilities, parks, and playgrounds shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder after notice by publication in an adjudicated newspaper in the city by one or more insertions, the first of which shall be at least ten (10) days before the time for opening bids.

The council may reject any and all bids presented and may readvertise in its discretion.

The council, without advertising for bids, or after rejecting bids, or if no bids are received, may declare and determine that, in its opinion, the work in question may be performed better or more economically by the city with its own employees; and after the adoption of a resolution to this effect by at least four (4) affirmative votes, it may proceed to have said work done in the manner stated without further observance of the provisions of this subsection. Such contracts likewise may be let without advertising for bids, if such work shall be deemed by the Council to be of urgent necessity for the preservation of life, health, or property, and shall be authorized by motion passed by at least four (4) affirmative votes and containing a declaration of the facts constituting such urgency. And provided further, that the respective city departments shall do the ordinary work in making repairs and maintenance with its regular city employees without calling for bids for the doing of said work or the purchase of supplies, material, or equipment but the doing of said work shall be subject to the provisions of this Charter on purchase of materials, supplies, and equipment.

Nothing in this Charter shall prevent the council from exercising the authority granted by the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act, Public Contracts Code § 22010 et seq. or from awarding contracts for the design and construction of a public work under the "design-build" approach.

(b) Competitive Bidding:

1. All purchases or contracts for supplies, materials, or equipment involving an expenditure of more than $145,000 or in a lesser amount as may be established by ordinance shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder after notice by publication in an adjudicated newspaper in the city by one or more insertions, the first of which shall be at least ten (10) days before the time for opening bids. The $145,000 figure stated immediately above may be adjusted by ordinance from time to time to reflect the change occurring after January 1, 2013 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (1982-84=100) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor or any successor to that index.

2. Provided, however, the Council, without advertising for bids or after rejecting bids or if no bids are received, may declare and determine that in its opinion the supplies, materials, or equipment may be purchased by the city by the adoption of a resolution to this effect by at least four (4) affirmative votes finding that:

(i) The purchase may be made more economically without such procedures, or

(ii) The purchase is of urgent necessity for the preservation of life, health, or property.

(c) To the extent permitted by state and federal law, the council may establish by ordinance specified and limited bid advantages for firms based within a specified distance of the city. The city may enact such an ordinance in recognition of the fact that local firms and local employees help support Grass Valley's economy and provide air and water quality benefits for local citizens.

The council shall establish a centralized purchasing system for all city departments, offices and agencies. The city administrator or his designee shall recommend and the council shall consider and adopt all ordinances, rules and regulations governing the contract for purchasing, storing, distribution or disposal of all supplies, materials and equipment required by any department, office, or agency of the city.