Inglewood Municipal Code Art. 5 Purchasing

Prior History: Former Chapter 2 Article 5 Purchasing, compiled of Ord. 2170 2-19-74; Ord. 2178 4-23-74; Ord. 2387 11-25-80; Ord. 90-34 1-29-90; Ord. 99-3 2-2-99; Ord. 03-19 10-14-03Ord. 06-04 4-11-06; Ord. 06-19 10-24-06; Ord. 15-19 9-1-15; Ord. 16-07 7-26-16; Ord. 21-07 4-13-21; Ord. 22-07 4-5-22Ord. 23-11 5-9-23; repealed and replaced by Ord. 25-01, 1/16/2025.

The Finance Director or Finance Director's designee is the City's Purchasing Officer. Under the supervision of the City Manager, the Purchasing Officer shall have authority to:

(a) Negotiate, purchase and obtain goods and services in accordance with applicable Federal, State and local laws, and regulations prescribed by the City Council or City Manager.

(b) Procure quality goods and services at the least expense to the City.

(c) Discourage uniform bidding and endeavor to obtain fair and open competition on all purchases and sales.

(d) Prepare and recommend rules and regulations governing the purchase of goods and services to the City Manager.

(e) Stay informed on developments in procurement practices of government agencies, market conditions, prices, and new products, through research and conferring with other government agencies, national technical societies, trade associations, and private sector organizations.

(f) Develop and maintain forms to streamline the City's procurement procedures while ensuring compliance with this Article. Provide city staff with training on the City's procurement procedures.

(g) Prepare and adopt a standard purchasing nomenclature for City departments and vendors.

(h) Prepare and maintain a vendors' catalog containing descriptions of vendors' goods, services, prices and discounts.

(i) Exploit the possibilities of buying "in bulk" so as to take full advantage of economies of scale discounts.

(j) Determine that bid specifications are adhered to in all respects.

(k) Recommend the transfer of surplus or unused supplies and equipment between departments as needed and the sale of all supplies and equipment which cannot be used by any department or which have become unsuitable for City use.

(l) Exercise propriety review over all purchases and make recommendations to the City Manager.

(Ord. 25-01, 1/16/2025)

(a) Authority to Award Contracts and Purchase Orders.

(1) The City Council shall award all contracts and purchase orders for goods and services over one hundred thousand dollars.

(2) The City Manager is authorized to award all contracts and purchase orders for goods and services not-to-exceed one hundred thousand dollars.

(3) The Purchasing Officer is authorized to award purchase orders for goods only, not-to-exceed one hundred thousand dollars.

(b) All contracts and purchase orders for goods and services shall be awarded in accordance with the competitive procurement procedures outlined in this Article, unless otherwise exempt.

(c) It shall be unlawful for any officer, employee, or agent of the City to purchase goods or services or otherwise make any contract that is not in compliance with this Article. Any contract or purchase order awarded contrary to the provisions of this Article shall not be binding on the City and the City shall not be obligated there under unless ratified by the City Council or City Manager.

The City Manager shall have the authority to ratify unauthorized contracts or purchases not-to-exceed fifteen thousand dollars per contract or purchase. The City Manager shall file a report, detailing this action, with the City Council at a regularly scheduled meeting held within sixty days of ratification.

(Ord. 25-01, 1/16/2025)

Unless an exception to competitive procurement applies, all contracts or purchase orders shall be awarded pursuant to informal or formal competitive bidding or competitive selection.

(Ord. 25-01, 1/16/2025)

(a) Informal Bidding And Competitive Selection Contract Limits. Every contract or purchase order over twenty-five thousand dollars and up to one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars shall be informally procured via competitive bidding or competitive selection unless an exception in Section 2-198.1 applies.

(b) Informal Competitive Bidding Procedure.

(1) Awards Exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars to one hundred thousand dollars. The Purchasing Officer shall informally issue solicitations by giving notice to the vendors listed in the most current bidders' list for the particular goods and/or services being procured. If the Purchasing Officer is aware of a vendor that is not on the list, the Purchasing Officer shall also issue the solicitation to that vendor.

(2) Awards Exceeding one hundred thousand dollars to one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars. Sealed bids shall be required to be submitted in order to award a contract for solicitations of goods and/or services estimated to exceed one hundred thousand dollars. The Purchasing Officer shall notify the vendors of the solicitation in writing at least ten days before the deadline for submitting a response and provide a copy of the solicitation. The Purchasing Officer, City Manager, or City Council may shorten the timeline for urgent matters. No bid bond or published notice inviting bids shall be required.

(3) The Purchasing Officer shall publically open each response to a solicitation at the time and place designated for opening. The responses shall be tabulated and held in the Purchasing Officer's office for public inspection for thirty days.

(4) Local Preference. The City may extend a local small business preference pursuant to Chapter 2, Article 5(A) of the Municipal Code.

(c) Informal Competitive Selection Procedure.

(1) Awards Exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars to one hundred thousand dollars. The Purchasing Officer shall informally issue solicitations by giving notice to the persons or firms listed in the most current bidders' list for the particular services being procured. If the Purchasing Officer is aware of a person or firm that is not on the list, the Purchasing Officer shall also issue the solicitation to that person or firm.

(2) Awards Exceeding one hundred thousand dollars to one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars. Sealed proposals shall be required to be submitted to award a contract for solicitations of services estimated to exceed one hundred thousand dollars. The Purchasing Officer shall notify the persons or firms of the solicitation in writing at least ten days before the deadline for submitting a proposal and provide a copy of the solicitation. The Purchasing Officer, City Manager, or City Council may shorten the timeline for urgent matters.

(3) Proposal Submittal and Opening. The Purchasing Officer shall publicly announce the names of the proposers who submitted proposals. The City may keep the names of the entities submitted proposals, as well as the contents and evaluations confidential to the extent permitted by law.

(Ord. 25-01, 1/16/2025)

(a) Prior to making an award of contract exceeding one hundred thousand dollars the City Council shall afford any bidder who is present at the particular Council meeting an opportunity to testify or present evidence pertaining to the bidding procedures or documents employed if there is a complaint with respect thereto.

(b) No contract shall be awarded to a lowest responsive and responsible bidder unless prior thereto, notice of the hearing shall have been mailed to all of the bidders at least five days prior to a hearing and each shall have been given an opportunity to:

(1) Testify and present evidence pertaining to any matter relating thereto;

(2) Cross examine or question any person testifying; and

(3) Be present during all stages of the Council's award hearing. Upon conclusion of the hearing, Council may make an award and when such determination is made, it shall be final.

(Ord. 25-01, 1/16/2025)

(a) Definitions.

"Paper products"

include, but are not limited to, paper janitorial supplies, cartons, wrapping, packaging, file folders, hanging files, corrugated boxes, tissue, and toweling, or as otherwise defined in 14 California Code of Regulations (CCR) Section 18982(a)(51).

"Printing and writing papers"

include, but are not limited to, copy, xerographic, watermark, cotton fiber, offset, forms, computer printout paper, white wove envelopes, manila envelopes, book paper, note pads, writing tablets, newsprint, and other uncoated writing papers, posters, index cards, calendars, brochures, reports, magazines, and publications, or as otherwise defined in 14 CCR Section 18982(a)(54).

"Recycled-content paper"

means paper products and printing and writing paper that consists of at least thirty percent, by fiber weight, postconsumer fiber, or as otherwise defined in 14 CCR Section 18982(a)(61).

(b) All vendors providing paper products and printing and writing paper shall:

(1) If fitness and quality are equal, provide recycled-content paper products and recycled-content printing and writing paper that consists of at least thirty percent, by fiber weight, postconsumer fiber instead of non-recycled products whenever recycled paper products and printing and writing paper are available at the same or lesser total cost than non-recycled items or at a total cost of no more than ten percent of the total cost for non-recycled items.

(2) Provide paper products and printing and writing paper that meet Federal Trade Commission Recyclability standard as defined in 16 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 260.12.

(3) Certify in writing, under penalty of perjury, the minimum percentage of postconsumer material in the paper products and printing and writing paper offered or sold to the City. This certification requirement may be waived if the percentage of postconsumer material in the paper products, printing and writing paper, or both can be verified by a product label, catalog, invoice, or a manufacturer or vendor internet website.

(4) Certify in writing, on invoices or receipts provided, that the paper products and printing and writing paper offered or sold to the City are eligible to be labeled with an unqualified recyclable label as defined in 16 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 260.12 (2013).

(5) Provide records to the City's Finance Department/Purchasing Division of all paper products and printing and writing paper purchases within thirty days of the purchase (both recycled-content paper and non-recycled-content paper, if any is purchased) made by any division or department or employee of the City. Records shall include a copy (electronic or paper) of the invoice or other documentation of purchase, written certifications as required for recycled-content paper purchases, purchaser name, quantity purchased, date purchased, and recycled-content (including products that contain none), and if non-recycled-content paper products or printing and writing papers are provided, include a description of why recycled-content paper products or printing and writing papers were not provided.

(6) Maintain records required for five years.

(Ord. 25-01, 1/16/2025)