Los Angeles County Municipal Code Part 8 Purchasing and Distribution of Goods, Equipment and Services

Unless delegated by the director, it shall be the duty of the director to purchase all such services as are authorized by law, and to purchase and rent all furnishings, materials, supplies, fixtures, equipment, and all other personal property required by

the county of Los Angeles, or any of the districts or public agencies for which the purchasing agent of the county of Los Angeles acts as purchasing agent, when the head of such county department, district or public agency shall make proper written requisition upon him, and to otherwise perform all the duties of the purchasing agent permitted or required by the Charter, state law, or other provisions of this code.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

A.

Pursuant to the provisions of Government Code Section 25509, the director may establish a checking account in any commercial bank for the payment of miscellaneous and emergency purchases of services and supplies by purchase order check. No one check drawn on the account shall exceed $2,500.00. The director shall not fragmentize orders to avoid the intention of the board of supervisors in prescribing the maximum amount per check prescribed above.

B.

The $2,500.00 limitation in subsection A of Section 2.81.805 shall not apply to checks drawn in payment of the following services and supplies:

Postage;

Training;

Transportation provided by common carriers;

Organization dues and membership fees approved by the board of supervisors;

Subscriptions that require prepayment;

Fee assessments for mandatory accreditation surveys, reviews and evaluations for the department of health services; and

Emergency purchases that the using department has certified were delivered.

C.

Pursuant to the provisions of Government Code Section 25509, the director may also establish a checking account with a fund limit not to exceed $50,000.00 in any commercial bank for the payment, acquisition, repair or refurbishment of goods for the county's surplus property program.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

A.

Pursuant to Section 54202 of the Government Code, the director shall prepare or cause to be prepared a manual of procedures, for submission to and approval of the board of supervisors. Said manual shall contain detailed procedures concerning the conduct of all purchasing and stores business, including, but not limited to, procedures and other matters pertinent to:

Handling requests for quotations, including their custody and safeguarding, opening and tabulation, rejection and readvertising, and the procedure for determining the lowest responsible bidder;

Securing from vendors and prospective vendors the data necessary to determine whether or not they are responsible;

Inspection of deliveries of supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services;

Making emergency purchases;

Reporting receipt of deliveries of supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services;

Submitting requisitions for the supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services required by the using agencies;

Receipt and examination prior to audit of invoices for supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services delivered;

Control and safeguarding supplies, materials and equipment in storerooms or at storage points, including the maintenance of a perpetual inventory system showing the quantitative amounts and monetary values of the inventories;

Authorized signatures for the various documents, reports and forms pertinent to the conduct of business and the administration of the department; and

All other matters as may be necessary to give effect to provisions of this chapter and any amendments hereto.

B.

It is recognized that such manual shall require additions, amendments and deletions from time to time as necessitated by the ordinary course of business. Such additions, amendments and deletions shall be made a part of the manual of procedures by the director, to be effective immediately, and shall periodically be submitted to the board of supervisors for approval.

C.

A copy of such manual of procedures shall be available in the office of the director and shall be open to public inspection during regular business hours.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

It shall be the duty of the director to purchase such quantities of furnishings, materials, supplies, fixtures and equipment as may be required for official use and provide for their disbursement upon receipt of regular requisitions presented to the director. A record of receipts and disbursements shall be kept in such manner that the same may be easily checked by the county auditor-controller.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Upon agreement with paying customers, the director shall procure and provide forms, duplicated, reproduced and printed matter as required by the various departments of the county. The director may operate a central county printing facility and such other regional printing facilities as may from time to time be established. The director may utilize county or alternate duplicating sources to meet the county's needs, subject to applicable legal limitations, and may establish guidelines and standards for the production of printed or duplicated matter, and may issue instructions for the requisitioning and procurement thereof.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

A.

Upon the receipt by the director of a requisition properly drawn and signed, he shall determine from whom the proposed purchase is to be made and the cost, and shall prepare a purchase order with as many copies as may be necessary.

B.

The director shall insure that the auditor-controller has certified for each purchase order that there are sufficient funds available to meet the cost of the articles proposed to be purchased. This shall not apply to purchase orders issued under the general stores revolving account or to purchase orders for services and supplies under $2,500.00.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Upon receiving the certification as described in Section 2.81.840, the director shall be authorized to issue to the vendor a purchase order directing the delivery of the articles named therein and at the price named therein to the requisitioner.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

In the event of failure to receive a certification by the auditor-controller that there are sufficient funds available, the director shall not purchase the goods requisitioned.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

The director shall engage independent contractors to perform sundry services for the county and the officers thereof, with or without the furnishing of material, where the cost does not exceed limitations imposed by law.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

The director shall not engage independent contractors to perform sundry services until and unless such independent contractor shall file with the director a certificate or affidavit of the State Compensation Insurance Fund, or private insurance company duly authorized to write worker's compensation insurance, that such independent contractor has, pursuant to the Worker's Compensation provisions of the Labor Code, insured all his employees to be engaged by the contractor in the performance of the sundry service, or shall file with the director a certificate of consent to self-insure issued by the director of industrial relations.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

In the publication of legal notices required by law, the director shall cause each such notice to be published in a local community newspaper of the community affected by the proceedings, provided that publication in such newspaper meets the requirements of law, notwithstanding that lower prices are obtainable for such advertising outside the local community affected by the proceeding. It is understood, however, that the foregoing shall not include any instance in which a specific newspaper is designated by the board of supervisors for the publication of any such notice, or any instance in which a public officer or said board of supervisors is required by law to designate specifically the newspaper wherein any such legal notice is to be published.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

It shall be the duty of the director to procure for the uniformed personnel of county departments, districts and public agencies such uniforms and equipment as may be authorized by the chief administrative officer.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Unless delegated by the director, it shall be the duty of the director to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of all surplus personal property not disposed of by the board of supervisors in the manner provided in Article 7 (commencing with Section 25500) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 2 of Title 3 of the Government Code.

(Ord. 97-0063 § 2, 1997; Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Unless delegated by the director, the director shall dispose of any personal property received by him pursuant to Sections 2.34.100, 2.122.080 and 4.40.050 of this code, or received by him from a court pursuant to Section 1411 or 1418 of the Penal Code, or property of deceased indigents, as follows:

A.

He may retain any such personal property which is needed for public use, or deliver such personal property to the county officer or employee who needs it for public use;

B.

He may destroy all such personal property not disposed of pursuant to subsection A of this section which is of no value;

C.

He shall sell, in the manner provided for in Section 2.81.910, all personal property not disposed of pursuant to subsections A or B of this section, and all personal property having a monetary value of less than $25.00 of a deceased indigent in those cases in which there has been no probate of the estate of such indigent, or if there has been a probate and such property was not disposed of in such probate.

(Ord. 97-0063 § 3, 1997; Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

The director shall not sell any gambling device as such but shall sell such gambling device after destruction only as junk.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Formal bids shall be the preferred method of purchase for all goods, services and leases, with at least three competitive bids obtained wherever feasible. Any other means shall be used only when, in the opinion and discretion of the director, the best interests of the county will be served by using other methods, or that formal bidding procedures are impractical. Guidelines for use of these other purchasing methods are as follows:

A.

Informal Bid. In general and where applicable, procedures concerning formal bids are equally applicable to informal bids. They should be used only when the product or service cannot be more efficiently obtained through formal bid, and where the product or service meets at least one of the following qualifications:

Repair part, component or accessory for which no substitute is available;

Value or volume does not warrant formal bid; or

Time requirements are such as to make it impracticable to process by formal bid.

B.

Telephone Bid. The telephone bid may be used when immediate delivery is essential and at least three quotations shall be solicited.

C.

Prior Bid, Last Price. Award may be made on the basis of a prior bid or last price, if the conditions of purchase are similar, with the approval of the director.

D.

Monopoly. Award may be made without bidding when the item to be purchased can be obtained from only one source and the item is one which does not economically lend itself to substitution.

E.

Letter Quotations. This method shall be used in the same manner as the informal bid. The letter quotation is a written offer made to the county by a bidder usually, but not exclusively, modifying or extending a previous offer.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Extensions of bid closing date will only be granted with the approval of the director. Notification of extension of date will be made by amendment to the request for quotation, and such amendment will be mailed to all firms sent the original request.

No informal extension shall be obtained by any vendor without this process.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Every award to other than low bid shall be made by a reviewing authority in the department superior to the assigned deputy purchasing agent. The assigned deputy purchasing agent shall follow standard operating procedures in documenting and reporting the action. The director shall submit to the board of supervisors a monthly report of all contracts estimated to result in an expenditure of more than $5,000.00 which are awarded to other than the low bidder, are awarded without being put out to competitive bid, or are awarded, extended or amended upon the basis of negotiation or renegotiation, such report to include the reasons therefor. Awards made by individual department heads pursuant to decentralization delegation of purchasing authority by the director and subject to the above limitations shall be reported to the board of supervisors separately by the awarding department.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

All factors being equal and to the extent authorized by law, the county shall first prefer products grown, manufactured or produced in Los Angeles County, and then in the state of California.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Purchases shall not be made from a county or district employee or his spouse unless authorization is obtained in each specific instance from the board of supervisors.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

Sales of surplus personal property may be made to county and district employees on the same basis as to other private citizens, except that no such sales shall be made to an employee of the department, the employee's spouse, or blood relative of either.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

The director may delegate the authority granted by this chapter to appropriate staff under his direction and control. Thereafter or until revoked, such subordinates may exercise any and all authority delegated by the board of supervisors to the director.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)

This chapter shall not be deemed or construed as imposing any duty upon, or authorizing any act by, the director which duty or act is imposed upon or required to be done by any other county officer, department or employee pursuant to the provisions of any general law, or any provision of the Charter of the county of Los Angeles.

(Ord. 89-0026 § 1 (part), 1989.)