The Board of Education views purchasing as serving the educational program by providing necessary supplies, equipment and related services. Purchasing will be centralized in the business office under the general supervision of the Purchasing Agent designated by the Board.

It is the goal of the Board to purchase competitively, without prejudice or favoritism, and to seek the maximum educational value for every dollar expended. Competitive bids or quotations will be solicited in connection with purchases pursuant to law. The General Municipal Law requires that purchase contracts for materials, equipment and supplies involving an estimated annual expenditure exceeding $20,000 and public work contracts involving an expenditure of more than $35,000 will be awarded only after responsible bids have been received in response to a public advertisement soliciting formal bids. Purchases of the same commodity cannot be artificially divided for the purpose of avoiding the threshold. Similar procurements to be made in a fiscal year will be grouped together for the purpose of determining whether a particular item must be bid.

The district’s purchasing activity will strive to meet the following objectives:

1. to effectively supply all administrative units in the school system with needed materials, supplies, and contracted services;

2. to obtain materials, supplies and contracted services at the lowest prices possible consistent with the quality and standards needed as determined by the Purchasing Agent in conformance with state law and regulation and in cooperation with the requisitioning authority. The educational and physical welfare of the students is the foremost consideration in making any purchase;

3. to have all purchases fall within the framework of budgetary limitations and that they are consistent with the educational goals and programs of the district;

4. to maintain an appropriate and comprehensive accounting and reporting system to record and document all purchasing transactions;

5. to prevent, through the use of proper internal controls, the loss and/or diversion of district property; and 6. to utilize the GreenNY purchasing specifications set by New York State whenever feasible.

Opportunities will be provided to all responsible suppliers to do business with the school district. Suppliers whose place of business is situated within the district may be given preferential consideration only when bids or quotations on an item or service are identical as to price, quality and other factors.

Special Circumstances A. “Piggybacking” Where permitted by law, purchases may be made through available cooperative BOCES bids, or by “piggybacking” onto contracts of the United States or agencies thereof or the federal General Services Administration (GSA), the New York State Office of General Services (OGS), departments or agencies of New York State, any New York State county, or any state or any county or political subdivision or district therein, whenever such purchases are in the best interests of the district or will result in cost savings to the district. In addition, the district will make purchases from correctional institutions and severely disabled persons through charitable or non-profit-making agencies, as provided by law. It is the district’s responsibility to review each “piggybacking” contract corresponding to a proposed purchase, upon the advice of counsel as necessary, to determine whether the original contract does not conflict with state law or regulation, and meets the following requirements: 1. The contract must have been let by the United States, or any agency thereof, any state, or any other political subdivision or district therein; 2. The contract must have been made available for use by other governmental entities; including New York State local governments; 3. The contract must have been let to the lowest responsible bidder or on the basis of best value, in a manner consistent with General Municipal Law §103. Those main elements are: (a) public solicitation of bids or offers; (b) secure or confidential bids or offers; (c) use of a common standard for bidders or offers to compete fairly; and (d) awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, or responsible offeror of best value, which optimizes quality, cost and efficiency. B. Instructional Materials in Alternative Formats In accordance with law, the district will give a preference in the purchase of instructional materials to vendors who agree to provide materials in alternative formats. The term “alternative format” means any medium or format for the presentation of instructional materials, other than a traditional print textbook, that is needed as an accommodation for a disabled student enrolled in the district (or program of a BOCES), including but not limited to Braille, large print, open and closed captioned, audio, or an electronic file in a format compatible with alternative format conversion software that is appropriate to meet the needs of the individual student. C. Environmentally Conscious Purchasing 1. Environmentally Sensitive (“Green”) Cleaning Products The Board is aware of the need to reduce exposure of students and staff to potentially harmful chemicals and substances used in cleaning and maintenance. In accordance with law, regulation and guidelines set forth by the Office of General