Ordinance Concerning Public Bidding

Be it ordained by the electors of the Town of Preston at a duly warned Town Meeting held December 18, 2014 that all existing bidding ordinances are deleted and replaced with:

1. All contracts and requisitions for goods or services, exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), shall require sealed bids, based upon specifications prepared by the requisitioning department, or their designee, as applicable.

2. Invitations to bid shall be published in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the region and in such other publications as the Town may choose at least 14 calendar days prior to the opening of said bids.

3. Sealed bids shall be filed by bidders and shall be opened and read aloud at a place, date, and time specified in the invitation to bid.

4. All bid invitations must state that the Town may reject any and all bids, in whole or in part, or the Board of Finance may waive any formalities in the bid if, in its opinion, it is in the best interest of the Town to do so.

5. If the lowest bidder meets all specifications, is responsive, and if applicable, qualified, but the bid is not acceptable to the requisitioning department, the matter must be referred to the Board of Selectmen for its decision on whether to reject all bids, to accept a higher bid, or to take such other action as may be in the best interest of the Town.

6. Bulk items such as road salt, fuel, oil, clerical supplies, construction materials, and other similar items, which may be delivered at intervals, may be bid on a unit measure basis.

7. The requisitioning department may obtain bids of hourly rates for equipment and labor from contractors. Each such rate schedule shall be binding upon the submitting contractor for up to one (1) fiscal year or until another bid is requested.

8. Purchases, having a dollar value of $2,000 to $5,000 shall be made by an authorized purchase order and shall require informal bids in the form of verbal quotations from a minimum of three (3) vendors or suppliers as feasible unless waived by the Board of finance. Purchases having an estimated dollar value of more than $5,000 and not more than $10,000 shall be made by an authorized purchase order and shall require competitive bids in the form of documented written quotations from a minimum of three (3) vendors or contractors.

Waivers of Bid Requirements

1. If the State of Connecticut, Department of Administration Services, Bureau of Purchases has awarded contracts for goods or services to bidders who warrant to the State that the prices, terms, and conditions will be extended to all political subdivisions within the State or to certain districts or counties within the State of Connecticut, the Board of Selectmen may authorize the purchase of those goods or services without bid. If there is more than one vendor listed for the same item the Town shall quotes from all listed vendors.

2. The Board of Selectmen may authorize the purchase of goods or services, with or without bid, in conjunction with other municipalities or regional government purchasing entities.

3. The Board of Finance may waive the provisions of the Section pertaining to bid requirements and may authorize a negotiated contract or a shortened notice schedule if deemed by it to be in the best interest of the Town. Such waiver shall be in writing and filed with the final purchase order/invoice. The Board of Finance may also authorize the requisitioning department to negotiate a contract with a vendor or vendors or to conduct bidding utilizing a restricted or pre-qualified list of bidders if deemed in the best interest of the Town.

4. In the case of licensed professionals, such as, but not limited to, architects, lawyers and engineers, bidding shall not be required; their services and fees shall be negotiated.

5. An invitation for bid or other solicitation may be canceled, or any and all bids may be rejected in whole or in part as may be specified in the solicitation, when it is for good cause and in the best interests of the town. The reasons shall be made part of the contract file. Each solicitation issued by the town shall state that the solicitation may be canceled and that any bid may be rejected in whole or in part for good cause when in the best interests of the town. Notice of cancellation shall be sent to all businesses solicited. The notice shall identify the solicitation, explain the reason for cancellation and, where appropriate, explain that an opportunity will be given to compete on any re-solicitation or any future procurement's of similar items. Reasons for rejection shall be provided upon request by unsuccessful bidders.

Effectiveness

Dated at Preston, CT this 30th day of December, 2014

This ordinance will be effective 15 days after publication of this notice.

Effective Date: January 15, 2015