The Barton County Commission Tuesday morning approved a revised resolution establishing updated procurement policy and procedures for purchasing and sourcing. The action rescinds the previous resolution dating back to 2023.
“The new resolution aims to clarify purchasing guidelines for the county administrator and department heads, encouraging transparent and responsible spending of county funds,” said County Administrator Matt Patzner. The county has had such standards for over 40 years, but officially codified them in 2020.
“I think this is a good policy to amend,” said Commission Chairperson Tricia Schlessiger, District 4. “I think it will make it a little more user friendly for us if things come up,”
The only change was allowing the creation of a preferred vendor list that could be used if there are time or other constraints, Patzner said. Key aspects of the policy include:
- Definitions: Clarifies terms such as "consumable goods" (under $5,000, lifespan of five years or less), "equipment" (over $5,000, useful life of more than one year), "micro-purchase" (under $5,000), and different procurement methods.
- Informal procurement: Allows for informal methods, such as micro-purchases, for procurements up to $5,000 or for budgeted consumable goods, aiming to minimize administrative burden.
- Competitive procurement: Requires competitive methods (sealed or unsealed bids) for procurements exceeding the informal threshold or for real property. These items will require commission approval.
- Non-competitive procurement: Outlines specific circumstances where non-competitive procurement is permitted, including emergencies, single-source availability or for certain repairs up to $15,000.
- Job order contracting: Details a procurement method for recurring maintenance, repair, alteration, renovation, remediation or minor construction.
- Grant procurement: Specifies that procurement with grant funds must adhere to federal and state laws, grant guidelines and the county's procurement policy.
- Publication and submission: Vendors can view solicitations and submit bids electronically through Vendor Registry, or via mail/courier.
- Awarding bids: The county reserves the right to reject any and all bids and award to responsible contractors based on factors beyond just price, including integrity, past performance and financial resources.
- Conflicts of Interest: Requires commissioners, the county administrator, department heads and vendors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.