Laserfiche WebLink
<br />5 <br />216348v2 <br />Cooperative Purchasing <br /> <br />The City may increase savings from bulk discounts by making purchases jointly with one or more <br />governmental units through joint powers agreements. Under these programs, several governmental <br />units can enter into an agreement to authorize one party to solicit bids and provide for the purchase <br />at the option of each participating governmental unit. Once the governmental units agree on the <br />specifications of the item, one party may advertise for bids on behalf of all the parties that participate <br />in the agreement. Rather than specify a number of items, the advertising participant will advertise <br />for a range of quantities estimated for the entire group. Each participating unit can make the final <br />decision on whether to purchase the items from the successful bidder. <br /> <br />Emergency Purchases <br /> <br />Emergency situations may arise where the normal purchasing process cannot be followed for the <br />procurement of goods and services. Emergency purchases are those made by department heads <br />where an immediate purchase is essential to correct a situation, which would adversely affect the life, <br />health, or safety of the citizens. <br /> <br />Whenever possible the current purchasing policies and procedures should be followed even when an <br />emergency is declared, but as described above if the emergency requires speedy action essential to <br />the health, safety, and welfare of the community and if there has been an emergency declaration, the <br />standard purchasing policies and procedures can be waived in accordance with Minnesota Statute <br />§12.37. <br /> <br />Every effort shall be made to contact the City Manager whether the emergency occurs during or after <br />normal working hours. On the next business day, such emergency shall be documented with the City <br />Manager and Finance Director. <br /> <br />In the event of a prolonged emergency, Minnesota Statute §12.29 gives the Mayor the authority to <br />declare a local emergency for up to three days, which period may be extended by the City Council. <br />During such an emergency, if authorized by City Council, the City is not required to use the typically <br />mandated procedures for purchasing and contracts. During that time, the governing body may waive <br />compliance with the prescribed purchasing guidelines, including compliance with Minnesota Statute <br />§471.345, Uniform Municipal Contracting Law. <br /> <br />Either after the emergency or periodically during the emergency, the City Manager will submit a <br />written report detailing the emergency and the nature of emergency purchases that were not <br />compliant with the typical purchasing process to be approved by the City Council. <br /> <br />Preapproved Purchases <br /> <br />The City Council has pre-approved payment for items such as utility accounts and payroll transfers <br />that occur in the normal course of business even though they may exceed $20,000. These are <br />contractual accounts for services that are approved as part of the budget process. The exceptions <br />that fall under this situation include: <br />• Utility Bills (fuel, natural gas, telephone) <br />• Metropolitan Council Environmental Services <br />• Fringe benefits and other payroll related items <br />• Investments <br />• Liability insurance