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7 | Page <br />Purchasing Policy <br />Purpose <br />All disbursements of the City are to be carried out by the City Manager with proper approval of <br />the City Council in adherence to the City Charter and Minnesota State Statutes. Minnesota <br />Statutes §471.345 sets forth the law regulating the sale or purchase of supplies, materials, <br />equipment or the rental thereof, or the construction, alteration, repair or maintenance of real <br />or personal property in Minnesota cities and the City of Brooklyn Park. <br />The City of Brooklyn Park has established this policy to maximize the purchasing power and <br />value of public funds and ensure the purchasing process is conducted in an ethical, fair, and <br />open manner. The guidelines in this Purchasing Manual are to promote consistency, efficiency, <br />effectiveness, equity, and fairness in public purchasing. <br />Disbursements of public funds are required to be for a “public purpose” under the Minnesota <br />Constitution, which generally mean that the activity will benefit the community, and/or the activity <br />is directly related to functions of government, and/or the activity does not have as its primary <br />objective the benefit of a private interest. Additionally, this policy is to meet a public purpose, to <br />establish internal controls, to maintain the appropriate documentation, to ensure the best value <br />for the public money, and to assign purchasing responsibility and authority to the level consistent <br />with good business practice and sound financial management policy to the extent possible. <br />Policy <br />To ensure that the goods and services required by the City are obtained using established <br />procedures that comply with all legal requirements for public purpose expenditures while <br />promoting fair and open competition to ensure public confidence in the procurement process, <br />ensure fair and equitable treatment of vendors who transact business with the City, and provide <br />safeguards for the maintenance of a procurement system of quality and integrity. <br />Responsibility <br />The City Manager is the chief purchasing agent for the City. Responsibility for administering <br />established Purchasing Policies and Procedures has been delegated to the Finance Department. <br />Department heads are responsible for monitoring the purchasing that occurs within their <br />departments. The city follows a decentralized purchasing process. <br />Ethics/ Gifts & Gratuities <br />It is the policy of the City that all purchases be conducted in a manner that: <br />a.Fosters public confidence in the integrity of the City's procurement system <br />b.Provides open and free competition among prospective suppliers of professional and <br />technical services. <br />c.All employees and agents of the City shall comply with the ethical standards set forth in <br />Minnesota Statutes §471.895 which prohibits receiving of gifts except where these are <br />included as a part of the cost of a product, good, or service provided, such as a meal during <br />the course of a conference.