There shall be in the finance department a purchasing agent who shall be appointed or designated by the finance director.
Except as provided in Chapter XIV, Department of Education, of this charter, the purchasing agent, in relation to purchasing, shall have authority and shall be required:
(a) To purchase or contract for all supplies, materials and equipment required by any office, department or agency.
(b) To establish and enforce specifications with respect to supplies, materials and equipment required by the city.
(c) To be responsible for the inspection of deliveries of supplies, materials and equipment and to determine their quality, quantity and conformance with specifications and to have authority where personal inspection is not feasible to delegate said responsibility.
(d) To transfer to or between offices, departments or agencies surplus, obsolete or unused supplies, materials and equipment and to sell any city property other than real estate as may be authorized by the council.
(e) To be responsible for the storage and distribution of all supplies, materials and equipment used by any office, department or agency and to have charge of any general store rooms and warehouses of the city.
(Election of 4-1-69; election of 5-24-77)
Before any purchase of or contract for supplies, materials, equipment, service or labor is made on behalf of the city, opportunity shall be given for competitive bidding under such rules and regulations and with such exceptions as may be provided by ordinance, or by the provisions of this charter.
The purchasing agent shall have authority to make purchases on behalf of the city in an amount not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) at the best price obtainable.
(Election of 11-6-01)
Any purchase in excess of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), but not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) shall be by specification and written bids, and wherever possible, at least three (3) bids shall be obtained for each purchase. (Election of 11-6-01)
All purchases or contracts in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) shall be made only upon written specifications after public notice and competition. Sealed bids shall be opened publicly, in the presence of the mayor or an official designated by him. (Election of 11-6-01)
The award of any purchase or contract, in whole or in part, or any combination thereof, for which written sealed bids are required shall be made to either (a) the lowest responsible bidder consistent with the specifications or, (b) to the lowest responsible bidder consistent with the specifications whose bid or proposal is deemed most favorable to the city by the purchasing agent and finance director.
The city of Woonsocket reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informality in the proposals received except bid surety where required.
Editor’s note—Chapter VIII, § 7 above is set out as amended at an election called by Ord. No. 2362, adopted December 2, 1968, and held April 1, 1969. Said amendment was effective at 8:00 p.m. April 30, 1969.
A series of orders for the same project shall be construed to be one order or contract and the finance department shall disapprove the same as circumventing the requirement of this charter for competitive bidding.
All purchases made and contracts executed on behalf of the city shall be pursuant to a written requisition from the head of the office, department or agency whose appropriation will be charged. No contract or order shall be issued to any vendor unless and until the finance department certifies that there is a sufficient unencumbered appropriation balance to pay for the supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services for which the contract or order is issued.
All purchases or contracts in the nature of lease purchase shall not be awarded until approved by resolution of the city council. All purchases or contracts in excess of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) or purchases or contracts scheduled to be performed beyond one (1) year shall not be awarded until approved by resolution of the city council.
(Election of 11-16-83; election of 11-3-87)