PURCHASING AND DISTRIBUTION

Board of Education Section 3

Policy 3.11

Purpose  

The purchasing, receiving, storing, and distribution of necessary supplies, equipment, and services for use in the District’s programs and services represent a significant expenditure of District funds. Purchases shall, when practicable, be made competitively and without prejudice in order to obtain the maximum value for expenditures.

Purchasing Authority

The Board of Education (Board) authorizes the Superintendent to approve purchases of supplies, equipment, and services from District funds in accordance with applicable state and federal law, this policy, and sound purchasing procedures. The Superintendent is further authorized to delegate purchasing authority to designated persons employed by the District. All purchases must be within unencumbered balances of budgeted appropriations and an approved Purchase Order must be obtained prior to the purchase of supplies, equipment or services.

The Superintendent is authorized to approve Purchase Orders up to $50,000.00 prior to approval by the Board of Education, provided that any such purchase is presented for approval at the next meeting of the Board of Education. All purchase orders exceeding $50,000.00 will be approved by the Board of Education prior to an order being placed (The Business Office will submit the requisition and issue the Purchase Order). In no case will purchase requests be split to circumvent this policy. The Superintendent is authorized to approve construction project change orders up to 5% (not to exceed $50,000.00) of the original bid amount accepted by the Board of Education for any one project.

General

If an approved purchase exceeds 20% of the original amount approved and encumbered; or, the increase is greater than $500.00, the increase must be approved by the Board of Education.

Employees who make unauthorized purchases without the required approval may be held personally liable for such purchases and may be subject to disciplinary action. Supplies and equipment may be purchased and stored in bulk when such purchases will result in the efficient and economical procurement of such items.  

In the furtherance of the District’s mission, vision and goals, the Superintendent is authorized to purchase food and/or beverages to serve at meetings, conferences, banquets, or other events which promote the services offered by the district.

Bids

No contract involving an expenditure of more than $100,000 (or any construction management trade contract or subcontract exceeding $50,000) for the purpose of constructing a building or making any improvements or repairs to school buildings (a “Public Construction Contract”) shall be made except upon sealed bids in accordance with the Public Competitive Bidding Act of 1974, OKLA. STAT. tit. 61, § 101 et seq. (the “Act”). No such contract shall be split into two or more contracts involving sums below this threshold for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of the Act.

The Act does not prohibit the district from erecting a building or making improvements on a force account basis. The term “force account” means the purchase of necessary materials and the use of the district’s regularly employed staff to provide necessary labor.  

New busses shall be purchased from the list maintained by the Oklahoma State Board of Education by sealed bid at a price not greater than the price filed with the Oklahoma State Board of Education in accordance with the provisions of OKLA. STAT. tit. 70, § 9-109.

Public Construction Contracts over $10,000 but under $100,000 may be awarded on the basis of written quotes to the lowest responsible qualified contractor. Public Construction Contracts for less than $10,000 (or less than $25,000 for minor maintenance and repair) may be negotiated with a qualified contractor.

Purchasing Cards

Supervisors and Administrators may request purchasing cards for their employees by completing a Purchasing Card Request Form. If approved, the cardholder will be required to undergo cardholder training and sign the Cardholder Agreement.

The Kiamichi Technology Center (Kiamichi Tech) purchasing policy/process will be followed at all times. An approved Purchase Order must be in place prior to any purchase. All purchasing cards are issued through the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with the Superintendent’s approval and are only for use by the authorized cardholder.  Purchasing cards shall not be used for personal or unauthorized purchases. The cardholder will be responsible for and accountable to the district for all charges made with the purchasing card. Use of the purchasing card is solely for authorized, official school purchases.

Cardholders must retain original, itemized sales slips, cash register receipts, invoices or other pertinent documentation as support for their purchases. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to contact the vendor and obtain any missing receipts. It is also the responsibility of the cardholder to indicate on any and all receipts that a purchasing card was used. If a double payment is made due to the lack of a purchasing card indicator on the receipt, the cardholder may be personally liable for those charges.

Upon termination of employment, cardholders must return their purchasing card to the CFO.

Restrictions: Kiamichi Tech may setup automatic restrictions on individual cards including card purchasing limits and expenditure types. Any purchase in excess of the limit or unauthorized expenditure type may be declined and a report of the declines will be sent to the CFO.

Lost or Missing Card: The cardholder is responsible for contacting the CFO as soon as possible regarding any erroneous or declined charges. In the event of a lost or stolen card, the cardholder will contact their supervisor and the CFO within twenty-four (24) hours of discovering the card missing.

Misuse: Card holders who misuse the purchasing card or make unauthorized purchases with the purchasing card will result in revocation of the privilege to use the purchasing card. The cardholder may also be subject to legal action and disciplinary action up to and including termination. 

Examples of Purchasing Card Misuse (not all-inclusive):

• Purchase of unauthorized item(s).
• Purchasing items for personal use.
• Use of the purchasing card by someone other than the cardholder without authorization.
• Fraudulent or inaccurate record keeping.
• Failure to obtain original, itemized receipts.
• Failure to reconcile the monthly statement and submit it to your supervisor by the last working day of each month.
• Failure to submit a signed and purchase card indicated receipt (ex. “PC” written on receipt) within 2 business days.

Examples of Unacceptable/Unauthorized Purchasing Card Purchases (not all-inclusive):

• Alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vaping products, etc.
• Lottery tickets.
• Cash Advances and/or ATM withdrawals.
• Gift certificates/cards.
• Any personal purchases.
• Grant purchases without prior approval from the CFO.
• Vendors who do not accept Kiamichi Tech’s tax-exempt status.
• Technology purchases.

Examples of Acceptable Purchasing Card Purchases (not all-inclusive):

• Approved building, program, or department supplies.
• Approved conference/seminar registrations (If registration is paid and the conference/seminar is not attended, the cardholder will reimburse the district the cost of the registration)
• Approved travel expenses.
• Approved professional services.

Contact your campus director/supervisor for questions regarding specific purchases not included in the aforementioned lists. 

Purchasing Process

The Board of Education authorizes the Superintendent to develop, maintain, and implement purchasing processes consistent with this policy. Such processes shall specify when solicitations, bids, quotations, and a written contract are required and will require the supplier to provide those affidavits required by law. To review the Kiamichi Tech Purchasing Process refer to Administrative Process, Kiamichi Tech Purchasing Process.

 

Adopted December 10, 2024

 

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