Procurement Policy

BERKSHIRE FREE LIBRARY
12519 State Route 38 – P. O. Box 151, Berkshire, NY 13736
Phone 607-657-4418 Email bfl@htva.net

 

Procurement Policy

Except where acceptance of the lowest bid is required by law or the grantor of funds, Berkshire Free Library is a Free Association Public Library and is not legally required to choose the lowest bidder and may take into consideration such factors as service, reliability, reputation, speed of delivery, or previous knowledge of a vendor’s product or service when selecting a vendor from competitive quotes submitted to the Library.

However, to ensure the prudent and economical use of both public and private monies of the Berkshire Free Library, (3) three competitive bids or quotations are required for all expenditures over $2,500.00. If there are no local or regional vendors available or if it will cause an undue burden to obtain a third quote, the Board of Trustees may at its discretion, accept (2) two competitive quotes if the total cost for such purchase will not exceed
$5,000.

All purchases equal to or in excess of $5,000 must have (3) written quotes or proposals and a copy is to be kept in the Business Office of the Library in accordance with the Library’s retention policy or as required by law or a grant if purchased with such funds.

Purchases of nominal, routine items such as books and other collection materials, library or office supplies, and non-capital equipment are at the discretion of the Director of the Library. Whenever possible, cost should be an important consideration for these purchases to ensure that overall spending stays within the limits of the current year’s budget, but factors such as delivery, service and quality may be used in selecting those vendors as well. These purchases are already disclosed in the monthly financial statements to the board, and any issues or matters of discussion about these purchases are typically addressed in the Director’s report to the Board.

ALL purchases require a written itemized receipt that clearly shows exactly what was purchased, and any sales tax, shipping or handling fees must be clearly identified. Receipts that just show a final total amount paid will NOT be considered adequate documentation of a purchase. All reasonable efforts should be made to obtain a fully itemized purchase receipt if one is not provided initially by a vendor. For online purchases, a sufficiently itemized invoice, printed from the vendors’ site with their logo or other identifying information will be accepted as a receipt. Any packing lists or shipping documents that help document the purchase should be attached to the receipt.

 

Passed June 10, 2019