Purchasing Policy

These purchasing policies are to be followed in the purchasing of materials, supplies, construction, and services for the Normal Public Library.

Purchases of the Library are governed by the State of Illinois statutes. The statutes [75 ILCS 5/5-5] require contracts in excess of $25,000 to be let by sealed bidding. It is the policy of the Library Board of Trustees to use, in addition to any statutory requirements, the most responsible business practices in its purchases. It is the policy that all purchases, contracts, and expenditure of funds be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder considering conformity with established specifications, terms of delivery, quality, and serviceability requirements.

The Library is required by Federal law to engage in a policy of strict nondiscrimination in employment without consideration of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, and/or physical or mental disability unrelated to ability. Federal law also requires the use of provisions in every contract or purchase order that require contractors and subcontractors to conform to strict nondiscrimination practices. All employees shall be responsible for adherence to these purchasing policies and to the National Institute of Government Purchasing Code of Ethics.

All purchases of goods and services should be made within the parameters of the approved working budget and approved by the Normal Public Library Board of Trustees in the form of a monthly bills list.

During the last month of the fiscal year, the administrative staff are authorized to expend funds across any line items if necessary to meet actual costs that do not match the estimates of the budget revision.

All expenditures of $25,000 or more shall be made only with prior Library Board of Trustees approval in the manner prescribed by State law and Board rules and regulations. Advertisements for sealed bids or requests for proposals will be properly handled through the public media. Sealed bids, based on authorized specifications, or requests for proposals shall be received at a public bid opening and include all costs for labor and materials, Bid Bond, Performance Bond, and Certificate of Insurance. Bids will then be tabulated and submitted to the Library Board of Trustees along with staff's recommendation for action. Formal contracts with appropriate signatures for both Library Board of Trustees and Contractor are required.

 

General Purchase Authority

No employee may purchase products or services on behalf of the Library without first seeking approval as required by this policy. All purchases require advanced approval of the appropriate Department Manager or Library Director in accordance with the following guidelines:

Dollar Limit	Required Approval
Up to $3,000	Department Manager (or other employee authorized by the Library Director)
$3,000.01 - $24,999.99	Department Manager and Library Director
$25,000 and above	Library Board of Trustees

 

General Policy for Soliciting Quotes

Employees are responsible for obtaining quotes for purchases in the instances outlined below:

Dollar Limit	Quote/Bid Required
Up to $3,000	No quotes are required; employees are encouraged to seek one or more quotes when possible or otherwise ensure that competitive prices are obtained.
$3,000.01 - $24,999.99	A requisition for a purchase must include either (i) a minimum of 3 quotes or (ii) sufficient justification to warrant purchase from a specific vendor.
$25,000 and above	Must be competitively bid except as otherwise set forth in this Policy, and as permitted by law.

 

Joint Purchasing

(a) The purchase of items available through an approved joint-purchasing agreement may be made without obtaining quotes or bids or prior approval of the Library Board of Trustees.

(b) The purchase of the item must be included in the currently approved annual budget.

 

Emergency Purchases

(a) The Library Director is authorized to make an emergency purchase of less than $25,000 if the failure to do so could result in an immediate and apparent loss to Library property. The Library Director must notify the President of the Library Board of Trustees of the emergency purchase at the first opportunity.

(b) All emergency purchases of $25,000 or more are exempt from competitive bidding when the emergency expenditure is approved by 3/4 of the members of the Library Board of Trustees.

 

Exceptions

The Library Board will not be required to accept a bid that does not meet the library's established specifications, terms of delivery, quality, and serviceability requirements. Contracts which, by their nature, are not adapted to award by competitive bidding, are not subject to competitive bidding, including, but not limited to:

• Contracts for the services of individuals possessing a high degree of professional skill where the ability or fitness of the individual plays an important part;
• Contracts for the maintenance or servicing of, or provision of repair parts for, equipment which are made with the manufacturer or authorized service agent of that equipment where the provision of parts, maintenance, or servicing can best be performed by the manufacturer or authorized service agent;
• Purchases and contracts for the use, purchase, delivery, movement, or installation of data processing equipment, software, or services and telecommunications and interconnect equipment, software, and services;
• Contracts for utility services;
• Contracts for goods or services procured from another governmental agency;
• Contracts for goods or services which are economically procurable from only one source or limited sources.

 

Disposal of Library Property

The Library may from time to time have property or equipment that the Library Board has determined to sell or otherwise dispose of that it deems no longer needed for its operations. For purposes of this policy, “surplus” is defined as any tangible property owned by the Library that is not needed at present or in the foreseeable future or that is no longer of value or use to the Library. Any property owned by the library may be determined surplus by the Library Director whether purchased or donated.

The Library Director coordinates the disposition of surplus property and aids the Library Board of Trustees by determining what should be declared surplus and the best method of disposal.

• Items determined to be worth $1,000 or less may be disposed of in an appropriate method determined by the Library Director, donated, or sold.
• Items determined to be worth more than $1,000 may be sold after publishing a notice in accordance with 75 ILCS 5/4-16.
• If the property has been offered in one of the above manners and not been able to be sold, the property will be considered worth less than $1,000 and may be disposed of in an appropriate method determined by the Library Director.

Surplus property sold by the Library is sold in “as is, where is” condition without warranty, either express or implied, with payment on receipt expected.

 

Economic Interest

A member of the Library Board of Trustees who has any financial conflict of interest is expected to inform the Board of this conflict and to abstain from any relevant votes.

A member of the Library staff who has any financial conflict of interest is expected to inform the administrative staff and Library Board of Trustees of this conflict and to avoid participating in any decision relevant to this conflict of interest.

All members of the Library Board of Trustees and those members of the Library staff who have significant responsibility for expenditures or supervision are required by Illinois law to file annual Statements of Economic Interest with the County Clerk.

 

Adopted by the Normal Public Library Board of Trustees, September 20, 2023.