Our public is best served when we make sound business decisions based on competitive bids or proposals.
Competitive bids are the purest form of competition and most often result in the lowest price.
Competitive proposals work best for complex purchases that require consideration of multiple factors or negotiations. The sole supplier is seldom compelled to offer the lowest bid. In an emergency, there may not be sufficient time to advertise for formal bids. Sometimes competition is just not practicable. We are very fortunate in Arizona, to have considerable flexibility in our procurement laws.