To the extent practicable blanket purchase agreements for items of the same type should be placed concurrently with more than one supplier. All competitive sources shall be given an equal opportunity to furnish goods or services. Instructions on the use of blanket purchase agreements will be attached to the departmental copy of all blanket purchase agreements. Procurement Officers will audit blanket purchase orders twice annually for compliance with these procedures. Blanket Purchase Agreements shall not be issued to exceed 12 months nor span fiscal years.
Competitive bidding is employed to ensure responsive, reasonable and firm prices.
To the extent possible, investigations or informal surveys will be made prior to solicitations for quotations to determine if prospective vendors have the required resources and satisfactory performance experience. Quotations are solicited only after receipt of a purchase requisition. When solicitation of quotations is to determine the cost of an item solely to determine the proper purchasing methodology to use or in any other circumstance where a firm requirement does not exist, the Procurement Officer shall make clear to the prospective vendors the intent of the request. If it is determined to rebid, all competing vendors will be given the opportunity to rebid. Those conditions in which it is in the college's best interest to allow rebidding include, but are not limited to, changes in requirements or changes in the state of the art.