Emergency purchases should be rare and based on completely unforeseeable circumstances. Early consultation with purchasing department staff is helpful in reducing the number of emergency purchases. In other words, normal purchasing procedures cannot be reasonably expected to provide the needed goods or services within the needed time frame. The decision to declare an emergency purchase must be approved by the Director of Purchasing or the Director's Designee. Only the Director of Purchasing or the Director's designee may approve the waiving of any bid process.
Documentation is to be retained by the agency for auditing purposes.
Bidding for an emergency purchase is done by whatever method that conditions allow and awarded to the vendor providing the lowest and best bid, considering the emergency conditions. The Purchasing Department has the responsibility for handling complaints and protests. An emergency purchase requires a letter of justification that will become a part of the file.