Miscellaneous Permitted and Non-Permitted Purchases Permitted Purchases Commencement; Convocation Activities All reasonable costs for commencement; convocation activities are permitted. Field Trips / Extracurricular Activities All field trips using board of education funds (purchase order) shall be part of the instructional program, have an educational value and shall be reasonable in cost. Field trips solely for student entertainment are prohibited when using public funds. A board resolution approving the field trip must be attached to the purchase order. Library Books; Magazines, Videos/DVD’s/CD’s All library books; magazines and multi-media presentation materials shall be for educational or operational purposes. T-Shirts The Superintendent will consider, on a case by case basis, requests for the purchase of It is strongly encouraged that purchases of T-Shirts be made through the appropriate student activity account. Non-Essential and Prohibited Purchases Carnivals Plaques-Local Determination Gifts for Employees Bereavement flowers; baskets Teacher appreciation gifts/activities Student entertainment The list is not all inclusive and items may be deemed non-essential by the Superintendent during the course of the school year. Textbooks; Approval and Purchase Approval of Textbooks In accordance with state law (N.J.S.A. 18A:34-1), all textbooks must be approved by the Board of Education prior to their use in the educational program. Purchasing textbooks that have not been approved by the Board of Education is a violation of state law. The Director of Curriculum, has set up procedures to have textbooks approved by the Board of Education. Textbook Approval – Board of Education Resolution The procedure for obtaining Board approval is: a) Complete the District Textbook Evaluation and Approval form b) Submit textbook and form to the Office of Curriculum and Staff Development, who will prepare the Board resolution.
Purchase Order Deadline—Annual Notification The deadline for submitting purchase orders for the current operating budget is on or about May 1, 2019, unless on an earlier date set by the Superintendent. (Purchasing Freeze) Exceptions to the deadline date may be for purchases of the following: End of the year activities—field trips, graduation, assemblies; Employee contractual obligations—tuition reimbursement; Emergency contracts; State and/or federal funded program grant programs; Travel reimbursements; and Other goods, materials or services approved by the Superintendent
Federal Contracts—Chart of Thresholds Description of Goods/Services Amount Procurement Method Goods and Services Less than $3,500 Sound Business Practice Goods and Services $3,500-$39,999 Quotation or Bid Goods and Services $40,000 or more Bid Professional Services Less than $3,500 Simple Proposal Professional Services $3,500-$39,999 Request for Proposals (RFP)* Professional Services $40,000 or more Competitive Contracting Educational Consultant Services Less than $3,500 Simple Proposal Educational Consultant Services $3,500 - $39,999 Request for Proposals (RFP)* Educational Consultant Services $40,000 or more Competitive Contracting Instructional Improvement Services Less than $3,500 Simple Proposal Instructional Improvement Services $3,500 - $39,999 Request for Proposals (RFP)* Instructional Improvement Services $40,000 or more Competitive Contracting Professional Development Services Less than $3,500 Simple Proposal Professional Development Services $3,500 - $39,999 Request for Proposals (RFP)* Professional Development Services $40,000 or more Competitive Contracting Sole Source (Proprietary) (a) Less than $3,500 Simple Proposal Sole Source (Proprietary) (a) $3,500 - $39,999 Proprietary Quotation Sole Source (Proprietary) (a) $40,000 or more Proprietary Bid Services Provided by Government Units/Schools Less than $3,500 Simple Proposal Services Provided by Government Units/Schools $3,500 - $39,999 Request for Proposals (RFP)* Services Provided by Government Units/Schools $40,000 or more Competitive Contracting *RFP’s must be publicized when federal funds are being used. (Appendix I)