General Purchasing Guidelines

  • The following purchasing guidelines have been established and are to be adhered to for any purchases made in the district, regardless of budget authority or source (ex. grant/gift) or administrator’s approval. Any questions regarding these guidelines or requests for further information should be directed to the Procurement Department.

    • Small dollar purchases are defined as $0.01 to $2,999. When utilizing the purchasing card the cardholder will check a minimum of three or as many sources of supply as reasonable for the situation to assure best price and delivery.
    • Purchases from $3,000-$19,999 in aggregate require documented price quotes from at least three vendors and should be scanned as attachments to the purchase request in Oracle.
    • Purchases equal to or greater than $20,000 in aggregate require competitive pricing through a formal bid process coordinated through the district Procurement Department and require Board of Education approval. Allow a minimum of two months lead time for such purchases.

    The purchasing card is not intended to avoid or bypass appropriate purchasing or payment procedures due to time constraints, but to complement the existing processes available. The purchasing card is a tool to expedite the purchase of small dollar (less than $300) goods and services for the benefit of the district. The purchasing card should not be used to circumvent the communication between staff, administration and the Procurement Department. 

    The purchasing card is to be used for district business purposes only and must not be used for personal purchases. Any personal purchase will be considered misappropriation of district funds, and may be subject to disciplinary action.

    The purchasing card cannot be used to purchase the following items:

    • Personal purchases
    • Cash advances
    • Gift cards
    • Alcoholic beverages
    • Contracted/consultant services
    • Furniture and equipment
    • Items from PunchOut Vendors – a purchase requisition should be entered in Oracle. Examples include, but not limited to:
      • Amazon
      • B&H Photo
      • CDW
      • Fisher Scientific
      • NASCO
      • School Specialty
      • SupplyWorks/Home Depot Pro Institutional
      • United Office
    • Blocked Merchant Category Codes (MCC)