Procurement

 

Statement of Policy

It is the policy of the Peel District School Board to acquire all goods and/or services in an efficient and cost effective manner.  Procurement decisions will be based on the "Total Acquisition Cost" method of procurement (i.e. consideration of all costs, including acquisition, installation, removal, operating and disposal costs) rather than solely the lowest bid price received.

The board recognizes that fair and open competition is a basic tenet of public purchasing and this is accomplished using a variety of procurement and source selection methods under varying market conditions.  Further, encouraging open competitive bidding and promoting the most cost effective use of Board resources will result in the Board receiving optimum quality, price, delivery and performance of required goods and/or services.

Policy #80 - Procurement, is aligned with and supports the principles and expectations of the Board Human Rights Policy #51 and Equity and Inclusive Education Policy #54.

 

Code of Ethics

All employees of the Peel District School Board who are authorized to purchase goods and/or services on behalf of the board must adhere to the procurement code of ethics as follows:

(A)  Personal Integrity and Professionalism

All individuals involved with purchasing or other supply chain-related activities must act, and be seen to act, with integrity and professionalism. Honesty, care and due diligence must be integral to all supply chain activities within and between Broader Public Sector (BPS) organizations, suppliers and other stakeholders. Respect must be demonstrated for each other and for the environment. Confidential information must be safeguarded. All participants must not engage in any activity that may create, or appear to create, a conflict of interest, such as accepting gifts or favours, providing preferential treatment, or publicly endorsing suppliers or products. 

(B)  Accountability and Transparency 

Supply chain activities must be open and accountable. In particular, contracting and purchasing activities must be fair, transparent and conducted with a view to obtaining the best value for public money. All participants must ensure that public sector resources are used in a responsible, efficient and effective manner.

(C)  Compliance and Continuous Improvement

All individuals involved in purchasing or other supply chain-related activities must comply with this Code of Ethics, the Board's Conflict of Interest Policy (#8) and the laws of Canada and Ontario. All individuals should continuously work to improve supply chain policies and procedures, to improve their supply chain knowledge and skill levels, and to share leading practices.

 

Guiding Principles

All purchases made on behalf of the Peel District School Board must be approved.  The level of approval required is defined by this policy.

All purchases made on behalf of the Peel District School Board will be made in an open and transparent manner that maximizes the value to the Board.

 

Approval to Purchase

The purchase of goods or services requires the approval of the individual with the appropriate level of authority within the organization.  The level of authority required is dependent on the dollar value of the purchase as follows:

Value of Purchase	Authority Level
$0 - $25,000	School principal or department manager
$25,001 - $100,000	Superintendent/Controller
Greater than $100,000	Associate Director

Where a purchase is made as a result of a non-competitive process a greater level of authority is required as follows:

	Value of Purchase	Authority Level
Goods and non-consulting services	$2,500 - $25,000	Superintendent/Controller
	$25,001 - $100,000	Associate Director
	Greater than $100,000	Director of Education
Consulting Services	$0 - $1,000,000	Director of Education
	Greater than $1,000,000	Board of Trustees

Procurement Process Thresholds

The procurement process required is determined by the value of the purchase as follows:

Procurement Process	Non-Consulting Goods and Services		Consulting Services
	Maintenance Department	All other departments
No Purchase Order issued	Less than $200	Less than $200	n/a
Purchase Order optional	$200 - $5,000	$200 - $2,500	n/a
Minimum 3 informal quotes required	$5,000 - $25,000	$2,500 - $25,000	$0 - $25,000
Minimum 3 formal written quotes required	$25,000 - $100,000	$25,000 - $100,000	$25,000 - $100,000
Public Tender or Request for Proposal	Greater than $100,000	Greater than $100,000	Greater than $100,000

Approved:  June 14, 2011