Policy
It shall be the policy of the City that standardization of equipment and supplies shall be permissible in instances where it allows the City to capitalize on purchasing economies and provides other benefits such as maintenance efficiency, spare parts consolidation, or interchangeability.
General
Examples where standardization may be beneficial include, but are not limited to, information technology equipment, telephone and radio equipment, firefighter equipment, and police equipment. Standardization of materials, equipment or services shall not be used as a means to circumvent the policies and procedures contained in this Purchasing Policy.
Authority
The City Manager has the authority to approve requests for standardization, following review and recommendation by the General Services Director and Finance Director.
Procedure
1. To obtain approval for standardization of supplies or equipment, the requesting Department Director must submit a Request for Standardization to the General Services Director and Finance Director. The request must include sufficient justification. Justificatio1 could be based on issues such as, but not limited to, purchase economies, safety considerations, training, and maintenance economies.
2. The General Services Director and Finance Director will review and either reject or concur with the request.
3. Requests rejected by the General Services Director and Finance Director will be returned to the requesting department/division and normal procurement procedures will be followed.
4. If the General Services Director and Finance Director concur with the request, it will be forwarded to the City Manager for review.
5. Requests rejected by the City Manager will be returned to the General Services Director and Finance Director and normal procurement procedures will be followed.
6. Requests approved by the City Manager will be returned to the General Services Director and Finance Director. Future purchases for the approved supplies or equipment may be purchased in accordance with the adopted standard specifications. The standard specification(s) shall be used to obtain quotes, bids, or proposals, as appropriate.