BID LIMITS

A. Under $1,500

Normally these requisitions will not be bid out, but will be sole sourced to the vendor listed on the requisition as the recommended vendor. If the purchaser, however, knows from recent experience, that he can obtain a significantly lower price on the identical item, he may solicit a second informal price quote.

B. $1,501 to $20,999

Purchasers are required to solicit at least three (3) or more informal bids. Written bids are preferable, but telephone, faxed or E-mail bids are acceptable where time is a consideration. The purchaser, with the approval of the department manager, may make an exception in the following cases:

1. Orders that are legitimate emergencies. Examples are purchases that if not executed in a particular time frame could negatively effect classroom instruction or safety. These requisitions must be accompanied by a written memo from the principal or site manager indicating the circumstances.
2. Equipment maintenance agreements with the manufacturer or the manufacturer's authorized representative.
3. Components that must match with existing equipment.
4. Orders under $5,000 with multiple line items (over 10), and no individual line item totaling over $1,000.

C. $21,000 to $72,400

Purchaser must obtain three (3) or more written bids. These are treated exactly as formal bids, except they are not advertised in the newspaper.

D. Over $72,400

Bid must be advertised in the legal notices section of the San Francisco Examiner at least once a week for two weeks. Board of Education approval is required.

E. Exceptions: The following are not required to go to bid.

1. Textbooks, library books, instructional audio visual materials and other classroom instructional supplies are not bid out, but purchased directly from the publishers.
2. Equipment services or supplies for which one vendor has the exclusive rights to sell, or for which there are no other sources available.