To: Needham Public Schools Staff Members
From: Anne Gulati, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations
Re: Purchasing Supplies and Services
The
information provided below is for the procurement and purchase of
supplies and services during the school year. This information
includes a description of the Needham Public Schools purchasing process
and approved "bid vendors" for the upcoming year. It also includes
instructions for using Comm-BUYS(the state's online purchasing system),
interlocal cooperative purchasing contracts, and TEC (The Education
Cooperative) bid vendors.
Click on the category below to advance to a specific section:
- Needham Public Schools Purchasing Process
- General Contract Information
- Interlocal Cooperative Purchasing Contract Vendors: CREC, PEPPM, TIPS/TAPS, MHEC, Sourcewell, OMNIA
- Athletic and Physical Education Supplies and Equipment
- Classroom, Education and Art Supplies
- Furniture
- Health / Medical Supplies / Hazardous Medical Waste & Disposal
- Massachusetts Library System (MLS) Material and Supply Cooperative FOR USE BY MEDIA CENTERS ONLY
- Office Supplies, Including Copy Paper
- Student Science Supplies
- Technology
Hardware, Technology Supplies, Office Equipment, Copiers, Printers, Fax
Machines and Facsimile Supplies, Copier Supplies, Digital Copiers,
Laser Printers, Service
Needham Public Schools Purchasing Process
The attached chart,
Purchasing Process Summary Chart,
illustrates the Needham Public Schools purchasing process. Needham follows
Mass General Law, Chapter 30B Uniform Procurement Rules for the purchase
of supplies and services. These rules require that:
- You
must purchase educational and administrative supplies, including
classroom materials, art supplies, athletic and physical education
equipment and supplies, science supplies and equipment, student books,
library books, textbooks (except when distributed by a single source),
Think Math! materials, educational technology, technology supplies,
software, instructional equipment, furniture, office supplies, and
medical and therapeutic supplies, from Approved Bid Vendors. These
vendors are described below, and include vendors on State Contract,
interlocal cooperative purchasing programs, TEC Bid, and MLS
(Massachusetts Library System) Bids, as well as vendors selected through
competitive sealed procurements conducted by Needham Public Schools.
You are not required to purchase proprietary textbooks or
curriculum materials,
which are commonly distributed by a single source, from the Approved Bid
Vendors. Proprietary textbooks and curriculum materials may be
procured separately, using the Chapter 30B rules described on the Purchasing Process Summary Chart.
- If
a desired educational or administrative supply is not available from
any of the Approved Bid Vendors, and none of these vendors offers a reasonable facsimile
supply, schools and departments may conduct a separate procurement
following Chapter 30B procurement rules. These rules are described on
the Purchasing Process Summary Chart, and
require that quotes and a contract be solicited for purchases of
$10,000-$99,999, and for sealed bids to be issued for purchases over
$99,999.
- For all other materials and services, use the Chapter 30B purchasing procedure described on the Purchasing Process Summary Chart.
These materials and services include, but are not limited to:
textbooks and curriculum materials, network hardware, specialized
technology items, specialized instructional equipment, specialized
software and services of all kinds. Some of these items also are
available from state contract and NPS bid vendors, which is a quick and
easy way to satisfy the procurement requirements.
- All
contracts for the purchase of goods or service must be signed by the
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations or the Superintendent of Schools.
Contracts signed by other parties are not legally binding and will be
considered null and void. Additionally, before goods and
services may be ordered, a valid Needham Public Schools purchase order
must be created and approved by the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations. Needham Public Schools is not obligated to pay for purchases that have
been made without a purchase order. An employee who initiates
purchasing activity without authorization may be held personally liable
for the purchase. Moreover, Needham Public Schools cannot pay for goods and services that have not been properly procured under the law.
- When
purchasing from the Approved Bid Vendors, you must properly identify
the bid vendor on the requisition request, so that it appears on the PO:
- Contract Name - i.e, "TEC Bid," "MLS," “CREC,” “PEPPM,” “TIPS/TAPS,”“MHEC,” or "Sourcewell"
- Contract Number - i.e., "State Contract OFF 20," "TIPS/TAPS #3012612"
- Contract Expiration Date - i.e. "Expiration 9/30/28"
- For
Interlocal Cooperative (CREC, TIPS/TAPS, PEPPM, MHEC, NJPA) attach a
printout of the vendor /contract information from the website, to
identify purchase terms and conditions.
The
purchase process begins when a school or department submits a purchase
requisition. The Central Office Accounting Department converts each
requisition to a purchase order.
The process for school staff to request a requisition is simple:
- Complete the Requisition Request Form (see NPS Forms below) using an Approved Bid Vendor, per the above instructions.
- Obtain Department Head or Principal approval for your purchase via signature on the Requisition Request Form.
- Forward the completed Requisition Request Form to the School Bookkeeper for processing.
The
School Bookkeeper is responsible for assembling the required
procurement documentation and for conducting any separate procurements
that are required, such as when the Approved Bid Vendors do not offer a
reasonable facsimile of the desired supply or service. To facilitate
this process, Department staff may assist the bookkeeper to obtain
quotes or other purchase documentation.
The
School Bookkeeper will enter each requisition request into the
financial system, including any backup purchase or procurement
documentation. Central Office Accounting will review the requisition for
accuracy and completeness and will forward the requisition to the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations for approval.
The
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations will review all requisitions. Upon
approval, the Central Office Accounting Department will convert the
requisition to a purchase order and will send the purchase order to the
vendor (unless it has received instructions to the contrary), and will
maintain the official documentation file for each procurement. The Town
Accountant is responsible for maintaining the official record of
District purchases, for document retention and audit purposes.
Once
created, a purchase order may be changed only with the approval of the
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations. State law generally will not permit a
purchase order to be increased by more 25%, for prices to increase after
the fact, or for items to be substituted that would alter the scope of
the original procurement or could be prejudicial to competition.
Additional Information for Staff & Students
Staff members may be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket work-related expenses, under the following circumstances:
- Conference/travel expenses.
- Emergencies
and extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations. An example of an extenuating circumstance is when
a vendor does not accept purchase orders.
Students may be reimbursed for expenses related to approved student activities.
Needham Public Schools will not reimburse the expenses of non-staff members, such as parents or volunteers.
NPS Forms
Budget Information
Operating budget information has been sent to each Principal and Director under separate cover.
Questions and Assistance
If
you have a question or need assistance with the procurement materials,
the ordering process, or about a particular vendor, please
contact Melane Bisbas in the Business Office. Procurement assistance at
the school level is available from your School Bookkeeper.
General Contract Information
State Contracts
Many
bid vendors are available through procurement contracts issued by the
State. State Contracts are available on Comm-BUYS. Comm-BUYS is the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Procurement and Solicitation System. It is
the only official procurement record system for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts Executive Departments. Comm-BUYS offers free
internet-based access to all public procurement information in order to
promote transparency, increase competition, and achieve best value for
Massachusetts taxpayers.
Information
about using Comm-BUYS, and about commonly-used state contract vendors
is embedded in this document. For additional information, or to browse
all state contracts, visit the Comm-BUYS website at:
http://www.comm-buys.com/.
For helpful information about using state contracts, or for summary
information about a specific contract, visit the State's new use guides
webpage at:
http://www.mass.gov/anf/budget-taxes-and-procurement/procurement-info-and-res/buy-from-a-state-contract/statewide-contract-user-guides.html.
Effective September 1, 2022,
and at the recommendation of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, school departments that use statewide contracts for purchases supported by federal funds of $10,000 or more, must solicit three quotes from statewide contract vendors and recommend award to the vendor offering the lowest price for the desired purchase scope.
Unfortunately,
staff are not allowed to purchase from an expired state contract, or to
use vendors who have not been awarded the successor
contract. Additionally, staff members are urged to read the state
contract information carefully; in many cases, vendors receive partial
or category awards under a bid, so may not be authorized to sell every
item.
TEC (The Education Cooperative)
As
a member of the TEC Collaborative, Needham Public Schools also
participates in the TEC cooperative purchasing program. The cooperative
purchasing program is able to realize substantial savings for supplies
and equipment in a variety of categories. These categories include
Paper, Office, Classroom, Art, and Computer Supplies, Athletics and
Physical Education Equipment and Supplies, Food Service Supplies, and
Custodial Supplies. Information about TEC bid vendors is presented
below, by category or supply.
On
July 27, 2010, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law Chapter 188 of
the Acts of 2010, an Act relative to Municipal Relief (Act). The Act
added a new section to M.G.L. c.30B, M.G.L. c.30B, §22, which allows
municipalities to purchase from contracts that have already been
procured by the federal government, or another state, or local
government entity, provided the contract is open to Massachusetts
governmental bodies and was procured in a manner that constitutes fair
and open competition.
Needham
currently has an agreement to participate in cooperative purchasing
programs sponsored by the Capital Regional Education Council (CREC), the
TIPS/TAPS purchasing cooperative, the Pennsylvania Education Purchasing
Program for Microcomputers (PEPPM) the Massachusetts Higher Education
Council (MHEC) purchasing program and the National Joint Powers Alliance
(NJPA). All of these programs satisfy the above conditions.
Needham Public Schools Bids
Needham Public Schools issues bids for goods and services. Where available, these bids are noted below.
The next section contains information about the many bid vendors available through these programs.
Using Vendors from Interlocal Cooperative Purchasing Programs (CREC, Omnia, PEPPM, Sourcewell, TIPS/TAPS, MHEC, )
Supplies Only!
Under the law,
only supplies may be purchased through these contracts. Intergovernmental cooperative purchasing does
not
apply to the purchase of services, or to the purchase of construction
and construction materials estimated to cost $10,000 or more. Contracts
for construction materials estimated to cost less than $10,000 require
the use of sound business practices. Please visit
http://www.mass.gov/ig/ for more information on cooperative purchasing, including best practices for its use.
Browsing the Contracts
It
is best to visit the website of each entity and click through to the
vendor section using the directions below. It is worth noting that the
vendors will change because the entities go through the bidding process
on a rolling basis. Visit the entity websites often to be sure your
vendor continues to be affiliated with the entities.
Using the Contracts
The process to use these contracts is very similar to that currently used for state contract vendors:
- Login to the CREC, PEPPM, TIPS/TAPS, MHEC or Sourcewell website (directions are noted below)
- Search the contract for the desired vendors or service
- Fill out a NPS Requisition Request Form for the desired supply item. The requisition request must identify the following: name of the applicable contract, e.g. “CREC,” “PEPPM”, “TIPS/TAPS”, “MHEC” or "Sourcewell" and the contract expiration date.
- Attach a printout of the vendor/contract (from the website) purchase terms and conditions to the requisition.
- Attach any other required documentation to the requisition request, such as a vendor-required form or order list.
- Forward the Requisition Request to your School Bookkeeper for processing.
- The School Bookkeeper will enter the requisition request into the Financial System.
Central
Office Accounting will verify the validity of the vendor contract,
process the requisition, and create a purchase order for the Director of
Financial Operations to review. Upon approval by the Director of
Financial Operations, Central Office Accounting will fax, email, or mail
the purchase order to the vendor.
Capital Region Education Council (CREC)
Logging into CREC:
Obtain your Login and Password from Melane Bisbas in the Business Office at (781) 455-0400 x11204
- Go to http://www.crec.org/index.php.
- Click on Cooperative Purchasing in the Administrators section of the website.
- Then click on the Awarded Bids link. Here you will be prompted for a user name and password.
Each
bid is set up with tabs along the bottom, which are identified as Cover
Page, Award Summary, Customer Shipping Information, and individual tabs
for each awarded vendor. Pricing and terms and conditions are also
provided. Complete your order in the worksheet and attach to the NPS
Requisition Request form, along with a printout of the vendor/contract
information, and forward to Central Accounting Department for
processing.
CREC contracts include, but are not limited to:
Audio Visual & Office Machines
Projector Lamps and Bulbs
Health Supplies
Classroom, Office & Art Supplies
Multi-Purpose Paper
Pennsylvania Education Purchasing Program for Microcomputers (PEPPM)
No login or password is required to use PEPPM. The price you see or is quoted to you is the price you pay.