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Responsibilities of Purchasing agents
Responsibilities of Purchasing agents
The Chief Procurement Officer’s responsibilities
1. The Administrative Services Director shall fulfil the role of the Chief Procurement Officer, with the
Buyer fulfilling this role on an as needed basis.
2. Facilitate the involvement of local vendors in the Village’s procurement policy.
3. Impartial judgments in the selection of vendors which are based on product quality, price,
warranty, and performance and vendor delivery, service, and performance.
4. Complying with all Village procurement procedures and State Statutes covering procurement and
disposal.
5. Reviewing inventory procedures and recommending solutions that reduce carrying costs and
improve availability.
6. Determine the most appropriate method of procurement for a given good or service.
7. Preparing formal bid packets and quotation requests.
8. Managing the formal bid process, including advertising for bids, notifying vendors, accepting bid
proposals, opening bids, tabulating bids, and serving as the primary resource for questions from vendors.
9. Maintaining adequate procurement records, including a database of vendors established in an
accessible vendor file.
10. Upon request, assist departments in locating the best source for supplies, materials, and
equipment.
11. Assisting departments in conducting negotiations with vendors concerning prices, bids, terms,
deliveries, and adjustments.
12. Maintaining a central file of contracts and related documents including but not limited to certified
payroll submissions and associated waivers of lien.
13. Assist departments with the informal bid process. 14. Review and approval of all purchase orders of $20,000 or less. 15. Creation of purchase orders in excess of $25,000
The Village Manager’s responsibilities
1. Purchase all materials, supplies, equipment, personal services and contracts for which funds are provided in the budget, but no item or personal service which exceeds any budget appropriation may be purchased.
2. For a purchase of more than twenty-five thousand dollars, with the exception of professional services, the Village Manager should solicit bids and such bids shall be presented to the Corporate Authorities for approval.
3. The Village Manager shall seek formal bids or proposals for any public improvement which will exceed twenty-five thousand dollars, which is not to be paid for in whole or in part by a special assessment or special tax.
4. The Village Manager will make recommendations to the Corporate Authorities with respect to all formal bids or proposals.
5. The Village Manager may issue rules and regulations governing requisitions and the transaction of the business of the purchasing agent and the heads of departments, officers and employees of the Village.
6. In case of circumstances creating an emergency, the Village Manager may, without prior consent of the Corporate Authorities, award contracts and make purchases for the purpose of meeting the emergency. In such cases the Village Manager will notify the Corporate Authorities as soon as is practicable of all emergency procurements that exceed $25,000
7. The Village Manager shall approve all purchase orders in excess of $20,000
Department and employee responsibilities
1. It is the responsibility of each department to requisition goods and services in such a way as to allow
time for competitive bidding, ordering, and delivery of materials. Exceptions shall be made only on
rare occasions, when a true emergency exists.
2. It is the responsibility of the Department director or his designee, in consultation with the Chief
Procurement Officer, to obtain these goods based upon competitive bids and to give consideration to
product price, value, quality, performance, and delivery. 3. While the Department director may delegate minor purchases to employees, he/she is still
responsible for ensuring such purchases are made according to the provisions of this policy.
4. No Department Director or employee is authorized to make any commitment to any salesperson or
firm that will bind the Village in any way. During meetings with salespersons, no employee shall make any indication that he/she will recommend a particular product for purchase.
5. It is the responsibility of all Village of Buffalo Grove employees to comply with all rules and regulations
set forth herein. As directed by the Village Manager, any employee deliberately violating the policy
regarding unauthorized purchases shall be held personally accountable for the purchases. Failure to
follow the procedures outlined in the Policy may lead to disciplinary action in accordance with the
provisions of the Village of Buffalo Grove Employee Manual.
6. Employees may be made responsible for the management of certain contracts. It is important for staff
to work with the Chief Procurement Officer to understand their responsibilities in managing contracts
including the collection of certificates of insurance, waivers of lien, certified payroll, project closeout
documents and completion of the Vendor Evaluation form(Appendix L). 7. All contracts/agreements must be submitted to the Village Clerk within 10 calendar days of final signatory executing the contract/agreement. 8. Departments Heads and may approve purchase orders of $5,000 or less
Volunteers
1. Volunteers, Committee, Commission members have no authority to purchase on behalf of the
Village nor do they have authority to execute contracts on behalf of the Village. Village employees working with volunteers (“Liaisons”) shall make purchases for committee/commissions, failure to
abide by this rule may be sufficient cause to remove a member from a committee or commission.
1. Encourage good Village/vendor relations.
2. Encourage businesses located within the Village to participate in the Village’s procurement policy,
by notifying all known in-Village vendors of opportunities to bid.
3. Conduct business with vendors in a professional manner that promotes honesty and fairness.
4. Accept, and in some cases require, samples from vendors to be used for testing. A fair trial shall
be given to all samples and the outcome of the test shall be presented to the vendor, in general
terms.
5. Make every effort to be available for appointments during normal business hours on reasonable
notice.
6. Arrange interviews between salespersons and department directors as needed.
7. Write all correspondence to salespersons and vendors, except when technical details can be
better written by the department.
8. Collect and maintain vendor information.
1. Understand the needs of Village of Buffalo Grove and provide the correct service or product at the right price, quality, and quantity that benefits the Village as a whole.
2. Conduct themselves in a professional manner: being honest about the supplies, services and products they represent.
3. Honor purchase orders generated as a result of providing price quotes on specified items and quantities.
4. Respond to Bids, Requests for Proposals, and Requests for Qualifications in a professional and ethical fashion. See Appendix D for causes for debarment from bidding.
5. Complete on a biennial basis the Village of Buffalo Grove online Vendor Registry application located at https://www.vbg.org/bids , updating all required fields.
6. Provide all documents required of them by the Village including but not limited to Village Financial Forms, Waivers of Lien, Insurance documents, Bonds as required and Certified Payroll as required.
