Page 37 - The EDGE Spring 2020

A Lot to Remember When Making a Good Solicitation Better

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AWW GEE WHIZ! So in my next article, I will review ALL the procurement
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 exemptions, including those approved in the revision to the
office on site? What are they expected to provide?”
like as needed, or other duties as required. Also, avoid
State Board of Education School District Procurement Rules in
using jargon. In purchasing, we have a lot of those. Define
detail and give some great best practice recommendations to
Burt also offered these suggestions for service contracts: acronyms and abbreviations.”
with the cumulative requirements for written quotes if over make all your procurement dreams come true.
include only necessary services in the statement of work; to
$10,000 and do a formal procurement if the amount exceeds Have a great school year and don’t hesitate to reach out to
simplify performance evaluation, provide definitions of the It’s always a good idea to have a second set of eyes review
$100,000. me with any procurement questions you may have. We are all
service components; require the contractor to leave a surface specifications.
OK, so here is the cli hanger. e State Board of Education in this together!
free of dirt, dust streaks, lint, and cobwebs, and require the
at the time of the writing of this article is currently undergoing
contractor to provider a translator if some of their employees A good specification should state the requirement completely,
rules revisions that will make our lives easier. ese changes Bill Munch, CPPO, CPPB is the Procurement Compliance and
clearly, logically and unambiguously, focus on outputs and
are migrants.
have come at the recommendation of some very learned Training Of cer for Valley Schools Management Group, recipient
how are they going to be met, allow vendors to accurately
school district procurement folks who are also members of of the 2018 AASBO Bill Lovett Award and the 2016 NIGP National
“You want their employees to be readily identifiable,” Burt determine cost and whether they can perform, evaluation of
our own AASBO organization. Among these changes will be Purchasing Manager of the Year. He provides consultation on
said. “Require name badges or T-shirts with the contractor’s offered goods, and state the criteria for your acceptance.
name. If keys are lost, require the contractor to pay for public procurement matters for school districts and vendors across
some proposed clari cations to the exemptions discussed
re-keying. And include a clause to permit district staff to use the state of Arizona and across the country. He may be reached at:
above and some appropriate and much-needed additional
contractor equipment and supplies in the event of a labor bmunch@vsit.org.
exemptions. "Also avoid using catchall phrases
action or failure to perform.”
We all should be very aware that the procurement rules apply to all
like as needed, or other duties as
Burt’s tips for writing contract specifications are: “Use
purchases of materials, services and construction and therefore the procurement
simple direct language and an active voice – subject, verb required."
thresholds apply to all purchases. There are exceptions, but they are specifi cally listed
and what you want the contractor to do. Repeat nouns instead
of using pronouns. Don’t use ‘they.’ Use contractor again.
in the procurement rules. If your proposed purchase is not listed in the exceptions,
Shall and will are binding – should and may permit choice.
you must follow the procurement thresholds for quotes and bids.
Avoid using vague descriptions, such as good working order, Cheryl Burt can be reached at: cburt@besd33.org and
or in an approved manner. Also avoid using catchall phrases (623) 925-3413.

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32 THE EDGE | BACK TO SCHOOL 2019