Board Policies & Rules
The policies and administrative rules of the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education, Kent County, Michigan, are the result of a combined effort of the professional staff of the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), the Board of Education, and the District's staff.
The staff of MASB has written the policy and rule model and integrated into that model the valid policies and procedures selected by the District at the time of the first draft. After forwarding the first draft a MASB staff member and selected staff members of the District worked in consort to edit all of the proposed policies and rules resulting in preparation of a final draft to be presented to the Board of Education.
The Board has appointed a Policy Committee to review language, laws, and the current environment to update or create a new policy.
The Superintendent will develop and maintain lists of potential bidders for various types of materials, equipment, and supplies. These bid lists will be used for the distribution of specifications and invitations to bid. Any supplier may be included in the list upon written request. The Superintendent will review all bid lists annually or as needed.
Written Quotations
The District will not purchase supplies, materials, or equipment in a single transaction costing between the federal micro-purchase threshold and the competitive bid threshold established by the state of Michigan without obtaining written quotations from a minimum of three vendors.
Competitive Bids and Cooperative Purchases
The District will not purchase supplies, materials, or equipment in a single transaction exceeding the then-current competitive bidding threshold unless competitive bids are obtained and approved by the Board.
The Superintendent 1s authorized to consider and recommend for Board approval membership in cooperative purchasing organizations that would benefit the District.
Cooperative purchasing also pe1iains to what is commonly referred to as "third patty bids." Third party bidding will constitute a competitive bid for purposes of this Policy.
Bid Specifications
All bid specifications will be clear, concise, and include the following: required performance, surety, bid, statutory bond info1mation, sworn statement of familial relationship, Iranian Business Relationship Affidavit, the debarment and suspension certification, compliance with preferential bid laws, financial statements, the District's right to reject any or all bids, compliance with all federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, and the date, time, and place for the opening of bids.
The Board, upon recommendation of the Superintendent, reserves the following rights:
- To accept or reject all bid proposals in whole or in part;
- To waive minor in-egularities;
- To award a contract to other than the lowest bidder; and
- To award contracts to one or more vendors.
The Purchasing Office will retain all bids and supporting documentation in accordance with State of Michigan guidelines for record retention.
Minority and Women Businesses
Pursuant to federal law with respect to the use of federal funds, the District will take all necessary affirmative steps to assure that minority businesses, women's business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are used when possible.
Local Purchasing Preference
The District provides a 5% preference (bid discount) in the purchasing of school equipment and supplies from local vendors, providing the quality and service are commensurate with the bid requirements. Bids, or proposals when bids are not required, will be accepted from non-local vendors in order to maintain a fair market price.
In determining the qualification for a Local Purchasing Preference for purposes of this policy, vendors must:
- Have obtained the Certification of a Michigan Based Business as determined by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget and have its primary business operations located within the municipal boundaries of the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan for at least the last six months; or
- Be certified by the City of Grand Rapids as a Micro-Local Business Enterprise and have its primary business operations within the municipal boundaries of the City of Grand Rapids.
A successful recipient of a contract and/or purchase order which has received a Local Purchasing Preference may be required to present proof of its status as a Michigan Based Business and documentation of its location within the City of Grand Rapids at any time upon request from an authorized District official. Failure to provide the requested information or failure to maintain business operations with the City of Grand Rapids for the duration of the contract will make the contract voidable at the District's discretion and will result in disqualification from future consideration of a Local Purchasing Preference for a period of two years unless excused by the Superintendent.
Local Construction Contracting Preference
The District provides a preference (bid discount) in construction contracts from local vendors, providing the quality and service are commensurate with the requirements set forth by the District as to satisfy the demands of the bid or proposal. Bids, or proposals when bids are not required, will be accepted from non-local vendors in order to maintain a fair market price.
In determining the qualification for a Local Construction Contracting Preference for purposes of this policy, vendors must:
- Have obtained the Certification of a Michigan Based Business as determined by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget and have its primary business operations located within the municipal boundaries of the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan for at least the last six months; or
- Be certified by the City of Grand Rapids, as a Micro-Local Business Enterprise and have its primary business operations within the municipal boundaries of the City of Grand Rapids.
A successful recipient of a contract which has received a Local Construction Contracting Preference may be required to present proof of its status as a Michigan Based Business and documentation of its location within the City of Grand Rapids at any time upon request from an authorized District official. Failure to provide the requested info1mation or failure to maintain business operations with the City of Grand Rapids for the duration of the contract will make the contract voidable at the District's discretion and will result in disqualification from future consideration of a Local Construction Contracting Preference for a period of two years unless excused by the Superintendent or Designee. Preference will be provided on the following basis:
- Contractor Participation: The District will provide up to a 5% bid discount to prime contractors and/or construction managers who satisfy the criteria for consideration as a Local Vendor.
- Subcontractor Participation: Construction bids for non-local vendors may be discounted when a bidder on a Grand Rapids Public Schools' project voluntarily subcontracts with businesses meeting Local Vendor Criteria.
Prime contractors and/or construction managers must submit affidavit(s) verifying Local Vendor subcontractor participation. Prime contractors and/or construction managers must reqmre Local Vendor certification documentation to be submitted by each subcontract bidder with their sealed bid. The District, at its discretion, may request additional documentation to verify the qualification of any Local Vendor subcontractor participating in a construction project. - The following is a schedule of discounted percentages based upon Local Vendor subcontractor participation achieved by the prime contractor:
| LBE Subcontractor Participation | Discount Percentage |
|---|---|
| i. 1.0% - 2.5% | 1.0% |
| ii. 2.51 % - 5.0% | 1.5% |
| iii. 5.01 % - 7.5% | 2.0% |
| iv. 7.51%- 10.0% | 2.5% |
| v. 10.Ql % - 15.0% | 3.0% |
| vi. 15.01 % - 18.0% | 4.0% |
| vii. 18.01%+ | 5.0% |
Prime contractors and/or construction managers may not terminate an approved Local Vendor subcontractor working on a District construction project, and then perform the work on the terminated subcontract with its own forces or those of another subcontractor, without prior written consent by the District Executive Director of Facilities and Operations Management. If a Local Vendor subcontractor fails to complete its work on the contract for any reason, a prime contractor/construction manager must notify the District's Executive Director of Facilities and Operations Management and make good faith efforts to find another approved Local Vendor subcontractor to substitute for the original Local Vendor subcontractor. Utilizing good faith efforts, and to the extent reasonable, the prime contractor/construction manager will substitute an approved Local Vendor subcontractor to perform the same amount of work under the contract as the Local Vendor subcontractor that was terminated.
- Joint Venture Bidding: As an incentive to contractors engaging in activities that stimulate the growth and development of local, small emerging businesses as partners bidding as a joint venture, the District will apply up to a 5% bid discount for partnering with a qualified Local Vendor.
- The Bid Discounts outlined above may not exceed 5% or $25,000 per bid, whichever is lower. Project bids from prime contractors and/or construction managers are considered a single bid for purposes of the Bid Discount consideration.
The local preference shall not be applied to purchases of goods and services made with federal funds.
An annual review of the impact of the minority, women, and local preference provisions of this policy will be undertaken by the Superintendent. The Superintendent will create administrative rules to implement this policy.
Refer also to Policy 3610: Purchasing Goods and Services, Policy 1900: Contracts and Board Member Disclosure Information, and Policy 4005: Employee Conflict of Interest - Purchases.
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