(a) Objectives - The objectives of this Chapter and Central Purchasing include the following:

(i) To purchase or contract for all supplies and contractual services needed by any using department which derives its support wholly or in part from the City, or from a Federal or State grant of which the City is the grantee, in accordance with purchasing procedures as prescribed by this Code and such rules and regulations as the Controller shall adopt for the internal management and operation of the function of Central Purchasing and such other rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by the Mayor and the Common Council.

(ii) (Minimum expenditure) - To procure for the City the highest quality in supplies and contractual services at least expense to the City.

(iii) (Encourage competition) - To discourage uniform bidding and endeavor to obtain as full and open competition as possible on all purchases and sales.

(iv) (Rules and regulations) - To establish and amend, when necessary, all rules and regulations authorized by this Code and any others deemed necessary to it’s operation.

(v) (Purchasing analysis) - To keep informed of current developments in the field of purchasing, prices, market conditions and new products, and secure for the City the benefits of research done in the field of purchasing by other governmental jurisdictions, national technical societies,
trade associations having national recognition, and by private businesses and organizations.

(vi) (Forms) - To prescribe and maintain such forms as are reasonably necessary to the operation of this Ordinance, subject to approval of such forms by the State Board of Accounts, where prescribed by Indiana law.

(vii) (Standard nomenclature) - To prepare and adopt a standard purchasing nomenclature for using departments and suppliers.

(viii) (Vendors catalog file) - To prepare, adopt and maintain a vendors’ catalog. Said catalog shall be filed according to materials and shall contain descriptions of vendors’ commodities, prices, and discounts.

(ix) (Bulk purchases) - To utilize the possibilities of buying “in bulk” so as to take full advantage of discounts.

(x) (Federal tax exemptions) - To procure for the City all Federal Tax exemptions to which it is entitled.

(xi) (Disqualification of bidders) - To have the authority to declare vendors, who default on their quotations, irresponsible bidders and to disqualify them from receiving any business from the municipality for a stated period of time.

(xii) (Intergovernmental agreements) - To negotiate intergovernmental agreements with school systems and other governmental units authorizing cooperative and joint bidding with such units where there is economic justification for such; provided, that no agreement shall be negotiated which would require the actual co-mingling of City Funds with those of such school systems and governmental units.

(xiii) (Public Works) - To see that all Public Works (construction) projects comply with I.C. 36-1-12, including the applicable provisions of I.C. 36-1-12-3(a) regulating the City’s own work force.

(b) Unauthorized purchases

Except as provided herein, it shall be unlawful for any City officer or employee to order the purchase of any supplies or make any contract within the purview of this Code other than through the Department of Finance, and any purchase ordered or contract made contrary to the provisions hereof shall not be approved by the City officials, and the City shall not be bound thereby.

(c) Powers reserved

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the lawful advertising, awarding of bids and letting of contracts by the Board of Public Works and Safety of the City, and by the Richmond Sanitary District Board of Commissioners.