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<br />Section 2: Purchasing Practices <br /> <br />2.1 Ethics/Relations with Vendors <br /> <br />The City of Ramsey holds its employees to the highest ethical standards. Purchases shall be conducted so they <br />foster public confidence in the integrity of the city's procurement system, and open and free competition among <br />prospective suppliers. In keeping with this value, employees should avoid the following practices when making <br />purchases on behalf of the City: <br /> <br />Circumventing competitive bidding requirements. <br />Examples of this include: . <br />· Splitting purchases so that they can be made through several small purchases. <br />· Using the emergency procedure process when no true emergency exists. <br />. Using a 'sole source' exemption when competition is available. <br /> <br />Denying one or more vendors the opportunity to bid on a contract when they have no history of default or <br />failure in performance. <br />Examples of this include: <br />. Using unreasonably restrictive specifications. <br />· Pre-qualifying bidders on a discriminatory basis. <br />· Removing companies from a bidders list without just cause. <br />· Requiring unnecessary high bonding. <br /> <br />Givingfavored vendors an unfair advantage. <br />Examples of this include: <br />· Providing vendors with non-public information regarding their competition's offer in advance of a bid <br />opemng. <br />· Making information available to favored vendors and not to others. <br />· Giving un-favored vendors inaccurate or misleading information. <br /> <br />Accepting gifts from vendors. <br />· Minnesota Statutes 471.895 prohibits government employees from receiving gifts except where they are <br />included as part of the cost of a product, good or service provided (such as a meal provided as part of a <br />conference). <br /> <br />Section 3: Decentralized Purchasing <br /> <br />The City of Ramsey has a decentralized purchasing program, meaning that each department is responsible for <br />making its own purchases of materials and services for their operation. Such items as office supplies, paper <br />products and other general supplies that are used throughout the City will be centrally assigned to one <br />department for purchase. The responsibility lies within each department to obtain bid or quotes, maintain <br />records of bids or quotes, prepare purchase orders, receive deliveries and approve invoices for payment. <br /> <br />Section 4: Purchasing Alternatives <br /> <br />4.1 Uniform Municipal Contracting Law, Chapter 471.345 <br />It shall be the policy of the City of Ramsey that the Uniform Municipal Contracting Law, Minnesota Statutes <br />Chapter 471.345 shall be the policy of the city. Changes in this law will automatically become the policy of the <br />city. City policy may be more restrictive then State Law, but may not be less restrictive. Records of quotes and <br /> <br />2 <br />