Basic Procurement Functions
The standard process of advertising, bidding, and awarding a contract is called what?
What is Competitive Sealed Bidding / Invitation to Bid (ITB)?
Using another government’s contract to buy goods/services is called?
What is Piggyback / Cooperative Procurement?
This type of insurance is often required in building construction contracts.
What is Builders Risk Insurance?
You issued an ITB and the lowest bidder forgot to include one required form, but the omission doesn’t affect price or competitiveness. Can you award?
Yes, code allows for waiver of minor informalities (non-material errors).
Procurement is like dating because…
Both involve searching, evaluating options, and hoping you don’t regret your choice later.
What’s the main difference between an RFP and an ITB?
An RFP evaluates proposals on criteria/qualifications, while an ITB is awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.
This type of procurement allows you to skip competition if only one vendor can supply.
What is a Sole Source?
What’s the penalty for awarding a contract without appropriation?
Your job or lots of paperwork and corrective training.
A department submits a Sole Source request for software, but you discover three other vendors provide similar solutions. What’s your next step?
Deny the Sole Source and require a competitive procurement process since competition exists.
Procurement professionals are like superheroes. What’s their secret power?
Saving taxpayers' money.
True or False: A Sole Source only requires justification and approval from the requesting department director.
The Borough requires this to prove value when using a cooperative contract.
Cost benefit analysis
What must the vendor detail in their letter when submitting a bid protest?
An RFP evaluation committee ranks Vendor A as the highest technically, but Vendor B offers a significantly lower cost and is still acceptable. How do you proceed?
Follow the evaluation criteria in the solicitation, if cost was weighted, award must reflect combined scoring. You cannot override published criteria.
If a contract is awarded and the vendor and requesting department does not read it, what happens?
Chaos, confusion, change orders.
This type of procurement is used when there’s a sudden flood, fire, or other disaster.
What is an Emergency Procurement?
Emergency procurements must still have this type of documentation after the fact.
What is written justification/documentation?
This clause allows the Borough to cancel a contract without cause.
What is Termination for Convenience?
A cooperative contract offers a 5% discount for a widget you need to buy, but your own competitive bid could take three months and possibly save more. What do you recommend?
Best interest of the Borough.
What’s the most likely excuse a vendor will give for attempting to submit a bid late?
Your bonfire system didn't work, the time zones are off, I waited until the last minute, etc.
According to our procurement code, who has final authority to approve purchases?
Who is the Purchasing Officer?
What are the four alternate procurement methods in our code?
Sole Source, Emergency, Standardized Goods/Specifications, Piggyback.
Federal grants often require MSB contracts to comply with this set of rules?
What is 2 CFR 200 - Uniform Guidance?
On bid day, before the due date & time a vendor proposes substituting a cheaper material that still meets minimum specs but is lower quality than what was proposed. What’s your obligation?
Let the bid ride? No obligation?
How many official titles has Russ held while employed by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
Assistant Purchasing Officer, Purchasing Officer, Purchasing Director