Saratoga County Board approves updated purchasing policy, sets procurement thresholds
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Summary
The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved amendments to the county policies and procedures manual that set dollar thresholds for procurement methods, clarify competitive-bid and RFP requirements, update piggybacking language, and codify a vendor protest procedure.
Saratoga County Board of Supervisors members approved amendments to the county policies and procedures manual that set formal dollar thresholds for purchasing methods and added procedures for protests and piggybacking.
John, a staff member who presented the changes, told the board the package includes four main updates. “We are asking for your approval for 4 major changes to the policy,” John said, describing thresholds for professional services and Public Works procurements.
Under the adopted thresholds, the policy calls for a single written quote for professional services up to $50,000; three quotes for amounts from $50,000 to $99,999; and a competitive request for proposals for contracts of $100,000 or more. The policy also contains a carve-out for the Department of Public Works to use a Local Design Services Agreement for engineers preapproved within Region 1 of the New York State Department of Transportation.
John said the revisions add clearer procedures for competitive bidding and RFPs that follow General Municipal Law, including advertising, departmental responsibilities for award recommendations and specifications, and variable award criteria depending on the type of RFP. “These sections follow general municipal law,” John said.
The update revises the county’s piggybacking language to allow use of competitive contracts in lieu of a formal vote in specified circumstances and formalizes a vendor protest procedure. According to the presentation, a vendor protest is handled first by the director of purchasing, who issues a notice of determination; if a vendor disagrees with that determination they may appeal to the county administrator.
Board members questioned how the thresholds would be handled when a contract originally estimated under a threshold grows beyond it. One board member asked whether a vendor could be lost if a professional-services contract exceeded the $50,000 threshold after work began. John replied that the typical practice would be to return to the board for approval of the additional amount: “If it went over to 50,000 ... we have to get board approval to pay that extra amount of money,” a staff member, Steve, explained.
The presenter said the county included an emergency-procurement provision consistent with General Municipal Law §103 for public emergencies and an explicit exception allowing professional-service contracts without a competitive RFP after consultation with the director of purchasing and the county attorney when immediacy is required.
The board voted to adopt the amendments. After the vote, a board member thanked staff and county attorneys for their work on the revisions.
Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes from 02/07/2024 — motion passed; numeric tallies not specified in the transcript. - Adoption of amendments to the policies and procedures manual (purchasing policy) — motion passed; numeric tallies not specified in the transcript.
Ending: The adopted changes take effect per the county’s administrative procedures; the transcript did not specify an effective date or a schedule for further review.
