Councilors press purchasing director over repeated $9,999.99 purchase orders, request Munis export and SOP

Councilors questioned the purchasing process after council members presented procurement records that showed multiple purchase orders of $9,999.99 to the same vendor within the same month.

A councilor asked the purchasing director, Rebecca, for a CSV export from the Munis financial system showing purchase orders from May 2022 to present that match the $9,999.99 pattern and all purchase orders for facilities and the Department of Community Maintenance (DCM). The councilor said he had Munis reports that conflicted with earlier assurances that $9,999.99 split orders were no longer used.

Rebecca, the purchasing director, explained the difference between a blanket purchase order and bid splitting. She described a blanket purchase order as a single encumbrance that departments draw down as incidental purchases occur and noted that state-contract vendors (for example, HVAC vendors on a state contract) may be used without a separate sealed-bid process. She told councilors some requisitions at or under $10,000 can represent anticipated incidental purchases while the department awaits quotes. Rebecca said the administration is drafting a purchasing standard operating procedure and has been educating departments on state procurement resources.

What councilors asked for and what the administration agreed to: Councilors requested that finance staff pull the requested Munis CSV and provide it to the council office for independent review. Rebecca agreed to provide the purchasing SOP and review the specific entries in question; she also invited councilors to a follow-up explanation of new purchasing controls and the TCM upload practice she described.

Why it matters: Councilors repeatedly framed bid splitting and repeated near-threshold purchase orders as potential circumvention of statutory procurement thresholds. In the meeting, one councilor cited Massachusetts procurement law in general terms and named relevant chapters: MGL chapter 30B (goods and services), MGL chapter 149 (building projects) and the statutory framework for public works procurement. Councilors said they wanted transparency and documentation of supervisory approvals when near-threshold purchase orders are used.

Status and next steps: The purchasing director said she will provide the requested CSV export and the city's purchasing SOP for review, and indicated the finance team will review the specific $9,999.99 entries. Councilors asked for a subsequent presentation after the budget season to demonstrate changes to purchasing practices and to show how Munis records and state contract usage are being tracked.