Finance committee debates restoring earlier purchase thresholds to speed small buys

Burke County procurement staff told the finance committee they want to revise the county’s purchasing policy to restore elements of the previous thresholds and make it easier for departments to gather quotes for routine buys.

Staff said the policy that currently requires sealed bids for purchases between roughly $10,000 and $25,000 has produced fewer responses and more staff time spent rebidding. They proposed returning to the older approach that emphasizes obtaining three written quotes for purchases under $25,000, while using improved electronic recordkeeping (scanned quotes and Munis notes) to maintain accountability.

Committee members discussed exceptions for sole‑source repairs (for example, specialized Caterpillar equipment) and for items such as fuel, and debated whether the county’s thresholds should better align with the state procurement site, which procurement staff said sets higher thresholds for posting construction bids (mentioned in the meeting as $100,000 or higher). No formal policy vote was taken; staff will prepare revised language to present to the board.