Clallam County begins review of procurement limits and policies; work group to be formed

County staff and Finance Committee members opened a review of the county’s procurement policies and dollar thresholds, saying many limits have not been updated in years and may be lower than necessary for Clallam County’s current size and grant requirements.

Staff said they have had a preliminary meeting to identify objectives and plan the next steps. They will collect guidance from MRSC (Municipal Research and Services Center), research relevant RCW provisions, and gather procurement policies from peer counties as examples. Staff proposed forming a work group that includes departments with heavy procurement activity such as public works/roads, HHS, and the sheriff’s office.

One staff member suggested using a conservative approach of initially doubling current limits as a starting point for discussion, subject to legal review and review against federal uniform guidance where applicable. Committee members flagged the need to document justification for any limits stricter than state or federal requirements, noting auditors will look at whether the county’s internal rules exceed state requirements and whether deviations are defensible.

Staff said they will pull prior finance-committee redlines and other materials, circulate a draft, and solicit input from department staff who handle procurement. No formal change was adopted at the meeting; staff will return with a redlined draft and proposed thresholds after the work group completes its review.