City updates procurement manual to limit annual related-party disclosures and add donation acceptance policy

City staff presented Amendment No. 2 to the Winter Haven procurement manual at the Jan. 13 meeting. The amendments follow ordinance O-22-25 (adopted July 11, 2022) that provided for administrative edits to the procurement manual and required staff to notify the commission within 60 days of administrative changes.

The two substantive changes staff highlighted were: - Related-party disclosure timing: the manual previously required employees to complete a related-party disclosure form annually. Amendment No. 2 removes the annual requirement; employees will instead complete the form upon hire and thereafter only when they accept a position of influence or purchasing authority or when circumstances change. - Asset control / donations: the manual lacked a policy to accept donations from external parties. Amendment No. 2 adds procedures for accepting donated property from outside entities. Staff cited a recent example in which a community organization (Lake Ashton) wished to donate new outdoor fountains; the new policy formalizes how the city accepts such donations.

Staff said the administrative changes were approved at the manager level Dec. 9, 2024, and the redline version of the manual was provided to the commission for information. Procurement Officer Bethany Owen attended the meeting and was available to answer questions. The city manager clarified no vote was required by the commission for this informational submittal.

Ending: The commission received the procurement manual amendment for information; staff will file the revised manual with the city clerk as required by the ordinance.