TPO OKs New Procurement Policy; Executive Director to Report Quarterly on Mid‑range Purchases

The Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization on Aug. 12 approved a new procurement policy to clarify how the TPO will procure professional services and establish approval authority based on contract value. Jonathan Nixen Elder, TPO staff, told the board the policy applies to professional services and provides multiple procurement pathways including RFPs, RFQs, sealed bids and sole-source justifications.

Commissioner Bowles moved an amendment to require that the executive director provide quarterly reports for expenditures between $50,000 and $200,000 for one year; Board Member Gray seconded the motion. "The Executive Director provide a report for anything spent between, let's say, 50,000 and 200,000 on a quarterly basis for at least 1 year," Bowles said during the meeting. The board approved the policy with that reporting requirement by voice vote; no nays were recorded.

Board members said they supported a clear, local procurement framework that would allow the TPO to pursue discretionary grant opportunities while maintaining transparency. Elder said the policy limits executive‑level approval to contracts under $200,000 and that contracts at or above $200,000 would require board approval to provide an added level of oversight. He also recommended periodic policy reviews, including a comprehensive review before the next general planning consultant procurement cycle.

The board’s action sets a formal threshold that staff said will help prevent implicit approval of large planning studies embedded in other approvals and provides a defined reporting mechanism to give the board oversight during the policy’s initial year.