The purchasing department’s primary goals are to support the district’s operations with efficient and timely delivery of materials, equipment, supplies, and services; to purchase in accordance with local codes, state codes (e.g., Education Code, Public Contract Code), federal laws, and district policies (e.g., board policies, administrative regulations, etc.); to provide excellent customer service to school sites and departments; and to build strong, cooperative partnerships with vendors.
To achieve these goals, the district implemented a few practical, cost-saving procurement methods and best practices, which we describe here.
Procurement Methods
PunchOut. PunchOut essentially places a vendor’s online storefront (e.g., Office Depot, Southwest School Supplies, CDW-G, Amazon, School Specialty) within the district’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, allowing school-site and department requisitioners to shop directly from a vendor’s product catalog without leaving the ERP.
This integration allows requisition data to flow seamlessly between the ERP and the vendor’s system, making price, description, quantity, and product availability information accessible to the district’s requisitioners in real time. As the requisition is approved and processed within the ERP, this product information is entered into the respective purchase order that is then submitted to the vendor electronically.
PunchOut streamlines the district’s requisition/purchase order process, and the district welcomes additional vendors who may provide integrated PunchOut capabilities.
Integration with ClassLink. ClassLink provides the district staff and students with a single sign-on to web and software applications and is accessible from any computer. For example, teachers can access the Amazon Business application directly through the instructional ClassLink portal so they can shop for their classroom materials without having to leave their instructional ClassLink portal.
CVUSD launched the program in 2020 and was the first public school district in Ventura County to implement this type of integration that allows teachers to create their own “wish lists” within the Amazon Business application. Their wish lists are then accessible by school-site office managers who are notified when individual teacher wish lists are ready to be processed into requisitions.
PunchOut lets the wish list/requisition data flow seamlessly between the Amazon Business application and ERP, providing a better and more efficient end-user purchasing experience. In addition, the purchasing department can control and ensure end-user compliance with district purchasing policies by setting up guided buying restrictions within the Amazon Business application.
Lastly, these improved controls, compliance, and guided buying restrictions drive cost savings for the district.
CAL-Card. The CAL-Card is a VISA credit card provided by U.S. Bank and offered to participating local government agencies under the state of California’s purchase card program. The CAL-Card enables the district’s cardholders to make low dollar procurements quickly and efficiently in those situations (travel or emergency) where other methods of procurement are not practical or cost-effective.
With prior approval from the director of purchasing, and in compliance with the district’s CAL-Card policies, a cardholder may also request to use their CAL-Card to order goods or services from a supplier who does not accept district-issued purchase orders.
Best Practices
Gift cards/gift certificates prohibition. In accordance with Article 16, Section 6, of the California Constitution, gift cards and gift certificates cannot be purchased by a school district; doing so would be considered a gift of public funds.
As a rule of thumb, an expenditure that benefits one individual, or small class of individuals, with no benefit to all the individuals of an entity, may be considered a gift of public funds. The purpose of the expenditure is the most important factor to consider when determining whether an expenditure serves a legitimate public purpose.
Purchasing Code of Conduct. The Purchasing Code of Conduct included in the district’s purchasing manual outlines the appropriate ethical and professional conduct that the public can expect from officers, employees, and agents of the district.
The Purchasing Code of Conduct applies to all district staff members engaged in district-related purchasing transactions, or the selection, award, and administration of district contracts and procurement agreements. In accordance with the general procurement standards in Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 200.318(c), this Purchasing Code of Conduct covers potential conflicts
of interest. Staff are expected to:
- Know and obey all state, federal, and local laws and regulations, in addition to district policies and procedures, applicable to conducting district-related business;
- Conduct business efficiently in a fair, open, and transparent manner;
- Ensure that any personal business, arrangements, or activities do not pose a conflict of interest, or apparent conflict of interest, with the lawful interests of the district;
- Decline, not solicit, and not accept gifts or gratuities from a vendor, supplier, contractor, or subcontractor;
- Maintain the highest personal integrity and to avoid the appearance of impropriety;
- Abstain from decisions that could result in a direct benefit to a relative or associate;
- Obtain the best value in the procurement of high quality goods and services;
- Promote positive vendor and customer relationships;
- Encourage increased participation for district bidding opportunities among disabled veterans, small, minority, and women-owned business enterprises;
- Strive for the continuous improvement of the district’s purchasing methods, processes, and procedures; and
- Cooperate with organizations, associations, and government agencies engaged in enhancing professional competency, expanding purchasing knowledge, and developing the professional purchasing skill sets of the district’s staff.
Violations may result in disciplinary action.
Conclusion
School-site and department cooperation in streamlining the district’s procurement process is crucial. Simply put, the greater the degree of cooperation, the greater the opportunity to maximize district-wide savings and minimize district-wide costs and liability.