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Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Purchasing
2005,2006,2007,2008,2009 and 2010 National Purchasing
Institute Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award
Winner!
ISO 9001:2008 Certified

2. Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Purchasing Mission Statement
The mission of The Office of Purchasing is to provide a quality education that develops the content
knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enable all students to reach their maximum potential as
responsible, life-long learners and productive citizens, through direct support to the Baltimore County
Public Schools Faculty, Staff, and Business Community for all of their procurement needs in a manner
that is ethical, impartial, open, fair and honest and sustains a continuous and measurable
improvement in student performance.
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3. Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Purchasing Vision Statement
The Office of Purchasing contributes to the delivery of a cost efficient education by endeavoring to
ensure that BCPS and the taxpayers receive full value through our procurement expertise to assure
the timely acquisition, and distribution of goods and services at the best possible price on the basis of
a competitive solicitation process from the most responsive and responsible bidders considering cost,
quality, suitability, service and delivery.
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4. Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Purchasing Values Statement
The Office of Purchasing coordinates and issues all solicitations for commodities, construction and
renovations, equipment, furnishings, instructional materials, and services in compliance with all
applicable federal and state statutory regulations, Board of Education policies, procedures and
rules. They ensure that all bid specifications and contract documents are designed to optimize the
quality of goods and services while at the same time minimizing the financial risk to the school system
and increasing public trust in the procurement process. The Office of Purchasing acts in accordance
with the highest standards of ethics, and is accountable for the quality of their technical assistance,
exceptional service, and continuous improvement in their process. The Office of Purchasing is
committed to a fair and equitable bidding environment that encourages economic growth in the
minority and small business community through their participation in all BCPS contracts.
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5. 2005,2006,2007,2008 and 2009 National Purchasing InstituteAchievement of Excellence in Procurement AwardWinner!
The Baltimore County Public Schools Office of
Purchasing has been awarded The National
Purchasing Institute's Achievement of
Excellence in Procurement award for the fifth
year in a row (2005 - 2010). The National
Purchasing Institute, the public sector affiliate of
the Institute for Supply Management (ISM),
exists to promote the achievement of excellence
in governmental and institutional
Procurement through education, certification,
professional development and networking of
their members and other professionals
associated with public sector procurement and
supply management. This prestigious award is
earned by those organizations that demonstrate
excellence in innovation, professionalism,
productivity, e-procurement, and leadership
attributes of the procurement organization.
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6. Significant Achievements
In 2001 BCPS became the first public school system in Maryland to implement eProcurement as their primary means of procuring goods and commodities.
First Public School System in Maryland to conduct a Reverse Auction in 2002 and the First to use the Reverse Auction Method for the procurement of Construction Materials in 2006.
Led the legislative initiative to raise the bid threshold for LEAs from $15,000 to $25,000 in 2006.
First LEA to establish performance contracts for Textbook Publishers and to actively negotiate pricing and shipping costs. This lowered shipping costs from 10-15% to 2-6% saving BCPS $92K in FY 2010 alone.
First LEA to establish an on-line plan room for all construction projects within the system.
First LEA to implement an on-line vendor evaluation system.
First Lea to establish on-call time and material bid contracts allowing for construction projects not to exceed $300K to be quoted or bid with-in 48 hours by pre-approved vendors thus reducing the bidding time by at least 12 days.
One of a handful of School Districts to become ISO 9001:2008 Certified in 2010.
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7. 8/2/2010
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BCPS Service Model
8. Purchasing Functions
Issue and distribute purchase order documents.
Encourage fair and equal treatment of all prospective bidders and vendors.
Maintain a list of qualified vendors and their respective vendor codes.
Observe procedures to identify and prohibit business transactions with any vendor whose past performance has disqualified their status by BCPS, county, state or federal policies, procedures and statutes.
Assure that purchases meet appropriate local, state, and federal safety and health standards.
Facilitate the prompt procurement of goods and services for schools and offices.
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9. Purchasing Functions
Administer and Coordinate all agreements for the purchase of supplies, materials, equipment and (contracted services).
Enter into contracts with vendors to establish a fixed price to be used by all schools and offices for a specified period of time.
Distribute information on existing state, county and BCPS contracts to schools and offices.
Process all requisition/purchase order forms and catalog requests in accordance with established contracts to approved vendors.
Identify purchases which require the use of established quotations and/or bid policies or procedures.
Select potential award vendor in cooperation with the account manager. Submit the recommendation for award of contract to the Board of Education when appropriate.
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10. 2009-2010 Goals
Expand the use of eCommerce and online purchasing, especially with Third Party Billing and Grants.
Expand the number of catalogs on our eCommerce system by adding Frey Scientific, Fisher Scientific, SportsTime, Childcraft, Abilitations, Sax Arts & Crafts, Dick Blick, Clayworks, Service Photo, CDW, Grainger, Home Depot, Graybar, and ZEP.
Implement eSchool Mall as the new generation shopping Platform and expand the usage of electronic procurement to including the issuing and receiving of electronic bids.
Develop and implement improved purchasing database and prepare reports that enable the scheduling of renewals, track bids and contracts, etc.
Evaluate terms & conditions for bid specifications to support performance standards and enhance quality of goods and services.
Complete review and update of Board policies and Superintendent Rules as well as revise and publish our procurement procedures manual to include the new procedures from Financial Advantage 3.8 and ISO 9001.
Maintain a continuous improvement program comprised of the following:
At least two meetings of formal procurement focus group
Formal procurement customer survey
Vendor training with scheduled training workshop
Enhance our professional Staff training program allowing staff members to obtain their Professional Procurement Certification with the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP)(CPPB & CPPO) and The Institute of Supply Management (ISM) (C.P.M.).
Continue to implement and expand our current pilot for vendor performance evaluation process for construction-related projects with a value of $500,000 and greater. Evaluations, whether positive or negative, will be shared with all team members involved. Team members can include Purchasing, Facilities, Construction Manager, General Contractor, subcontractors and suppliers.
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11. BCPS Office of PurchasingOrganizationas of July 1, 2009
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12. Governing Authorization
The annotated Code of Maryland sections 5-112 and 7-106, and the Maryland State Department of Education Financial Reporting Manual for Maryland Public Schools.
13. The Bid Solicitation Process
Bids must be advertised for two weeks.
The Purchasing Agents:
-Assist schools and offices in developing bid specifications.
- Evaluate bids received and submit recommendations to the Board for contract approval.
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14. The Bid Solicitation Process
The Office of Purchasing coordinates all BCPS bids and vendor contract negotiations
State law and Board policy require public bidding procedures to be followed for certain purchases.
The threshold for requiring bids is $25,000 single item or system-wide annual needs
Curriculum and books are chosen through an evaluation process administered by the Department of Curriculum & Instruction
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15. The Procurement Process
Other alternatives to bidding include:
- Piggybacking on contracts awarded by other public entities that follow public bidding procedures.
- Sole-Source if proprietary or only available from one source. A sole source determination is made by the Office of Purchasing and still must be submitted to the Board for approval.
- Purchasing consortiums/cooperatives
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16. Purchasing Procedures
Notify the Office of Purchasing of any goods, commodities or services that may need to be solicited or procured.
Plan in advance! - From start to finish the process of preparing, advertising, issuing, evaluating and Board approval can take 2 months or more!
If No Current Approved Contract Exists for the Item:
get two written quotes from vendors If a purchase is > $15,000 and < $25,000
If a purchase is < $15,000 get one written quote
Use on-line catalogs for available items
If less than $1,000 use a P-card
Contact Office of Purchasing if any assistance is needed
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Number of Purchase Orders Processed Each Fiscal YearFY 2000 FY 2009
18. BIDS & CONTRACTS PROCESSED

FY 2001 Processed 245 bids/contracts valued at $145,808,709 Million

19. FY 2002 Processed 214 bids/contracts valued at $198,452,730 Million 20. FY 2003 Processed 236 bids/contracts valued at $174,878,485 Million 21. FY 2004 Processed 200 bids/contracts valued at $178,644,677 Million 22. FY 2005 Processed 223 bids/contracts valued at $214,775,000 Million 23. FY 2006 Processed 227 bids/contracts valued at $300,196,226 Million 24. FY 2007 Processed 225 bids/contracts valued at $368,720,863 Million 25. FY 2008 Processed 288 bids/contracts valued at $340,969,455 Million 26. FY 2009 Processed 321 bids/contracts valued at $330,703,022 Million 27. FY 2010 Processed 291 bids/contracts valued at $308,450,950 Million8/2/2010
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28. Bid Workload Comparison
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29. Bid Workload Comparison
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30. Bid Protest Comparison
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31. Bid Protest Comparison
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32. Bids vs. Bid Protests FY 2002 FY 2010
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33. Vendor Appeals of Agent Bid ProtestsFY 2001 FY 2010
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34. Vendor Bid Protests vs. Vendor Appeals of Agent DecisionFY 2002 FY 2010
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35. Dedicated Professionals committed to Excellence yield Qualitative ResultsFY 2001 FY 2009

As of FY 2010 Purchasing has Processed 2,470 bids valued at $2.6 Billion

36. 51 of the Agents recommendation for award have been appealed bybidders. These bid protests represent 2.1% of total bids solicited. 37. Of the 51 Appeals, 34 of the Agents decisions have been appealed to the Purchasing Manager. 38. Of the 34 appeals to the Purchasing Manager, only 6 appeals of an Agents decision has been overturned. 39. Of the 34 Appeals to the Purchasing Manager, as of FY 2009 only 4 of his decisions have been appealed to the CFO and the Executive Director of Physical Facilities. 40. All appeals to the CFO and the Executive Director of Physical Facilities of the Purchasing Managers decisions have been sustained 41. No award has been appealed to the Board of Education of Baltimore County since 20018/2/2010
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42. Procurement Cards
Having a Visa card is a privilege!
The card comes with responsibilities
Make necessary small
(< $1,000) purchases
Ensure available budget $ prior to purchase
Not to be used for contracted services
Training is required for cardholders & Approvers
Retain receipts, logs, statements for 5 years
Procedures are on Office of Purchasing website
https://intranet.bcps.org/offices/purchasing/pcard_procedures/
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43. Procure Procurement Card Management Software
The Office of Accounting:
Regularly monitors Visa card purchases and requests documentation from school/offices
Monitors compliance with reconciling requirements
over 50,000 transactions annually!!
Sends memos to cardholder/principal when billed items are not reconciled timely
If necessary, sends second notice to Area Assistant Superintendent
CONTINUED FAILURE TO LOG AND RECONCILE TIMELY WILL RESULT IN FORFEITURE OF VISA CARD!
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44. Procure Procurement Card Management Software
Common issues:
Purchases not logged
Billed charges not reconciled
Items charged to incorrect budget account (e.g. toner charged to textbooks)
Inadequate descriptions
Food/restaurant/catering charges the description should include the purpose of the meeting and the attendees
Cardholders must:
Log all purchases when made
Select proper budget account to charge
Reconcile billed charge to logged purchase - Reconciled charges are posted to Advantage Financial daily
Prior month charges must be reconciled by 20th of the month
Print logs and forward with statement and receipts to principal for approval
Principal is accountable for all Visa purchases at the school
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45. Total Number of BCPS Procurement Card Transactions Per YearFY 97 FY 09
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46. Total Dollar Amount Spent With BCPS Procurement Cards Per Year FY 97 FY 09
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47. BCPS Online Curriculum Catalogs
Web-based system to order necessary curriculum and instructional materials.
Includes textbooks and other frequently used instructional items.
Access to office/classroom supplies
through Office Depot, Corporate Express, Office Max, Staples and Rudolphs 450,000+ items
Over 29,000curriculumitems included in the catalogs
Searchable by title, item name, ISBN #
Catalogs may be printed for copying and distributing
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48. BCPS Online Curriculum Catalogs
Must attend training to get a user ID & password
Register for training through the PDC website
Know your budget account to charge before beginning
Orders are routed to principal for electronic approval before they are sent to the vendor!
Vendor ships and charges your budget through Visa
Print copies of approved orders for delivery identification, verifying Visa charges, follow up off backorders
Training materials available on the Office of Purchasing web site:
https://intranet.bcps.org/offices/purchasing/pdf/BCPS-Online-Ordering-Training-Manual.pdf
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49. Overview of BCPSs On-LineProgram
Shoppers
Approvers
Administrators
Suppliers
Contracted Line Items
1202Teachers
577 Principals
5 Purchasing Agents
225 Vendors
425,000
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50. eProcurement Results
Order Submission
Delivery of Goods
Shipping Costs
Vendor Payment
Sourcing Consolidation
Real-time Notification to Vendors
24-48 hours of Order Placement
10-15% Reduction
24-48 hours from Shipment
33% Reduction of Catalog Surplus
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51. BCPS Catalogs
Medications and First Aid
Music
Periodicals
Physical Education
Science Supplies
Technology Education
Textbooks
Unique Office Supplies
Art Supplies / Photo
Athletic Equipment & Supplies
Audio Visual
Family Studies
Handwriting Materials
Library Media
Math Supplies
Media
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52. eProcurement Process
Phase I (2000-2001)
began pilot operation with US Bank Pcard
20 Schools, 5 Catalogs
Phase II (2001-2002)
All Schools using the same five Catalogs
Art Supplies
Science
Physical Education
Library Media
Audio Visual Supplies
1951 transactions, 33 Vendors, valued at over $668K
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53. eProcurement Process
Phase III (2002-2003)
Increase to 13 catalogs with potentially 150 additional suppliers
Instrumental Music
Vocal Music
Technology Education
Medical & First Aide Supplies
Unique Office Supplies
Secondary Math
Family Studies
Art Photography
Incorporate lessons learned from FY 01
Implemented continuous product improvement methodology
Enhance software to support the competitive procurement process and awards of bid
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54. eProcurement Process
Phase IV (2003-2004)
Increase to 23 catalogs with orders valued at $2.5 million with potentially 200 additional suppliers
Textbooks Senior
Textbooks Middle
Textbooks Elementary
Textbooks Special Education
Instructional Media _ Secondary
Instructional Media Elementary
Instructional Media Special Education
Football Equipment
Athletics
Instructional Software and Periodicals
Continuous ability of Curricular Offices to edit their Instructional Materials Catalogs
Incorporate lessons learned from FY 02
Continue to enhance software to support the competitive procurement process and awards of bid on-line
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55. BCPS eProcurement Implementation Plan
Develop and Deploy on-line catalogs
Deploy Vendor Self Service and on-line bidding
Offer additional on-line access to employees to vendors electronic catalogs
Integrate into a global ERP system
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56. BCPS Future Goals
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Expand Catalog Offering

57. Add Tier 1 Suppliers-Grainger, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Budgetext, Follett, School Specialty, Lakeshore Learning, Corporate Express, Rudolphs 58. Expand and offer program to the surrounding counties 59. Leverage spending with local and national consortiums to negotiate improved pricing 60. Bid new contracts for the upcoming FY