Most purchases and leases must be publicly advertised and competitively bid, but several exceptions apply.
All purchases and leases or lease-purchase agreements shall be made or entered into only after public advertisement and competitive bid, except as follows: Purchases costing less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000); provided, that this exemption shall not apply to purchases of like items that individually cost less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), but that are customarily purchased in lots of two (2) or more, if the total purchase price of such items would exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) during any fiscal year; Any goods or services that may not be procured by competitive means because of the existence of a single source of supply or because of a proprietary product; A record of all such sole source or proprietary purchases shall be made by the person or body authorizing such purchases and shall specify the amount paid, the items purchased, and from whom the purchases were made; A report of such sole source or proprietary purchases shall be made as soon as possible to the county governing body and the county mayor of the county and shall include all items of information as required in the record; Purchases or leases of any supplies, materials or equipment for immediate delivery in actual emergencies arising from unforeseen causes, including delays by contractors, delays in transportation, and unanticipated volume of work; A record of any emergency purchase shall be made by the person or body authorizing such emergency purchase, and shall specify the amount paid, the items purchased, from whom the purchase was made and the nature of the emergency; A report of any emergency purchase shall be made as soon as possible to the county governing body and the county mayor, and shall include all items of information as required in the record; Leases or lease-purchase agreements requiring total payments of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or less in each fiscal year the agreement is in effect; provided, that this exemption shall not apply to leases of like or related items that individually may be leased or lease-purchased with total payments of less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in any fiscal year, but that are customarily leased or lease-purchased in numbers of two (2) or more, if the total lease or lease-purchase payments for such items under a single agreement would exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in any fiscal year; Governing bodies may exempt perishable commodities from the requirements of public advertisement and competitive bidding when such items are purchased in the open market; A record of all such purchases shall be made by the person or body authorizing such purchases and shall specify the amount paid, the items purchased, and from whom the purchase was made; A report of such purchases shall be made, at least monthly, to the county mayor and the governing body and shall include all items of information as required in the record; and Fuel and fuel products may be purchased in the open market without public advertisement, but shall whenever possible be based on at least three (3) competitive bids. Fuel and fuel products may be purchased from the department of general services' contract where available.