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PURCHASING POLICY
Policy Number
P2021-01
Classification
FIN
Effective Date
2021-04-19
Approval Authority
COUNCIL
Supersedes
1989-01 and 2008-04
Mandated Review
2026
1. PURPOSE
a) To establish uniform regulations, standards and procedures for the procurement of goods,
services and construction by the different departments of the City of Bathurst.
b) To assist municipal employees when it comes to purchasing the goods, services and
construction necessary for efficient operations of the municipality in compliance with the
Procurement Act, RSNB 2012, c 20 (hereafter called the Act) and its regulations.
c) To eliminate all possibility of conflict of interest in compliance with the Local Governance
Act SNB 2017, c 18.
d) To obtain the goods, services and construction that best meet the needs of the City of
Bathurst at a fair and reasonable price, and to assure that all suppliers are treated equitably and
openly in all transactions.
e) To ensure compliance with all applicable provincial and federal legislation.
2. SCOPE
The current policy applies to all municipal departments of the City of Bathurst for the
procurement of all Goods, Services and Construction.
3. POLICY STATEMENT
The City of Bathurst will employ fair and transparent Municipal Purchasing activities that
demonstrate its commitment to providing services in an effective and financially responsible
manner.
1. PRINCIPLES
a) The City of Bathurst uses a centralized purchasing department for its purchasing needs.
b) The Purchasing Department is responsible for initiating and maintaining effective and
professional relationships with suppliers and shall be the primary contact with
suppliers.
c) The Purchasing Department shall be responsible for the disposal of surplus of goods
and materials as per the associated policy.
d) The Purchasing Department and user Departments shall wherever possible, promote
and co-ordinate the standardization of goods and materials used by the City.
2. THRESHOLDS AND ASSOCIATED PURCHASING METHODS
a) The thresholds below determine the purchasing method to follow. The thresholds are
directed by the Act and adapted to city requirements within those amounts.
b) It is strictly forbidden to divide or separate the needs in order to bypass the thresholds.
Any intention of using an exemption in accordance with provisions of this policy and/or
of the Act shall be approved by the City Manager or his delegate.
c) All threshold amounts in this policy are excluding taxes.
THRESHOLDS
METHOD BY PURCHASING DEPARTMENT
ADVERTISING
< $3,000
Solicitation required
As determined by purchasing department*
N/A
≥ $3,000 < $10,000
Solicitation required
Request for Quotation (Invitation to bid) - Faxed or Email
Three bids should be received
N/A
≥ $10,000 or
< $100,000
Solicitation required
Request for Quotation (Invitation to bid) - Sealed bids
N/A
≥ $100,000
Solicitation required
Public Tender solicitation**
14 calendar days
* In some cases, a properly authorized corporate card can be used for direct purchases. Corporate cards
should not be used as means to bypass the purchasing department. It should only be used as last resort
when it becomes impractical to use other purchasing methods. The user must follow the obligations
that are established with the ownership of the card.
** Includes Requests for Proposals (RFP). If the price is not the only determining factor, RFP's can
also be used with lower thresholds.
3. TENDER OPENING
a) The opening of any bid submissions shall be done at the location, date and time as
described in the solicitation document.
b) Only the name of the compliant bidders and their total bid price shall be disclosed if
the competitive process is based on price. If the submissions are evaluated on a point
system (ex. RFP), only the name of the bidders shall be released.
c) Bid submissions shall be verified for accuracy and compliance with the mandatory
requirements from the solicitation documents and shall be rejected if they do not
comply.
d) Tenders over $100,000 may require a bid bond or certified cheque in the amount of
10% of the bid. The City reserves the right to request a deposit at a lower threshold.
4. TENDER EVALUATION
a) Bids will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria specified in the tender documents. If
no other criteria are specified, price will be the determining factor.
b) In the case of submissions based on a point system, bids will be evaluated by a group
consisting of members of the Department involved in calling the tender, supervised by
the Purchasing Department.
c) Following the evaluation, bidders will be officially notified of the results of the
evaluation.
5. EXEMPTIONS
a) The City may differ from the purchasing methods in section 5c in the event it meets the
criteria cited in the Act or its Regulations. Any exemptions should be authorized by the
City Manager or City Council within their respective authority limits.
6. SPENDING AUTHORITY
a) All purchases equal or above $100,000 before applicable taxes must be approved by
Council.
b) All purchase below $100,000 before applicable taxes can be approved or delegated by
the City Manager. This includes purchases made using corporate cards and the
associated individual limits.
7. POLICY PROCEDURES (CONTROL)
a) All purchases made in the name or on behalf of the City of Bathurst must be provided
for within the respective municipal budgets, subject to the approvals indicated in the
Signing Authority.
b) The City Manager or its delegate is responsible for the purchasing controls in
accordance with the current policy.
c) Periodic verification can be made by the City Manager or its delegate for all purchases
made on account of the City to ensure the associated Purchasing Procedures are
followed and in accordance with the current policy.
d) The Department Heads, in co-operation with the coordinators, must ensure that the
purchases made for their departments have the best price-quality ratio for the life
expectancy of the purchase.
e) The Department heads will be responsible for any purchase made by personnel from
their respective department.
8. EXCLUSION FROM PROCUREMENT PROCESS
a) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any product supplier or service contractor who fails to
comply with any municipal by-law, regulation or policy will be excluded from the
purchasing process under this policy. The exclusion will apply as long as the non-
compliance persists or compliance procedures are initiated against the product supplier
or service contractor.
4. RELATED LEGISLATION
- Local Governance Act, (2017, c 18.)
- Procurement Act, (2012, c 20.)
5. REVISION HISTORY
Date
(mm/dd/yyyy)
Description of
Change
Sections
Person who
Entered Revision
(Position Title)
Person who
Authorized
Revision (Position
Title)
2022-06-20
Spending Authority for
the City Manager is
increased to $100,000
6
City Clerk
Treasurer