Article I: Applicability.
This procedure applies to all purchases and commitments requiring the expenditure from funds under the control of the Board of Trustees (“the Board”)] [of the Cook Memorial Public Library District (“Library”) and to all sales, the proceeds of which are to be deposited in those funds.
Article II: Purchasing Goods and Services.
Section 1: Purchases by the Library Director.
The operating budget acts as the spending plan for the Library for the fiscal year. The Library Director is authorized to expend funds up to the limits of the various line items of the budget. Unbudgeted items exceeding $10,000 which are not routine purchases will be presented to the Board for approval following review by the appropriate Board Committee. However, emergency repairs or equipment replacement may be performed without prior Board or Committee approval. An exchange of one budgeted purchase for another exceeding $10,000 requires Board approval. Items exceeding budget estimates by more than $10,000 must be approved for purchase by the Board.
Section 2: Capital Improvements, Equipment & Formal Bidding Process.
Bidding shall be required in connection with the construction of a building, or the remodeling, repairing or improving of an existing building or the erection of an addition thereto, or the purchase of the necessary equipment for the library when the cost is in excess of $25,000. (75 ILCS 16/40-45)
Bidding is also required for any purchase, work, or public improvement expense over $25,000. Bidding is not required in the following cases:
- Contracts for the services of individuals possessing a high degree of professional skill where the ability or fitness of the individual plays an important part;
- Contracts for the printing of finance committee reports and departmental reports;
- Contracts for the printing or engraving of bonds, tax warrants and other evidence of indebtedness;
- Contracts for the maintenance or servicing of, or provision of repair parts for, equipment which are made with the manufacturer or authorized service agent of that equipment where the provision of parts, maintenance, or servicing can best be performed by the manufacturer or authorized service agent;
- Purchases and contracts for the use, purchase, delivery, movement, or installation of data processing equipment, software, or services and telecommunications and interconnect equipment, software, and services;
- Contracts for duplicating machines and supplies;
- Contracts for utility services such as water, light, heat, telephone or telegraph;
- Contracts for goods or services procured from another governmental agency;
- Purchases of equipment previously owned by some entity other than the Library itself; and
- Contracts for goods or services which are economically procurable from only one source, such as for the purchase of magazines, books, periodicals, pamphlets, and reports.
Contracts for emergency expenditures are also exempt from competitive bidding when the emergency expenditure is approved by at least ¾ of the members of the Board.
A “call for bids” shall be made by publishing a brief description of the job in at least one local newspaper and, if appropriate, one professional periodical. Complete bidding information including qualifications for bidders, specifications of the goods or services, terms of delivery, draft of the contract (if applicable), whether samples are required, form in which to submit the bid, Workmen’s Compensation and Liability Insurance requirements, the time and place for opening the bids, and any other conditions shall be available for distribution in the office of the Library Director. Additionally, complete bidding information shall be delivered to at least three qualified bidders. Qualified bidders shall be judged on the basis of experience, accessibility and general reputation. The Board may establish pre–qualification requirements for bidders. Contracts or purchases shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. The Library reserves the right to reject all bids unopened if there is judged to be an insufficiency of bids. The Library also reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to make such award as is in the best interest of the Library.
Section 3: Maintenance & Service Contracts.
While not subject to the formal bidding requirements outlined in Section 2, the following contracts will be re-bid at the following maximum intervals:
- Building cleaning service – Five years
- Grounds maintenance – Five years
- Mechanical maintenance – Five years
Section 4: Professional, Technical or Artistic Services.
Regardless of contract amount, the Library will procure architectural, engineering or land surveying services according to the provisions of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (50 ILCS 510/1 et. seq.). Other technical, professional or artistic services may be procured in any manner deemed to be in the best interest of the Library.
Section 5: Insurance.
Every year, the Library’s insurance agent will provide a summary of coverages and written recommendations to the Buildings and Grounds Committee as part of the renewal process.
The Library Director will annually review the summary of coverages and recommendations with the Building and Grounds Committee. The Building and Grounds Committee will make a recommendation to the Board for approval.
The Board needs assurance that the prices for needed insurance coverages are competitive. Every three years the Buildings and Grounds Committee will either:
- Require the agent to supply the Library with three quotations from underwriters on the Library’s insurance program along with an evaluation of the coverages and the firms or,
- Send out a request for proposal to at least three independent agents to give quotations on the Library’s insurance program.
Specialty insurance coverages may require less frequent Requests for Proposals or none at all if deemed unnecessary by the Library Director.
The Library Director may renew the insurance program after appropriate review by the Buildings and Grounds Committee. The Buildings and Grounds Committee will report on the insurance plan once a year to the Board. If Board action is indicated, the Buildings and Grounds Committee may refer their recommendation to the Board.
Section 6: Conflict of Interest/Criminal Bidding Statute.
No Trustee shall have a personal interest in Library purchases or contracts beyond the extent provided by law. (50 ILCS 105/3) Criminal sanctions for bid irregularities are in 720 ILCS 5/33 E-1.
Article III: Selling Library Property.
Procedures for the disposal of property are contained in 75 ILCS 16/30-55.30, 75 ILCS 16/30-55.32. When the Board has determined to sell or otherwise dispose of real or personal property that it deems no longer necessary or useful for library purposes may be sold or disposed of at a public sale as follows:
- Personal property of any value may be donated or sold to any other tax supported library or to any library system. Personal property having a unit value of $1,000 or less may be disposed of as determined by the Library Director. Personal property having a unit value of more than $1,000 but less than $2,500 may be sold through a competitive process by posting notice of sale at all library locations or via online auction or classified advertisement websites and message boards. Decommissioned computer hardware having a unit value of less than $1,000 and incapable of running current software and/or are incompatible with the library’s computer network may be disposed of using a computer recycling service or donated to civic, educational or other non-profit organizations.
- In all other cases, the Board shall publish notice of the availability and location of the real or personal property, the date and terms of the proposed sale, publishing such notice at least once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of local distribution. On the day of the sale, the Board shall proceed with the sale and may sell such property for a price determined by the Board or to the highest bidder. It may reject all bids and re-advertise the sale.
- Withdrawn materials may be donated to other institutions or offered on an equal basis to the public through the Friends of the Library Book Sales. The Library does not reserve materials to be sold to individual patrons after withdrawal. The Library Director or designee may dispose of withdrawn library materials if they are unlikely to sell at the Friends book sale
- In no case shall Library Trustees, the Library Director, or members of their immediate families make bids or purchase any library item declared surplus. In no case shall any other library staff member or members or their immediate families purchase any library item declared surplus except through competitive public bidding.
Adopted: 12/21/76
Revised: 10/17/95
Revised: 2/17/98
Revised: 4/17/01
Revised: 12/16/03
Revised: 3/20/07
Revised: 11/17/15
Revised: 04/17/18
Revised: 08/19/21
