MMA webinar shares best practices for procurement

An MMA webinar today reviewed how to streamline the municipal procurement process and discussed a number of resources.

Mansfield Select Board Member Maureen Doherty, also a municipal consultant, began with an overview of procurement as a business management function — essentially the activities and process to acquire goods and services. She noted it is distinct from purchasing, which refers to the process of ordering and receiving goods and services.

Before selecting an optimal procurement system, Doherty said it’s important to understand your municipality’s current operations.

“You have to learn the needs and operations of your ‘Big Three’ (police, fire and public works) to better analyze your current processes,” she said.

After analyzing existing processes, municipalities can choose to use a centralized or decentralized system. Centralized systems streamline bids and purchases to one department and organize all documentation in one place. Decentralized systems distribute responsibility across departments and require the implementation of new standard templates.

Regardless of the system used, Doherty said it is imperative to create an “internal control plan” to guide how procurement laws will be followed and who will serve as the chief procurement officer. The internal control plan should also establish written policies for the Designer Selection Board and delegate authority for purchasing duties, as well as contract-signing authority.

Foxborough’s procurement team shared lessons learned from the town’s implementation of a decentralized procurement system.

Town Manager Paige Duncan, Finance Director and Town Accountant Marie Almodovar, and Assistant Finance Director Brandon Roberts discussed standardizing workflows, policies and templates for all departments. Almodovar suggested using a unique numbering system for bids, contracts, and purchase orders.

Roberts recommended connecting with colleagues in the procurement area for additional tips and tricks. He said the Massachusetts Association of Public Purchasing Officials “is a great resource for questions and starting templates.”

Almodovar moderated 10 minutes of questions and answers, which addressed inquiries about empowering local businesses, template contracts, and numbered bid systems.

[This MMA webinar is eligible for MCPPO Designation Renewal credits with proof of attendance. Contact MMA Education & Training Coordinator Lily Rancatore at lrancatore@mma.org for assistance.]

• Perfecting Your Procurement Process: Best Practices and Lessons Learned presentation (987K PDF)
• Procurement-Vendor Quote Summary Form template (77K xls)
• Stoughton Procurement Department Employee Handbook (1.5M PDF)
• Sample Task Order – Foxborough (36K PDF)
• Invitation for Bids – Foxborough (200K PDF)
• Short Services Contract Template (36K PDF)