Contracts and Agreements
Do not sign any contracts or agreements. All purchases that require the District to enter into a
contract (in addition to a Purchase Order, which is required for all purchases) and commit District
funds will require Board approval and/or ratification. Contracts, including licenses and renewals,
must follow the process below.
- Contracts must be sent to the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of the Board meeting in which approval is being sought. The contracts will be reviewed and any edits and/or comments will be returned as soon as possible to ensure inclusion on the intended Board meeting’s agenda.
- Board agenda items for the contracts shall be entered by the department responsible for obtaining the service or item(s).
- If the item/service is an emergency and requires a shortened timeline, send to the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services. The item/service will be reviewed to determine if ratification is possible. Emergencies will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
- If the vendor or contractor does not provide an agreement or you would prefer to use a
standard district agreement, contact the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services and you will be sent a contract template to complete. At a minimum, all
contracts should contain the following elements:
- The manager initiating the contract must verify that funding is available before the contract is submitted for Board approval.
- Before being submitted for Board approval, ensure the contract has been signed by the outside contracting party. If this requirement will not be met by the outside contracting party, contact the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services for approval.
- Once the Board has approved the contract, a Purchase Requisition should be prepared by the department initiating the service and should agree with the terms of the contract. Verify that the account code on the Purchase Requisition corresponds to the funding source approved by the Board.
- An authorized, approved, and signed Purchase Order will need to be processed prior to the service/work commencing or the item(s) being ordered.
NOTE: The Purchase Requisition is not an authorized Purchase Order. A Purchase Requisition will
serve to generate a valid Purchase Order once all proper approvals are generated. Valid Purchase
Orders may only be generated by the Purchasing Department.
In addition, for public works projects under $45,000, the following processes also apply:
- If over $500, Valid Contractor’s License needed.
- If over $1,000, Contractor acknowledgement of prevailing wage project and Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) certification (statement and proposal or quote). Pursuant to labor code section 1771, SB854 established a new public works contractor registration program. For public works projects valued at $1,000 or more, contractors are required to register (and annually renew) for the program. In addition the District must submit required documents to the DIR upon both award and completion of each contract.
- If over $15,000, bonds are required.
If applicable, current liability insurance certificate on file with district and proof of workers’
compensation insurance.