Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Donna Vaillancourt, Director of Human Resources
Subject: Amendment to Chapter 2.83 (Purchasing Procedures) of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adoption of an ordinance amending Chapter 2.83 of Title 2 (Administration) of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code relating to County purchasing procedures, previously introduced on July 25, 2017, and waive reading of the ordinance in its entirety.
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BACKGROUND:
The goal of County procurement is to obtain needed goods and services from qualified providers in an equitable, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
As a chartered county, San Mateo County enjoys great leeway in developing procurement procedures and policies. The County's existing procurement ordinance (Ordinance Code Chapter 2.83) was last updated over a decade ago. Since that time, technology has provided options previously unavailable, the courts and legislature have established important new guidance, and County practice has sometimes diverged from the process envisioned by the existing ordinance.
DISCUSSION:
While the County may develop many of its own procurement policies, it remains subject to certain provisions of federal and California statutes and regulations. The proposed amendments are designed to incorporate applicable federal and state requirements, simplify procedures by eliminating provisions that are not required or that have ceased to serve a purpose, bring increased transparency and accountability into County procurement practice, update County procedures to allow additional procurement methods authorized by State law, and align more closely with generally accepted federal, State, and local best practices. In addition to changes in the legal background, the internet has become ubiquitous and is now the preferred method for much communication, including the exchange of contract and procurement...
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