• Procurement Overview
     
    Page last updated 08/25/2022
     
     
    Public purchasing differs distinctively from private sector purchasing. Private businesses can purchase from only one vendor and their choice may be made on the basis of price, convenience, or on personal considerations. In sharp contrast, Public entities must conduct all of their dealing in the public eye and must adhere to strict legal guidelines.

    • As a public entity, our district must make its purchases within relevant statutes and polices. Although bound by these constraints, the school district’s objective is to purchase the best products, materials, and services at the lowest practical prices.
    • The District’s Policies and Procedures, pertaining to Purchasing requirements outline how school districts procure goods and services, the types of competitive processes that must be used, and the exceptions to these requirements.
     
    The LISD Procurement and Contracts Department is a centralized purchasing function that is responsible for purchasing all supplies, materials, and equipment, within the guidelines imposed on our district. Purchasing issues all formal bid requests, evaluating the appropriate procurement method (informal quote, formal quote or bid) according to the law. Having a centralized purchasing function results in lower purchasing costs for the following reasons:

     More items are bought in large quantities, which lowers the unit cost.

    • Fewer purchases are made, which lowers the cost of forms and time.
    • Increased oversight means that more vendor discounts can be taken.
    • Control over inventories greatly increases.
     
    The Procurement and Contracts Department facilitates the adherence to applicable statute and policy requirements and application of efficient and effective procurement processes by: 
     
    • Monitoring purchases from a district-wide perspective to ensure adherence to Statue and District Policy requirements.
    • Buying certain items in bulk and maintaining an inventory of operations in the district.
    • Establishing bids and contracts to cover repetitive procurements of goods and services.
    • Processing purchase requests and issuing purchase orders to vendors in a timely manner.