60.14 - Direct Negotiations

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Last updated: July 1, 2026.

A. General. In lieu of competitive bidding, negotiations may be conducted whenever any of the following conditions are applicable:

  1. The public good, as determined by Purchasing Services’ Manager, will not permit the competitive bid process due to time constraints.
  2. It is impractical to secure competition by competitive bidding in situations such as: sole source supply; through a competitive bid process; no responsive and/or responsible bids are received at acceptable levels of price, service, or terms; services are to be performed by a utility; or the prices for work or services are established by law or regulation.
  3. The purchase is for experimental, developmental or research work, or for the manufacture or furnishing of property for experimentation, development, research or test.

B. Process. Negotiations will be conducted under the direction of, or by Purchasing Services staff to arrive at the most favorable pricing, availability and terms for the UI. Any requests totaling more than $10,000 should be confirmed by a written offer from the vendor.

Version History

July 2026. Increase to established thresholds for vendor confirmation.

2005. Policy established.