Adopted August 18, 2026

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all purchases and contracts of the Lake Placid Public Library (“the Library”) are made in a manner that: 

• Ensures prudent and economical use of public funds; 
• Protects the interests of taxpayers and library users; 
• Secures goods and services of appropriate quality at the lowest reasonable cost; 
• Encourages fair and open competition; 
• Guards against favoritism, improvidence, fraud, corruption, and conflicts of interest; and 
• Complies with New York State General Municipal Law and other applicable laws and regulations. 

The Board of Trustees (“the Board”) adopts this policy pursuant to New York State General Municipal Law §104-b.  

Responsibility for Purchasing 

The Library Director shall serve as the Purchasing Officer unless otherwise designated by the Board.  

The Purchasing Officer has been given authority by the Board to make purchases that are mission-driven and cost less than $500 without prior approval from the Board. In these instances, the purchases are reviewed at the next board meeting along with all monthly bills, as indicated in our by-laws.  All purchases over $500 must be presented to the Board for a vote before proceeding, unless there is an exemption as described below.  

The Purchasing Officer shall: 

• Obtain quotations as required by this policy. 
• Maintain procurement records. 
• Verify compliance with applicable laws. 
• Administer public bidding procedures. 
• Recommend vendor selections to the Board where approval is required. 

Competitive Bidding Requirements 

The Library shall comply with all applicable competitive bidding requirements contained in New York State General Municipal Law §103 and any subsequent amendments. The Purchasing Officer shall verify current statutory thresholds before initiating any procurement. 

Procurement Methods for Purchases Not Subject to Competitive Bidding 

When formal bidding is not legally required, the Library shall seek competition to the greatest practical extent. 

Goods and Equipment 

Estimated Cost	Required Procurement Method
Up to $2,999	Sound business judgment
$3,000 to $9,999	Two verbal or written quotations
$10,000 to statutory bid threshold	Three written quotations whenever practical

Services (Non-Professional) 

Estimated Cost	Required Procurement Method
Up to $4,999	Sound business judgment
$5,000 to $19,999	Two written quotations
$20,000 to bid threshold	Three written quotations or Request for Proposals (RFP)

If the lowest-priced vendor is not selected, the Purchasing Officer shall document the reasons for the selection and explain how the award serves the Library’s best interests. 

Construction and Capital Improvement Contracts 

Construction, renovation, repair, maintenance, alteration, rehabilitation, and building improvement projects shall be procured in accordance with New York State General Municipal Law, Labor Law, and all other applicable statutes, regulations, and grant requirements where applicable. 

The Board shall determine, with the advice of the Lake Placid Central School District, legal counsel, architects, engineers, or other appropriate professionals as needed, whether a project is subject to competitive bidding requirements, prevailing wage requirements, public works requirements, or any other statutory obligations. 

When a project is determined to constitute a public works project under applicable law, the Library shall comply with all applicable requirements, including but not limited to: 

• Competitive bidding requirements; 
• Prevailing wage requirements; 
• Workers’ Compensation and Disability Benefits requirements; 
• Required insurance provisions; 
• Public notice and advertising requirements; 
• Performance and payment bonding requirements when applicable; and 
• Any other requirements imposed by federal, state, or local law, or by grant funding agencies. 

For major capital improvement projects, the Library may require contractors to demonstrate experience with similar work, provide references, submit evidence of financial stability, and furnish proof of staffing, equipment, licensing, and insurance sufficient to complete the work. 

The Library reserves the right to reject any bid, proposal, or quotation submitted by a contractor determined not to be responsible or capable of satisfactorily performing the work. 

Professional Services 

Professional services are generally exempt from competitive bidding requirements. 

Examples include: 

• Architectural services; 
• Engineering services; 
• Legal services; 
• Auditing services; 
• Financial advisory services; 
• Information technology consulting. 

Whenever practical, the Library shall solicit and consider qualifications, proposals, references, or pricing information from multiple qualified providers before selecting a professional service provider. 

Exceptions 

The following purchases may be exempt from quotation requirements, as permitted by law: 

• Emergency purchases necessary to protect life, safety, property, or uninterrupted library operations; 
• State contract purchases; 
• Purchases through contracts awarded by governmental entities when authorized by law; 
• Preferred source purchases; 
• Sole source procurements; 
• True leases and utility services where competition is not available. 

Documentation supporting any exception to normal procurement procedures shall be maintained in accordance with this policy by the Purchasing Officer. 

Emergency Purchases 

An emergency purchase may be made when immediate action is necessary to: 

• Protect public health or safety; 
• Prevent damage to library property; 
• Restore critical library operations. 

The Purchasing Officer shall maintain records describing the emergency purchase and the basis for utilizing emergency procurement procedures.  

The Board shall be notified immediately through email and provided time to review the purchase at its next regular meeting. 

Sole Source Procurements 

A procurement may be made from a single source when only one vendor can provide the required product or service. 

The Purchasing Officer shall maintain written justification demonstrating that competitive alternatives were not reasonably available. 

The documentation shall be retained with procurement records. 

Award Standards 

For public works contracts procured through competitive bidding, the Library shall award contracts to the lowest responsible bidder meeting all bid specifications and contractual requirements unless otherwise authorized by law. 

In determining bidder responsibility, the Library may consider: 

• Relevant experience and references; 
• Financial stability; 
• Ability to perform the work within the required schedule; 
• Record of compliance with applicable laws and regulations; 
• Past performance on similar projects; 
• Availability of qualified personnel, subcontractors, and equipment. 

The Library reserves the right to reject any bid or proposal from a bidder determined not to be responsible.

Where authorized by law and approved by the Board of Trustees, contracts may be awarded on the basis of Best Value rather than lowest responsible bid. 

For purposes of this policy, Best Value means a procurement method that allows consideration of factors in addition to price, including quality, efficiency, experience, reliability, performance, and long-term value to the Library. 

Any Best Value procurement shall: 

• Utilize written evaluation criteria established before proposals are solicited; 
• Clearly identify the relative importance of evaluation factors; 
• Include documentation supporting the scoring and selection process; and 
• Demonstrate that the selected proposal provides the optimum combination of quality, cost, efficiency, and performance. 

The Board of Trustees shall approve the use of Best Value procurement before solicitation of proposals. 

Conflict of Interest 

No trustee, officer, employee, or agent of the Library may participate in the procurement, award, or administration of a contract where a conflict of interest exists or appears to exist. 

All individuals shall comply with: 

• New York General Municipal Law; 
• The Library’s other policies; 
• Any applicable conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements. 

Potential conflicts shall be disclosed promptly. 

Records Retention 

Procurement records shall be maintained by the Procurement Officer in accordance with New York State records retention requirements and shall include: 

• Quotes received; 
• Bid documents; 
• RFP responses; 
• Evaluation records; 
• Contracts; 
• Purchase orders; 
• Justifications for exceptions; 
• Board approvals. 

Reviews and Revisions 

This policy shall be reviewed by the Board of Trustees at least every five years and revised as necessary to reflect changes in law, regulations, or library operations.