2005-06 SCHOOL YEAR

Source: RCPS, Purchasing and Contracts Department, 2006.

The director of purchasing and contract services provides management oversight for all division purchasing and contracting activities. The purchasing director is an experienced purchasing professional who has been with the division for three and one-half years, had previous experience as a purchasing director for a manufacturing company and has two certifications as a purchasing manager. She is assisted by two staff members, a senior buyer and a procurement technician. The director of purchasing and contract services also provides oversight to the division’s print shop activities.

The major duties of the division are to ensure the prompt and efficient delivery of goods and services; ensure that the procurement of goods and services is in conformance with Virginia law and Board of Education policies and regulations; ensure that staff involved in purchasing activities are trained; and analyze and evaluate procurement processes to ensure sound principles and methods of good financial management for the school division.

The director of purchasing reviews changes to state laws that could impact division purchasing polices and annually revises division polices and procedures to help ensure that the division fully complies with state purchasing laws.

FINDING

RCPS has an efficient purchasing program. Schools and departments use an automated purchasing system that enables them to perform most purchasing functions themselves within the limits of the division’s purchasing policies.

Associate Superintendent for Management

Purchasing and Contract Services Director (1) Senior Buyer (1) Procurement Technician (1) Print Shop Print Shop (1) Purchasing

The division’s purchasing operations is primarily decentralized with schools and departments asked to perform procurement functions for all service contracts and purchase orders for materials, equipment and supplies. The purchasing system enables the division to operate a just-in-time purchasing program that provides departments and schools with materials and supplies without the cost of operating a supplies warehouse for general office supplies. The division makes extensive use of a procurement card and blanket purchasing orders and other contracts that enable departments and schools to efficiently acquire the materials and supplies that they routinely use.

The division implemented a new purchasing system in July 2006 that was provided through a contract with CGI-AMS which was formerly American Management Services of Fairfax. The new system allows departments to enter purchases on-line and track the purchase orders through the approval process and obtain information at any time on where the purchase orders are in the system. Department staff and school personnel commented that the process works very efficiently and they have always been able to obtain material and supplies when needed.

COMMENDATION 4-C:

The Roanoke City Public Schools is commended for establishing an efficient purchasing system that enables materials and supplies to be provided through a just-in-time automated purchasing program.

FINDING

RCPS purchasing department provides annual purchasing training to all employees involved in purchasing activities. An effective purchasing system requires several key components. One of the most important is a well-trained staff. Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined and adapted to meet the unique operating environment of the school division. The organization unit responsible for purchasing must strive toward enhancing efficiency and competency through training of staff involved in the purchasing activities.

RCPS requires all staff involved in any level of the purchasing process to attend annual training. Any staff that is in any manner involved in the preparation of purchase orders, obtaining quotes, developing specifications, entering information into the automated purchasing system, or receiving merchandise must attend the training. Training is primarily performed by the director of purchasing and the senior buyer. Training classes are designed for different activities included in purchasing functions and those involved in that function must attend that class. Depending upon the level of involvement in purchasing duties, the mandatory training is usually between one and one-half to three days.

COMMENDATION 4-D:

Roanoke City Public Schools is commended for requiring and providing purchasing training to all staff involved in purchasing activities.

FINDING

RCPS purchasing department is expanding the division’s involvement in cooperative purchasing activities. Purchasing cooperatives and interlocal agreements are purchasing methods established and entered into by groups of entities to obtain better pricing from vendors. Generally, entities will determine an approximate amount of merchandise they intend to purchase during a 12-month period. One of the entities in the purchasing cooperative will then consolidate all amounts and perform the competitive purchasing. All entities are then allowed to process individual purchase orders from these bids. Vendors offer better pricing to purchasing cooperative because the amounts intended to be purchased are generally larger than if purchased by a single entity.

The division is a member of the Central Purchasing Consortium that includes membership from Roanoke County, Salem City, Montgomery County and Botetourt County Schools. The division is working closely with the City of Roanoke’s purchasing department to help ensure that cooperative procurement language is included in all contracts issued by either entity to enable the other to use the contract when a need arises. Not only do cooperatives contracts reduce the cost for materials purchased but also reduces administrative time involved in preparing bids and establishing contracts. COMMENDATION 4-E:

Roanoke City Public Schools is commended for increasing efforts to participate in purchasing cooperatives.

4.7 Grants

The division’s grants program is administered under the direction of the executive director for accountability and planning. The program is staffed by a grant specialist whose primary duties include researching and writing grant applications and a grant accountant who performs financial accounting duties and prepares required financial reports. A recent reorganization transferred the grant accountant from fiscal services where she performed basically the same duties that are performed in her current position.

RCPS has a significant grant program. For fiscal year 2006, the operating budget for school grants is more than $16 million. Exhibit 4-14 shows the school grant fund budgeted by revenue source.

EXHIBIT 4-14

RCPS GRANT FUND REVENUES BY SOURCE