How To Sign PDF for Procurement

How To Sign PDF for Procurement

Welcome to the California Department of Education's, or CDE's, Procurement Guidance Video Series, Part 1: Introduction to Procurement. My name is Andrea Carrillo and I am a program analyst in the Resource Management Unit at the CDE. Procurement in child nutrition programs, or CNP, was brought to the forefront in December 2013 when the federal government released Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), Part 200, also known as the Uniform Grant Guidance or the Super Circular. The purpose of 2 CFR, Part 200 is to streamline and simplify the administration of federal grants by consolidating eight older regulatory sections into one document. The USDA is requiring that state agencies provide greater oversight of CNP operators' procurement practices and ensure that CNP operators receive guidance, training, technical assistance, and resources. The training objectives of this video are for viewers to: • Learn the importance of procurement principles; • Identify the four allowable procurement methods; and, • Understand the federal requirement that all school food authorities (SFA) have two procurement documents: • Written procurement procedures • Written code of conduct. So what exactly is procurement? Procurement in SNPs is a process of acquiring goods or services needed by the SFA through competitive practices while following all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. The process involves drafting specifications based on the SFA's needs, soliciting (or asking) for bids or proposals from vendors, evaluating the bids or proposals, awarding the contract, and finally managing the contract. SFAs should always keep in mind the following four fundamental procurement principles. 1. Adhere to the Buy American Provision 2. Understand and comply with federal, state, and local requirements 3. Ensure full and open competition, and 4. Award to responsive and responsible vendors. The first principle is adhering to the Buy American provision. The National School Lunch Act requires SFAs to purchase to the maximum extent possible domestic commodity or product that is produced in the U.S. and a food product that is processed in the U.S. using substantial agricultural commodities that are produced in the U.S. The Buy American Provision is one of the procurement standards SFAs must comply with when purchasing commercial food products served in school meals programs, including foods that are sold to students as a la carte food items. Please refer to Part 7 in the Procurement Guidance Video Series and our CDE Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs Web page for more information about the Buy American Provision. The next principle of procurement is to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. Each level of government can make regulations and policies about the use of school meal funds, the procurement process, and contracting requirements. Always remember that state and local rules may be more restrictive than federal policies and SFAs must always follow the most restrictive rules. This slide includes a partial list of federal and state procurement regulations and laws. 2 CFR and 7 CFR are the primary federal governing regulations for SNPs. In addition, there are California state...