Directing Technology/Purchase/Learn More About the Bidding Process
When the purchase of new equipment or construction exceeds the amount of $10,000 a school district must purchase the equipment through a competitive public bid. For a technology director a bid
Directing Technology/Purchase/Learn More About the Bidding Process
When the purchase of new equipment or construction exceeds the amount of $10,000 a school district must purchase the equipment through a competitive public bid. For a technology director a bid might be required for the following items:
- Creating, maintaining, and Updating Networks
- Laptop purchasing for school buildings
- Large Scale software purchasing
- Any construction associated with the development of technology infrastructure
The bid process has many steps and can last for 4 to 6 months from creating the bid to final school board approval. In the end the proposed bid will go to the lowest bidder that meets all of the bid specifications. The bidding process is dominated by detailed specifications that aim to protect the school district and potential vendors. These specifications and conditions govern every aspect of bidding from creation to completion. While bidding is an important part of a Technology Directors position, it is becoming less frequently used for hardware purchases due to "state contracts" or cooperative purchasing agreements such as PEPPM and CoStars. Bidding is still an essential part of technology construction. The first part of this page will look at putting together a bid proposal, followed by alternate ways to get around the bid process. The following information is a general guideline for the bid process, however a technology director would need to look into specific district and state regulations on bidding.
How to Put Together a Bid
Step 1: Generating the Bid Proposal or Bid Spec
Before a bid can be created a school district needs to assess their needs and figure out what equipment will work best in their situation or what construction is required. There are many ways a district can gather this information. A need can be identified through (More about planning can be found in Directing Technology/Purchase):
- Faculty interviews
- Site visits to other schools
- Administrative request
- Curriculum needs
The need for new technology or construction can be the vision of a few people or the need of the whole district. The planning process is especially important in creating specifications for a bid. Specifications are the specific details of technology or construction that the district needs. At the end of the bid process the school district will need to accept the lowest submitted bid that meets all the outlined specifications, so it is imperative that the specif