The most meaningful change is that Procurement activities previously executed by schools are now being executed centrally by the Procurement team. Instead of schools and sites complying with all the Procurement requirements, now schools and sites will enter shopping carts, and Procurement will now process the Purchase Order (PO). This will ensure the District satisfies competitive bidding requirements, freeing up schools to focus on instruction and student achievement.

• For the purchase of professional services up to $25,000, submit a shopping cart and attach at least one quote (if available) along the vendor’s certificate of insurance (if available). 
• For the purchase of goods and general services up to $109,300, submit a shopping cart and attach at least one quote (if available) along the vendor’s certificate of insurance (if available).   
• For the purchase of professional services over $25,000; or for goods and general services over $109,300, submit a completed/signed Request for Procurement Action (RFPA) and District-authored Statement of Work to initiate an informal or formal competitive process.  

Refer to the video below for step-by-step instructions on how to create shopping carts for various needs:

Video

No.
Shopping carts are needed for purchases where a P-Card cannot be used, or for the purchase of professional services regardless of the amount. You may purchase supplies and unrestricted items with your P-Card for up to $5,000 per purchase and up to $40,000 per month. Please refer to the Restricted Items List for further information.

• “On hold” means that the cart is still being worked on by the requester and has not yet been submitted. Click the "Order” button to complete your cart.
• 
  “Awaiting Approval” means that the approvals required from a supervisor or funding approval is pending and that the cart has not yet been released to Procurement Services. Please note that the pending approvals appear on your shopping cart screen under the “Approval Process Overview” tab to help facilitate any necessary follow-up.

The answer varies by the type of procurement based on the value and complexity. Broadly speaking, P-Card transactions are processed in real-time. Once Procurement receives a completed package with all necessary approvals, the processing times for Shopping Carts is:

• Up to 15-days for professional services up to $25,000
• Up to 15-days for goods and general services up to $109,300
• Up to 60-days for professional services $25,000 - $250,000 and for goods and general services $109,300 - $250,000
• For any services over $250,000, processing times may vary, please consult with Procurement

No.
If you have a specific service and vendor in mind, please submit a District-authored Statement of Work with key details (i.e., who, what, when, where and why), contact information, a price quote, and a current certificate of insurance (COI), if available. Attach all these to the cart. Procurement will determine if anything further needs to be completed to put the service out to bid. Procurement will contact you to verify any information or ask follow-up questions. Procurement will then bid/request quotes from other like-vendors if necessary to move ahead. Obtaining two or more quotes for the same/ similar services may speed up the process. But this is not required and will be completed by Procurement Services if necessary.

Competition for the best price and service has always been the policy in the District. As of July 1, 2023, Procurement will ascertain the best method to procure the services to obtain the best value for your school or office. The method of contracting will include the most up-to-date legal and District requirements including insurance, fingerprinting (if applicable), and security.

Vendors must participate in a competitive process (i.e., Request for Proposals) to be awarded a contract and be put on a “bench.”  Benches are initiated by requestors (departments or schools, not vendor initiated) who also sponsor the bench. Vendors on a bench provide the same or similar services and offer choice to schools and offices. To access the available list of bench contracts available for use, visit the website at https://www.lausd.org/Page/14462.  

There is no such designation as an “approved District vendor”. Being in possession of a District supplier/vendor number does not entitle a vendor to provide a product or service. A supplier/vendor number merely enables a vendor to receive an approved purchase order should a school or office choose to initiate one. Vendors with approved bench contracts are indicated on Procurement’s Master Agreement list as provided in #9 above. Schools and offices are supporting instruction and learning, and they should not be approached by salespeople. To be notified of bid or proposal opportunities, vendors may register at https://psd.lausd.net/procurement_solicitations_achieve.asp.

Insurance requirements for agreements under $250,000 are listed below:

• General Liability $1 MM/$2 MM aggregate
• Professional Liability $1 MM/$1 MM aggregate (for professional/consulting services)
• Sexual Abuse/Molestation $1 MM/$1 MM aggregate (for virtual or direct contact with students)
• Cyber Liability -- If the SOW (Statement of Work) calls for vendor to access District data systems, then $1 MM/$1 MM aggregate, otherwise, Cyber Liability does not apply.

Requests over $250,000 are determined on a case-by-case basis and handled by    Procurement in collaboration with Risk Management.

It varies, depending on whether the PTA/PTO or other external organization is paying the vendor directly or donating the funds to the school/District.  

• If the organization is donating the funds to the school/District, then the procurement processes outlined in question #2 should be followed. In addition, reference BUL-5895 to ensure all donation guidelines are being followed.
• If the organization is paying the vendor directly, then the procurement processes outlined in question #2 are not required. However, if the PTA/PTO or other external organization is paying the vendor directly and is asking the school to sign a contract/agreement, a school representative should email their region buyer the contract/agreement for review and execution along with a copy of the vendor’s certificate of insurance (COI), if available. The buyer will make it clear that, although Procurement will sign an appropriate contract, the costs are borne by the PTA/PTO or external organization. PLEASE NOTE: Only Procurement has delegated authority to execute a contract on behalf of the District, and therefore a school should not sign contracts/agreements.

A shopping cart is not required to process contracts from any of these groups. If a vendor is asking the school to sign a contract/agreement, a school representative should email their region buyer the contract/agreement for review and execution along with a copy of the vendor’s certificate of insurance (COI), if available.  PLEASE NOTE: Only Procurement has delegated authority to execute a contract on behalf of the District, and therefore a school should not sign contracts/agreements. The District will review the contract and execute with the understanding that the student organization that raised the funds will be paying for the contract or services. There is no requirement to competitively bid but doing so might provide savings to the student organization.
 

**For bench contracts that are already in place for common student functions such as ordering class rings (Jostens), Photos, Yearbooks, graduation caps and gowns, etc., schools should contact the vendor for a quote and refer to the contract to ensure the vendor’s quote matches the contract. These contracts provide savings to your student organizations and should be used. Refer to BUL-1295.4, REF-6484.9 and REF-6643.2 for additional guidance on these types of transactions.

No.
These are two separate processes. A Facilities Use Approval has no bearing on a shopping cart. To reserve space at your site after school hours, submit Facilities Use Approval request to Risk Management for a school-sponsored event. For use of school space during school hours, no such request is required.

You should contact your Region Buyer:  

Region West:  Heather Anderson  

Region South: Stephen Vice

Region North:  Vanessa Ortiz

Region East:  Jame P Morton          

Central Offices: Chery Wilderman              

or call our General Customer Service Support line at (562) 654-9009.