Constitution

Name: Niagara Public Purchasing Committee hereinafter referred to as NPPC or Cooperative.

Mission Statement: The Niagara Public Purchasing Committee is dedicated to providing optimum value and resources to its member agencies and client groups through innovative and progressive co-operative purchasing.

Purpose: The purpose of the Cooperative shall be to promote efficiency, economy and effectiveness in the purchasing management field by:

• Jointly inviting tenders, proposals and or quotations;
• Encouraging standardization of specifications;
• Encouraging standardization of terms and conditions in tenders and quotations;
• Exchanging market information;
• Encouraging professional development;
• Discussing any other issues as agreed upon by resolution of the members.

General Information: The Niagara Public Purchasing Committee was formed in 1978, to act as a purchasing consortium and is not a legal entity. Its focus is to maximize value by combining requirements into cooperative contracts, realize further cost savings through reduction in administrative expenses and serve as a forum for the exchange of resources and technical information. The program is voluntary and the members independently determine whether they will participate in each purchase. The NPPC represents tax-supported institutions and commissions within the Regional Municipality of Niagara and surrounding areas.

Membership: The membership will consist of the agencies listed in Agencies and one voting member will represent each agency. Consideration will be given at any time to extending the membership to include other publicly funded agencies within the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The expansion is to be agreed upon by resolution of the Cooperative. Any member may cancel membership at anytime through written notification from the Agency to the Chairperson. The executive committee shall be made up of voting representatives from each participating agency. Agencies may send more than one representative to any meeting but voting is to be limited to one vote per agency.

Meetings: There will be nine (9) scheduled meetings annually. A permanent meeting place shall not be established, it being the intent that members act as the hosts for meetings either in rotation or as convenient.

Officers: A Chairperson and Recording Secretary shall be appointed annually from the Executive Committee. A Host-Chairperson will alternate based on the location of the monthly meeting. Elections for the Chairperson and Recording Secretary will take place annually in September with a final decision being made at the October meeting. Appointed positions will run from January to December.

Procedures: The Host-Chairperson shall be responsible to call all meetings in respect to discussing mutual problems. Minutes will be retained for all meetings.

Duties and Responsibilities

Chairperson:

• Consult with Host-Chairperson to set agenda for NPPC executive and other officially called meetings;
• Sign all official correspondence and other documentation other than tenders;
• Have deciding vote in event of a tie vote by the executive committee;
• Represent or have designate represent NPPC at any function or meeting requiring attendance by an official from the NPPC;
• May sit on all sub-committees established by the NPPC;
• Actively promote the NPPC as opportunities arise;
• Conduct all duties of the Host-Chairperson in the event of the absence of the Host-Chairperson.

Host-Chairperson:

• Book a meeting room for specific NPPC executive meeting being held at their location;
• Prepare and set agenda for NPPC executive meeting while consulting with the Chairperson;
• Chair executive meeting scheduled at their location;
• Co-ordinate with the subsequent Host-Chairperson to set following executive meeting agenda.

Recording Secretary:

• Record minutes of all official NPPC executive and other meetings called and attended by the executive committee;
• Type and distribute such minutes within two weeks to all NPPC executive committee members and any other persons designated by the executive committee to receive minutes;
• Type all official letters and correspondence on behalf of Chairperson, excluding tenders;
• Keep official records of all minutes, correspondence, listing of commodities and any other documentation as requested by the Executive committee.

Ethical Code

The members of the NPPC shall abide and conduct themselves in accordance with the published ethical codes adopted by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing - Ontario Public Buyers Association.

Basic Principles of Co-Operative Purchasing

To carry out the aims and objectives of the Cooperative, it shall be understood that a major function will be co-operative ventures as a means of reducing costs of goods and services by permitting purchasing in larges volumes and at lower unit prices, and by avoiding possible duplication of effort.

The following principles shall apply to NPPC’s program for co-operative purchasing ventures:

• Only those goods and services that lend themselves to cost reduction because of volume and or methods will be considered;
• It is understood that the interests of the representative’s agency will at all times govern an individual decision as to whether or not that agency will participate in a particular activity;
• No one member of the Cooperative shall be responsible for all activities, and it will be expected that all participants will take part in activities as agreed by the members;
• It is recognized that, having regard to the varying policies and procedures governing purchasing for the participating agencies, the specific policy applying to the representative who calls the cooperative bid shall govern;
• Once the Cooperative has agreed to issue a particular bid, it will be expected that the participating members will maintain their commitment to the Cooperative;
• It is recognized that any acceptance of a bid for the benefit of any member agency, whether or not it is the "calling" agency, must be authorized, where required, by its governing body which has the sole discretion of accepting or rejecting any bid for the member’s benefit;
• Bids, unless dictated by the "calling" agency’s policy, shall be opened by the calling agency, or by the Cooperative representatives collectively;
• Sealed bids will be issued, as far as possible, in a document form agreed upon by the Cooperative as to conditions, etc., and it is understood that individual specifications, delivery points, terms of payment, etc. may vary;
• A standard "piggyback" clause, revised from time to time, shall be inserted into the calling agency's document;
• Contract management including the control of ordering, receiving and paying for co-operatively bid items will remain the responsibility of the individual agency for its portion of the co-operative bid total.

Rules of Order

The NPPC executive committee shall conduct all executive meetings and other official meetings in accordance with the accepted “Robert’s Rules of Order” and other accepted widely used rules of conduct as approved by the Executive.

Conclusion

Membership shall, at all times, be recognized as being entirely voluntary in nature but beneficial in practice for achieving savings and efficiency in the best interests of purchasing for the participating agencies.