6. Cooperative Purchasing Agreements Purchases to vendors who have been awarded contracts by another public agency for the same supplies, equipment, or services may be authorized by the Purchasing Officer without soliciting competitive bids, per LNMC 3-6-6, if the following conditions are met: a. The public agency who awarded the contract to the vendor utilized competitive bidding procedures similar to that of the City’s. b. The amount of the purchase shall be based on the vendor’s price bid to the other public agency. 7. Exemptions from Bidding The requirement to solicit competitive bids can be waived at the discretion of the City Manager if any of the exemptions listed in LNMC 3-6-7 applies to the purchase. Exemptions must be identified in the ‘Justification’ section of the PO or in an inter- office memorandum accompanying the contract. Any additional information or supporting documentation to support an exemption from bidding shall be attached to the PO and/or contract. a. Sole Source i. Bidding requirements shall be exempt if purchasing materials, supplies, equipment, or services are unique and only available from one source. ii. Sole source purchases may include proprietary items, which can only be purchased directly from the manufacturer or a single authorized distributor, or a specified product that is proven and justified to be the only product that is acceptable. b. Emergency Purchases An EMERGENCY purchase means unforeseen circumstances beyond the City’s control. Only the City Manager has the authority to approve an emergency purchase. Examples of emergency circumstances, which would require the City Manager to authorize an emergency PO and/or contract are as follows: PURCHASING POLICY Page 5 of 10 COUNCIL POLICY LAST ADOPTED 6/4/2024 139