Navigating the Future of School Purchasing
Ken Florey
Partner
Robbins Schwartz
What is your current position, and how long have you been in school business?
I’m a Partner at Robbins Schwartz and have been representing Illinois school districts with legal purchasing and construction issues for over 30 years.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge related to school district purchasing in the next five to ten years?
I believe the biggest challenge will be trying to make school purchasing as problem-free as possible for school business officials while trying to avoid ending up with vendors, suppliers or contractors that create problems for the school district or, worse, lawsuits related to bid awards by the districts.
What are some purchasing-related issues to watch out for?
Schools often ask for references from vendors/contractors rather than asking for a list of all projects performed by the vendor over the last three-to-five years. Schools should follow up with the other districts on the list to truly verify that the vendor/contractor performed quality, defect-free work.
What changes have you seen in purchasing practices since you started your career?
We have regularly worked with Illinois ASBO over the years to help implement legislative changes to the School Code's public bidding laws to provide school districts with more purchasing flexibility that also lowers risk when awarding a contract or purchase to a low-bid vendor. We’ve also seen court decisions and legislation that place more trust in school districts’ bidding decisions and provide more flexibility for the school district procurement process. Also, the increase in cooperative purchasing for supplies and construction has been the most significant evolution in school district purchasing since I started my career.
What is one thing districts can do today to improve their purchasing processes?
Consult with your professionals and Illinois ASBO colleagues sooner rather than later to create clear and detailed specifications and bid instructions for your purchasing and public bidding packet.