Section R7-2-1008. Procurement Consultants and Procurement Advisory Groups

A.      The school district may contract with a procurement consul- tant to assist in drafting specifications, in the development of solicitations, or in the management of the procurement pro- cess. A procurement consultant may provide guidance or advice to a procurement evaluation committee, but shall not serve as a voting member of such committee. For the purposes of this Section, a school district employee or a contracted busi- ness manager or purchasing director for the school district is not a procurement consultant.

B.       The school district may appoint procurement advisory groups or evaluation committees to assist with respect to specifica- tions, solicitation evaluations or procurement in specific areas. Members of such procurement advisory groups or evaluation committees are not procurement consultants as set forth in this Section. Non-school district employees serving on such pro- curement advisory groups or evaluation committees are not eligible to receive compensation but are eligible for reimburse- ment of expenses consistent with the school district’s travel policy adopted pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-342(5).

C.      A procurement consultant, a member of a procurement advi- sory group, or a member of an evaluation committee who par- ticipates in any  aspect of  a specific  procurement shall be prohibited from receiving any benefit directly or indirectly from a contract for such procurement, and shall sign a state- ment that the person has no interest in the procurement other than that of a disclosed remote interest, as defined in A.R.S. § 38-502, and will have no contact with any representative of a competing vendor related to the particular procurement except those contacts specifically authorized by these rules.

D.      Specifications prepared by a procurement consultant or a pro- curement advisory group shall comply with R7-2-1010 through R7-2-1016.

E.       The school district shall not delegate to a procurement consul- tant, a procurement advisory group, or an evaluation commit- tee the authority for the award or administration of any particular contract, or over any dispute, claim or litigation per- taining thereto, and a procurement consultant or a procurement advisory group shall not be authorized to obligate the school district in any manner.

Historical Note

Adopted effective December 17, 1987 (Supp. 87-4). Sec- tion repealed; new Section made by final exempt rulemaking at 21 A.A.R. 1525, effective July 1, 2015

(Supp. 15-3).