Fiscal Procurement Policy

Ethical behavior in purchasing: Unethical actions, or the appearance of unethical actions, are unacceptable under any conditions.

Each employee must apply her/his own sense of personal ethics, which should extend beyond compliance with applicable laws and regulations in business situations, to govern behavior where no existing regulation provides a guideline. Each employee is responsible for applying common sense in business decisions where specific rules do not provide all the answers.

In determining compliance with this standard in specific situations, employees should ask themselves the following questions:

1. Is my action legal?
2. Is my action ethical?
3. Does my action comply with agency policy?
4. Am I sure my action does not appear inappropriate?
5. Am I sure that I would not be embarrassed or compromised if my action became known within the agency or publicly?
6. Am I sure that my action meets my personal code of ethics and behavior?
7. Would I feel comfortable defending my actions on the 6 o’clock news?

Each employee should be able to answer “yes” to all of these questions before taking action. Each director, manager and supervisor is responsible for the ethical business behavior of her/his subordinates. Directors, managers and supervisors must carefully weigh all courses of action suggested in ethical, as well as economic terms, and base their final decisions on the guidelines provided by this policy, as well as their personal sense of right and wrong.

Fiscal Purchasing Process Policy

Grantees must maintain invoices and receipts as part of their fiscal records.

Grantees must seek the best value in purchasing supplies in support of program services.

Grantees should compare prices for materials and supplies from vendors and select the vendor with the best value

For single item purchases in excess of $5,000.00, documentation of comparison should be maintained.

Fiscal Inventory Policy

OCDEL Family Support grantees must maintain an Inventory of all equipment with a single purchase price of $5,000 or greater. Inventory documentation should include:

1. Item name,
2. Initial Purchase price,
3. Date of purchase, and
4. Annual Description of condition (such as excellent, good, fair, poor).

Fiscal Security and Storage of Data Policy

1. Grantees maintain data in a secure, fire-protected environment.
2. Access to files shall be limited to individuals authorized by management.
3. A log should be kept which records the whereabouts of each record.
4. Back-up documentation is recommended.

Fiscal Conflict of Interest Policy

In the course of business, situations may arise in which an organization decision-maker has a conflict of interest, or in which the process of making a decision may create an appearance of a conflict of interest.

All employees have an obligation to:

1. Avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance of conflicts, between their personal interests and those of the Organization in dealing with outside entities or individuals,
2. Disclose real and apparent conflicts of interest to the OCDEL, and
3. Refrain from participation in any decisions on matters that involve a real conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict.

Fiscal Record Retention and Destruction Policy

OCDEL Family Support grantees are expected to maintain all program and fiscal records after the close of the program year for 7 years. Grantees should develop a policy addressing:

1. File storage;
2. Method of identifying records for destruction
3. Method of destruction.

Fiscal Proof of Insurances

OCDEL Family Support grantees must maintain general liability and shall carry reasonable amounts of accident insurance, liability insurance for accidents of their premises, and transportation liability insurance.

Fiscal Cost Allocation Plan

Since most organizations operate many different programs, please provide us with a copy of your cost allocation plan that indicates how certain costs, for example, salaries, rent, utilities, etc. are prorated amongst these programs.

• If a plan does not exist, grantees are encouraged to work with their accountant or fiscal department to establish a cost allocation plan for allowable costs that fairly and reasonably apportions costs.

• The following are some examples of how cost allocation methodologies can be applied by costcategories: