A.
The
Village Board hereby finds that contracts for goods required by law
to be procured pursuant to competitive bidding, pursuant to Section
103 of the General Municipal Law, should be procured in a manner so
as to assure the prudent and economical use of public monies, in the
best interests of the taxpayers, to facilitate the acquisition of
goods and services of maximum quality at the lowest price possible
under the circumstances, and to guard against favoritism, extravagance,
fraud and corruption. The Village Board finds further that while the
lowest responsible bidder has been the historically accepted method
of awarding such contracts, the lowest responsible bidder may not
offer the most cost-effective option over time. Even if the initial
expenditure is higher, considering the total value of the life of
the procurement may result in a better value and long-term investment
of public funds. Best value procurement also encourages competition
and, in turn, often results in better pricing, quality and customer
service. Fostering healthy competition ensures that bidders will continue
to strive for excellence in identifying and meeting the Village's
needs. Best value procurement will provide much needed flexibility
in obtaining important goods and services at favorable prices, and
will reduce the time to procure such goods and services.
B.
New
York State General Municipal Law § 103(1) allows the Village
to authorize, by local law, the award of certain purchase contracts
(including contracts for services) subject to competitive bidding
under General Municipal Law § 103 on the basis of "best
value" as defined in § 163 of the New York State Finance
Law.