Procurement & Accounts Payable

*Please note that Payroll is now part of the Human Resources Department*

Overview

The Procurement and Accounts Payable Department in the Division of Finance and Operations oversees the process of establishing and securing contracts, bids, and payment of accounts for the Worcester Public Schools.

Staff are advised to refer to the WPS Business Manual, located in the Team Online portal (log-in required), for all rules, regulations and guidance regarding purchasing and contracts. Contacts of department staff are also listed on this page.

WPS Spending Thresholds

$50,000 or over – Sealed bids or proposals required
$10,000 – $49,999 – Minimum of three written vendor quotes
$1 – $9,999 – To be processed under the state statues and city ordinance requirements

Compliance

Bid-splitting” or “cost-splitting” is the dividing of orders for supplies or services into smaller quantities in order to avoid the statutory threshold for advertised competition. This practice is not permitted.

Bid/Cost Splitting Examples:

A vendor provides a quote for services at $2,000.00 to avoid the contract process you ask the vendor to reduce their price to $1,999.00.
The vendor provides a quote for $4,000 but you want to use different fund accounts to pay for the service so you submit multiple requisitions under $2,000.00.
The vendor provides a quote for $65,000.00 but you submit multiple requisitions for different dates of service.