PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES

Los Angeles Administrative Code div. 9, ch. 1, art. 1

in effect

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.1 Competitive Bids.

Sec. 9.1. Competitive Bids. All purchases of materials, supplies, equipment and equipment rental, or repair and maintenance services therefor, required for any officer, board or employee of the City, shall be made by the Purchasing Agent of the City, in accordance with the provisions of City Charter Sections 371 and 380, upon requisition delivered to the Purchasing Agent and signed by the department, officer or employee for whom the purchase is to be made or upon the Purchasing Agent’s own requisition for this purpose. The requisition signed by the department, officer or employee for whom the purchase is to be made shall constitute authority for expenditure of funds allocated for said purchase. All purchases shall be subject to the provisions of Article 6 of Chapter 1 of Division 10 of this Code, relating to the “Environmentally Preferable Products Purchasing Program”. Excepted from this provision are purchases requiring payment from the Airport Revenue Fund, the Harbor Revenue Fund, the Library Fund, the Power Revenue Fund, the Water Revenue Fund or any bond funds controlled by the Airport, Harbor, Library or Water and Power Departments. SECTION HISTORY Based on Charter Sec. 391(1). Amended by: Last para. added, Ord. No. 168,313, Eff. 12-7-92, Oper. 3-7-93. Amended by: Ord. No. 173,186, Eff. 5-22-00; Charter Sec. Nos., Ord. No. 173,274, Eff. 6-25-00, Oper. 7-1-00; New second para. added, Ord. No. 180,751, Eff. 8-4-09, Oper. 11-4-09.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.1.1 Purchases from Small, Local Business.

Sec. 9.1.1. Purchases from Small, Local Business. All purchases, including those requiring payment from the various funds excepted by Sec. 9.1. shall be subject to the provisions of Article 4 of Chapter 1 of Division 10 of this code, relating to the “Small Business Program”. SECTION HISTORY Added by Ord. No. 153,662, Eff. 6-1-80.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.1.2 Purchases of Recycled Products.

Sec. 9.1.2. Purchases of Recycled Products. All purchases, excluding those requiring payment from the various funds excepted by Section 9.1, shall be subject to the provisions of Article 6 of Chapter 1 of Division 10 of this Code, relating to the Recycled Products Purchasing Program. SECTION HISTORY Added by Ord. No. 173,186, Eff. 5-22-00.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.2 Specifications.

Sec. 9.2. Specifications. The Purchasing Agent may prescribe the procedure for preparation and approval of specifications upon which bids are asked. Specifications prepared by a department, officer or employee for whom a purchase is being made shall be approved by the Purchasing Agent, and the Purchasing Agent’s written or electronic signature shall be sufficient to approve any such specification, provided that in any purchase exceeding One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00), or such other monetary limitation as may be established by ordinance, made for a department placed under the control and management of a board whose members are required by Charter to devote their entire time to the duties of their office, the said department, or in lieu thereof the Director of the Office of Administrative and Research Services, shall approve the specifications by said Purchasing Agent. SECTION HISTORY Based on Charter Sec. 391(2). Amended by: Ord. No. 166,439, Eff. 1-4-91; Ord. No. 173,186, Eff. 5-22-00; Ord. No. 173,274, Eff. 6-25-00, Oper. 7-1-00.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.3 Emergency Purchases.

Sec. 9.3. Emergency Purchases. Whenever the procedure prescribed by Section 371 of the Charter cannot be followed without loss to the City resulting from an emergency situation, any board, officer or employee of the City mentioned in Section 320 of the Charter may purchase materials, supplies or services required in such an emergency situation when such purchase does not exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00); provided that such emergency purchases shall not exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for any such board, officer or employee during any one month. An emergency condition shall be defined as a situation which creates an immediate or serious need for materials, supplies or services which cannot be met through the normal procurement methods and the lack of which would seriously threaten the functioning of City government, the preservation of property or the health or safety of any person. For all purchases made pursuant to this section, a documented determination of the basis for the emergency and for the selection of a particular supplier or contractor, and the authorization of the Purchasing Agent, shall be part of the transaction documentation. SECTION HISTORY Based on Charter Sec. 391(3). Amended by: In Entirety, Ord. No. 159,313, Eff. 9-29-84; Ord. No. 170,223, Eff. 2-10-95; Ord. No. 173,186, Eff. 5-22-00; Ord. No. 173,239, Eff. 6-19-00, Oper. 7-1-00.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.4 Blanket Purchase Orders.

Sec. 9.4. Blanket Purchase Orders. In accordance with the provisions of Section 380 of the Los Angeles City Charter, the Purchasing Agent, in the Purchasing Agent’s discretion, may issue blanket purchase orders within the monetary limits established below whenever the use of such blanket purchase orders would reduce administrative expenses associated with small purchases and more effectively meet department needs without impairing cost-effective purchasing practices. When a department, officer, or employee has budget authority to incur such expenses, the blanket purchase order shall serve as authority to make purchases within the established monetary limits. Purchases of materials, supplies, or routine services covered by City contracts or purchases of materials and supplies maintained in City stores are not permitted using blanket purchase orders. Blanket purchase orders may be issued in an amount not to exceed $50,000 for any calendar month and each such purchase shall not exceed the amount of $5,000, adjusted annually in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers for the Los Angeles Area (CPI-U) as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Purchases below $500 may be made from petty cash pursuant to procedures governing the use of petty cash as defined in Section 5.152 of this Code. For any purchase of $500 or more, three oral or written quotations shall be obtained and documented in the purchase record. Purchases shall not be artificially divided to fall within the monetary limits established by this section. SECTION HISTORY Based on Ord. No. 52,230. Amended by: In Entirety, Ord. No. 159,313, Eff. 9-29-84; In Entirety, Ord. No. 170,223, Eff. 2-10-95; Ord. No. 173,186, Eff. 5-22-00; Ord. No. 173,239, Eff. 6-19-00, Oper. 7-1-00; In Entirety, Ord. No. 188,579, Eff. 5-18-25.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.5 Written Offer Required.

Sec. 9.5. Written Offer Required. A written or electronic offer and acceptance shall be obtained for all purchases in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00). SECTION HISTORY Based on Charter, Sec. 391(5). Amended by: Ord. No. 166,931, Eff. 6-10-91; In Entirety, Ord. No. 170,313, Eff. 3-3-95, Oper. 4-25-95.

Los Angeles Administrative Code § 9.6 Purchase of Materials, Equipment and Supplies by State Department of General Services.

Sec. 9.6. Purchase of Materials, Equipment and Supplies by State Department of General Services. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, the Office of Procurement, Department of General Services of the State of California, is hereby authorized to purchase on behalf of the City of Los Angeles, materials, equipment or supplies in accordance with the provisions of Article 2, Chapter 6, Part 5.5, Division 3, Title 2 of the Government Code of the State of California when requested to do so by the Purchasing Agent of the City of Los Angeles. This authorization is subject to the condition that such purchases must be made by the Department of General Services upon the same terms, conditions and specifications and at a price lower than the City can obtain through its normal purchasing procedures. Pursuant to Section 102(a) of the Charter of the City of Los Angeles, any provision of the City Charter which conflicts with purchases made pursuant to this section is hereby suspended. The Purchasing Agent of the City of Los Angeles is authorized and directed to sign and deliver all necessary requests and other documents in connection with said purchases for and on behalf of the City of Los Angeles. SECTION HISTORY Added by Ord. No. 144,522, Eff. 4-28-73. Amended by: Ord. No. 173,239, Eff. 6-19-00, Oper. 7-1-00.

Source: City of Los Angeles, Charter and Codes (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/laac/0-0-0-37555Fetched: 10/24/2026