Sub-recipients may find it necessary to sub-contract to individual consultants or organizations for work to be done under their own Scope of Services. In those cases, the procurement and contracting processes must follow the Sub-recipients own internal business processes. If the Sub-recipient does not have standard procurement business processes, then it must follow the City of Boston Guidelines.

Below is a brief overview of the City's contracting process:

Pre-Contract:
Step 1
The sub-recipient must define the nature of the work to be performed by the contractor or consultant. This should include the following:

• Scope of services, along with measurable objectives that are clearly in support of the Grant Program
• Timeframe, with begin and end dates, and intermediary check-in points
• Approximated budget that is consistent with the scope of service and timeframe

Step 2
The sub-recipient must then determine the method of procurement for the contractor or consultant that will perform the tasks. City policy requires that procurement be conducted in a way that provides, to the maximum extent possible, open and free competition. There is one exception: when work can be done within the organization of the sub-recipient (i.e., a different division or department). There are different standards for open and free competition, depending on the amount of the sub-contract:

• For purchases or services up to and including, $4,999.99, use sound business practices.
• For purchases or services between $5,000 and $24,999.99, a Written Quotation Contract is the City's requirement. Select a vendor through Invitation for Bid (IFB) or Request For Proposal (RFP) process, or select a sole-source procurement using the following methods:
  • Three telephone quotes;
  • Three written quotes; or
  • Sole-Source Procurement letter to the Program Manager of your Sponsoring Department.
• For purchases or services $25,000.00 or greater, a standard contract is the requirement. You must select a vendor through an Invitation for Bid or Request for Proposal contact process..

Sub-recipients must maintain detailed procurement records that include, but are not limited to, the rationale for method of procurement, the method used to select or reject the contractor, and justification of the contractor or consultant's price.

Contracting:
Once a contractor or consultant is chosen, it is the responsibility of the sub-recipient to ensure the sub-contract includes the following elements:

• Scope of Services, including objectives, activities and measurable outcomes
• Budget & Funding, with detailed outline of costs that are reasonable
• Contract Amount
• Contract Period
• Midterm and Final Reporting requirements
• Rights to reports/written materials
• Rights of the Federal Government, or any of its sub-divisions, or any of their designated agents, to request and inspect records
• Loss and Liability of each party
• Contract Termination procedures

Sub-recipients may include the terms of their contract with the Sponsoring Department in their sub-contract. Sub-recipients must maintain a copy of the signed contract on file.

Post-Contract:
Sub-recipients are responsible for programmatic and fiscal monitoring of the contractor or consultant to ensure that the contract is being followed and the scope of services is being met. Sub-recipients are also responsible for communicating to contractors or consultants all invoice procedures listed on this web site, and any subsequent changes.