Page Updated 2/24/12
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The Member Handbook is a guide to help ASPIN members procure quality goods and services through Mohave contracts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE VERSION QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEMBER HANDBOOK? |
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| Welcome To ASPIN |  |
Welcome to ASPIN/Mohave! Since 1995, ASPIN/Mohave has been growing and changing to meet the needs of you, our members. Among the many accomplishments, we are most proud of the quality of our contracts, the value they offer and the service we have provided in managing and administering these contracts over the years. We realize you have choices in today’s competitive procurement environment. We will continue to earn your trust and business by changing as necessary to continue providing you great value and great service. For new members, please take the time to review this handbook and share it with your staff. Please know that our staff is available to provide training at your site or at our offices on any or all of this handbook. Again, we want to thank you for making us a partner of choice now and in the future. We realize that we will only be successful if we continue to meet your needs and exceed your expectations. We are committed to doing this on a daily basis. Thank you for your trust and thank you for being members of ASPIN/Mohave. Sincerely, Bette Thomspon |
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| What is ASPIN? | ASPIN (Arizona School Partners in Nutrition) is Mohave Educational Services Cooperative’s food service cooperative purchasing program. ASPIN administers contracts for food and supplies, dairy products, bread and bakery products and produce for members throughout the state. Mohave became the administrator for ASPIN starting in 1995. At the time Mohave was a school service agency. Today Mohave is a nonprofit corporation known for its cooperative purchasing contracts that benefit member agencies throughout Arizona. While public school districts comprise the largest single segment of our membership, cities, counties, community colleges and qualifying nonprofit organizations also use ASPIN contracts through cooperative purchase agreements. As a statewide public procurement unit, administrative fees paid by users fund ASPIN. No direct tax dollars come to us.
When ASPIN establishes contracts, we provide our members with the availability of quality goods and services at competitive prices. ASPIN contracts save members time and money. Time is saved because members can purchase what is needed without waiting for a bidding process. Members save money by combining the purchases of many agencies for economies of scale and lower prices. Additionally, ASPIN contracts provide members with choice. Members do not have to use ASPIN. However, when using our contracts, members do so knowing that they obtain convenience and value from legal and ethical contracts that meet all of the competitive procurement requirements of the State of Arizona. Want to know more about ASPIN/Mohave’s Vision? http://www.mesc.org/profile.html |
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| What policies and procedures govern ASPIN solicitations and contracts? | ASPIN’s purchasing policies and procedures come from the Arizona State Board of Education School District Procurement Rules, the Arizona Procurement Code and other sections of the Arizona Revised Statues. They are designed to obtain maximum value and benefit for our members, promote active participation from qualified vendors, and provide fair, open and nondiscriminatory competition. ASPIN meets the same requirements placed upon our members. That’s why members can use us with confidence. Our Invitations for Bid and Requests for Proposals are carefully written to comply with the rules, regulations and statutes of the state, and the ethical standards that apply to public purchasing.
Because we meet the requirements, our members are considered to have met the requirements. In other words, ASPIN contracts are not a way to avoid the bidding requirements. They are a legal means to satisfy them, just as if the members had conducted the competitive procurements themselves. |
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| How can my organization get involved? | Joining ASPIN is as simple as completing a Mohave Cooperative Purchase Agreement and an Addendum to Cooperative Purchase Agreement. This addendum states the contractual obligations of ASPIN and its members.
A copy of the CPA and the Addendum to Cooperative Purchase Agreement can be obtained on the Member Sign-Up page or by calling us at (520) 888-9664. Once approved, the Addendum to Cooperative Purchase Agreement remains in effect until cancelled.
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| How does ASPIN/Mohave award contracts? | An Invitation for Bid or Request for Proposal is developed. The requirements are researched and reviewed by Mohave, ASPIN Executive Committee members and member personnel. The Invitation for Bid or Request for Proposal is ultimately drafted by Mohave’s contract team.
Notices describing the solicitation are emailed to vendors registered in Mohave’s potential bidders database for the goods or services listed in the solicitation. (Vendors can register as potential bidders on our website– there is no charge to be listed.) Solicitations are posted for download on our website’s “Procurement Solicitations” page. All bids and proposals are date and time stamped and initialed by Mohave personnel upon receipt. Bids and proposals are opened and announced publicly at the time and place noted. After the public opening, bids or proposals are evaluated by a Mohave evaluation committee. The committee is comprised of Mohave staff and may include member representatives. Responses are checked to determine if the vendor accepts the general terms and conditions include all required information, comply with the scope of work, and have acceptable references. Those that do not are rejected. The remaining responses are evaluated in accordance with the criteria listed in the solicitation. Bids are awarded to the lowest responsible and responsivebidder or bidders. Proposals are awarded to the vendor or vendors whose proposals are determined to be most advantageous to Mohave and its members. With proposals, best and final offers may be required before contracts are awarded. Single awards may not be advantageous to Mohave’s members for some commodities, services, equipment, or construction. In those instances, multiple awards are available. Awards are documented in writing. Bids and proposals become contracts after final approval and signature by Mohave’s Executive Director. All vendors receive notification of the final determinations for their bids or proposals. Awards are posted on Mohave’s website. They are also listed in our website’s Product/Vendor Finder and Contract Summary. Most contracts run for one year and allow up to four consecutive one-year renewals. In order for you to more easily complete Due Diligence on our contract, we have included a Contract Documentation page on our website. This page contains downloadable folders containing digital documentation for Mohave contracts. These folders contain information to assist members in reviewing the contracts for compliance with competitive procurement requirements. They also contain other useful contract information. An independent auditor reviews our procurement practices each year as part of our financial audit. This audit examines Mohave’s procedures and compares them with the Arizona Procurement Code and the Arizona State Board of Education School District Procurement Rules. |
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| What is available for purchase from ASPIN contracts? | ASPIN contracts for a variety of goods and services for child nutrition and food service operations. We have food and supplies, dairy, bread and bakery products and produce contracts. ASPIN members play a large role in determining ASPIN’s contracted products and services. Our members tell us what they want. We don’t tell them what they get. Our goal is to have the highest quality products at competitive prices that meet the needs of our members.
To view current ASPIN contracts, http://www.mesc.org/aspin_contracts.html |
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| Why is there an ASPIN Maintenance Fee? | As previously stated, ASPIN receives no direct tax money. We must raise the funds that are required to pay for our operations. This is not only necessary, but also required by law.
ASPIN funds its’ operations with a maintenance fee based on members annual purchases for the food and supplies contract use only. The Maintenance fee schedule is a sliding scale from .5 percent to 5.5 percent of annual purchases. The Mohave Board of Trustees approves the maintenance fee schedule annually.
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| Why is there an ASPIN Holding Fund? | One of the reasons ASPIN has competitive contract pricing is because ASPIN pays the primary vendor (Shamrock Foods) for ALL member purchases within 10 days of delivery. Therefore, the primary vendor does not have the receivables cost associated with over 130 different entities.
We establish an ASPIN holding fund for each member. The fund needs to represent at least one month worth of member purchases. ASPIN utilizes the member holding fund to fund the payments made to the vendor on behalf of the member. When the member pays the ASPIN invoice, that amount goes back into the member holding fund. In essence, it works like a revolving fund to fund the payments to the vendor. ASPIN holding fund deposits are maintained in an interest bearing account. Interest is calculated monthly. This deposit is always the members’ money. It does not go to ASPIN or to Mohave operations. When the member chooses to terminate membership, the holding fund deposit plus interest earned is refunded to the member. The interest earned and quick pay discounts are two examples of the value of ASPIN membership. In addition, the holding fund is the mechanism for quick pay discounts. Each ASPIN invoice includes a 1.25 percent quick pay discount. |
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| How do members order from ASPIN Contracts? | There are several different ways to order from ASPIN contracts. Regardless of procedure, an entity must be an ASPIN member before placing orders. For dairy, bread and produce the member submits a purchase order to the vendor referencing the Mohave contract number. The member orders directly from the vendor and submits payment directly to the vendor.. For our primary food and supply contract, the member issues a purchase order to ASPIN for food and supply purchases. ASPIN assigns a Member Service Representative to assist with placing orders. Members have a variety of choices when placing their orders. Members use one of the following methods based on their needs:
ASPIN assists members with purchase verification. However, it is the member’s responsibility to independently verify that quotations and purchase orders comply with the terms of the award of a contract or procurement. This responsibility is set by rule and statute and cannot be changed by ASPIN. Electronic contract documentation files are available on our website to assist members in meeting this due diligence responsibility.
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| How is payment made? | ASPIN will invoice all members for food and supply purchases (Shamrock Foods). The member pays ASPIN for all food and supplies purchases. ASPIN’s other vendors (Holsum, Shamrock Dairy, and Rainbow Produce) will directly bill the individual member that issued the purchase order to them. Members are asked to pay promptly and within the 30 days of receipt of the goods or services.
For a sample of two ASPIN invoices, click on the link below.
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| Checking ASPIN Contract Pricing. | ASPIN contract pricing can be found at www.mesc.org . Pricing for Food and Supplies, Net Off Invoice (NOI), and Monthly Cold Storage Pricing from Shamrock Foods Company, pricing for Holsum Bakery, Shamrock Dairy and Rainbow Produce can all be located on our website.
To view our Contract Pricing, click on the link below
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| What types of discounts is my entity eligible for? | As previously stated, all ASPIN members receive a 1.25 percent quick pay discount on every ASPIN invoice for Shamrock Foods Company.
In addition, we offer a volume incentive discounts with Shamrock Foods Company. The breakdown of volume incentive discounts follows:
Orders with the following minimum delivery earn these additional discounts.
Orders are tracked and compiled by ASPIN staff. Quarterly ASPIN staff submits reports to Shamrock Foods to generate credit memos for the volume discounts earned. The credit memos are applied to an ASPIN invoice for Shamrock Foods purchases.
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| What oversight does ASPIN/Mohave receive? | ASPIN follows sound business practices for budgeting, accounting and financial reporting. Our procurement and financial activities are matters of public record. An independent CPA firm annually audits our procurement and financial records and specifically reviews our procurement practices for compliance with the procurement rules. ASPIN constantly reviews and revises its practices and procedures to comply with the rules and to best service our members.
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Where Do I Go For Help?ASPIN staff can be reached
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Exhibits
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EXHIBIT 1 ASPIN MEMBER DATA EXHIBIT 1 ASPIN MEMBER DATA ASPIN Member by Free/Reduced
VALUE Procurement Time & Cost Savings
Contract Administration
Member Order Review
Lower Costs
EXHIBIT 2
MAINTENANCE FEE SCHEDULE ASPIN Maintenance Fee structure:
*Food and Supplies Only Does not include: Milk, Bread or Commodities. The maintenance fee amount is based on Food and Supplies purchases only. EXHIBIT 3
ASPIN MEMBER CHECKLIST
IF MEMBER CHOOSES TO USE MILK, BREAD AND PRODUCE CONTRACTS: ASPIN submits payment to Shamrock Foods for member purchases. EXHIBIT 4 ASPIN Member Order Process
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EXHIBIT 5
EXHIBIT 6
EXHIBIT 6
EXHIBIT 6
EXHIBIT 7
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