The city of Rawlins is permitted to apply for, receive and utilize federal program grants and/or loans “at its discretion for projects as necessary,” according to the Federal Grant and Loan Program Vendor Procurement Procedure.

There is a specific procedure that will be followed when the city makes a purchase or enters into contractual agreements “that support the administration or operation of grants and loans provided by federal government programs.”

Acting on behalf of the city, the city manager is permitted to enter into agreements and contracts with professional consultants, engineering service firms, architects and construction and installation contractors (vendors) for the purpose of completing things such as projects, studies and designs for the city.

Additionally, the city of Rawlins is required to adhere to a number of general procurement standards, which include:

• Award contracts only to responsible contractors possessing the ability to perform successfully under the terms and conditions of a proposed procurement.
• Be responsible in accordance with good administrative practice and sound business judgement for the settlement of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements. That includes source evaluation, as well as protests, disputes and claims.
• Use federal excess and surplus property in lieu of purchasing new equipment and property when feasible and cost effective.
• Conduct an analysis to determine the most economical approach of procurement. The listed examples in the procedure are the review of existing master plans, previous studies and other guiding documents.

The procurement standards also specify that the city of Rawlins is required to allow for full and open competition when using small or large purchasing by adhering to the following:

• Soliciting quotations, bids or proposals from qualified sources
• Incorporating a clear and accurate description of the technical requirements for the material, product or service
• Identifying all of the requirements that potential vendors must fulfill, as well as other factors to keep in consideration when evaluating quotations, bids or proposals
• Distribute purchases evenly among qualified sources.
• Take affirmative steps in order to assure that minorities, women’s and small businesses are utilized when possible.
• Ensure that any applicable contract provisions are applied.
• Apply only a fixed price or cost-plus fixed fee method of pricing, not the cost plus a percentage of cost method of pricing.
• Retain all procurement documentation for a minimum of three years, plus the current year, and retain the original procurement documentation and all renewals associated with the original contract.
• May apply a geographic preference when procuring professional services or construction vendors. Local partnerships are acceptable
• Meet all Wyoming state procurement requirements as provided. If there’s a conflict in the procurement requirements, the federal guidelines will apply to federally sourced loans and grants and state requirements will apply to state funding.