3.18 Procurement

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that goods and services procured by Whitevale Golf Club provide value for money and that all steps of the procurement process are conducted in a fair and transparent manner. Members of the Club often have interest in becoming Whitevale vendors or in advising on the products and services it uses. While this is considered to be positive, member participation must also follow an orderly and transparent process.

This policy applies to all goods and services used by the Club, whether operational or capital expenditures, and it applies to all Whitevale staff and members.

Procurement Process Activities
There are four major activities in the procurement cycle.

Budgeting – This activity occurs in the summer and fall and leads up to the presentation and approval of an annual budget by the Board of Directors. The general manager and department managers identify anticipated expenses and place them in the appropriate departmental budget.

Commitment – This activity is the formal notification to a supplier that it has been selected to provide the product or service, and is often the culmination of a longer period of evaluation to choose the product and supplier.

Receipt – This activity occurs when a product or service is delivered. For products, this entails confirming that the arriving goods are what was ordered; for services, it entails confirming that the services which were delivered have met the requirements of the person or department that ordered them.

Payment – This activity occurs when the invoice is approved for payment and is performed by the Whitevale Accounts Payable function.

Whitevale Golf Club requires that at least 3 of these 4 activities be performed by different departments or at least by different individuals.

Selection of Product or Service
The amount of formality required when selecting a product or service should be commensurate with the size of the expenditure. For expenditures of less than $25,000, it is assumed that the respective staff member has the authority to make the commitment decision, subject to normal budget considerations. Whitevale members who act as volunteers and work in conjunction with a staff member may advise on such matters but have no formal role in the commitment process and may not approve such an expenditure.

Expenditures over $25,000 are generally subject to a more formal bidding process and can use an RFI or RFP. Often these purchases are the result of longer-term projects involving multiple people which in some cases span golf seasons. To the extent possible, such expenditures should have the active support of the Whitevale committee or work group that is most closely aligned with the product or service, and if unbudgeted, these expenditures require the approval of the Whitevale Board of Directors.

In accordance with By-Law 1, Section 5.9(e), capital expenditures in excess of $200,000 require membership approval.

Sole Source Procurement
In some cases, the Club has an ongoing relationship with a single vendor to provide a product or service. When this occurs, there is no requirement to re-evaluate that choice of vendor until the General Manager or department manager decides that it is warranted. For sole source purchases, it is expected that the procurement process employed will provide sufficient visibility to ensure that the Club continues to receive the expected value in a transparent manner.

Conflict of Interest
Whitevale Golf Club supports members’ businesses and those of local suppliers in the community. To ensure integrity, all member business relationships must be disclosed to purchasing managers and to the General Manager before a commitment occurs.

The General Manager will report details of member suppliers to the Finance Committee each year.

Detailed Procedures
The Finance Committee and the General Manager have the authority to develop detailed procedures which support this policy.

Revised June 13, 2024