THE BEGINNING… “Do you remember when?” is a statement often made to relive the past and revel in the memories. With the many changes in the city’s Purchasing Department since its inception, here are some little known facts from years past. The original Purchasing Department was located on the third floor in the city hall building, and it consisted of three employees: the purchasing agent, secretary and clerk typist. Purchase orders were typed by hand and purchase order numbers were issued by telephone to department personnel picking up supplies in the field. The numbers were issued by phone, recorded in a journal and then typed on a pre-numbered five-part form. Requesting departments still hand wrote or typed out a requisition after the supplies were picked up or ordered. The requisition was forwarded, after the fact, to purchasing as part of the cycle of issuing the purchase order. Purchasing also prepared invoices for payment before forwarding the file to accounts payable. All purchases over $1,000 had to be formally bid. Specifications were prepared, advertised and mailed. Occasionally bid specs were received on handwritten notes (some on paper napkins and small bits of paper) for purchasing to prepare the proper specs. The specs were often discussed by department directors over coffee or breakfast in the full-service coffee shop located in the basement of city hall. The Purchasing Department had a small supply store in the office which offered pens, pencils, paper, legal pads, file folders and other small items. They also handled petty cash for the city. If you had an accident in a city vehicle, you got to visit with purchasing while they filled out the paperwork to send to the insurance company. The city did not host an annual awards banquet, but did party during the holidays! AND NOW… Now that we’ve moved into the 21st century, many changes have occurred that make our efforts more time efficient and productive. Gone is the small supply store and the manual typewriter! Purchasing has increased in employees and office size. A buyer was added to the staff, and with the opening of a very large warehouse, located on 42nd Street, two warehousemen came on-board. Goods and materials could be ordered in larger quantity with greater savings to the city. The city also moved toward centralized purchasing. Requisitions were prepared by the department before items were actually needed. Any purchase over $100 necessitated obtaining three price quotes. The order was then placed with the successful bid vendor and was delivered to the requesting department. Purchase orders were entered on the computer system and printed by computer services at night, for distribution the next day. Formal bid requirements were raised to $2,000, then $5,000. The 90s continued to move purchasing into the computer age. Requisitions were computerized and purchasing was able to print purchase orders in the purchasing office for distribution daily. Supply contracts have been established for some of the open purchase orders. This enables departments to enter a requisition requesting items for an entire fiscal year without creating additional paperwork. The city has entered into purchasing agreements with other Ector County governmental purchasing entities (Ector County, ECISD, Medical Center Hospital, and Odessa College). The combined buying power of the various entities allows each to benefit from group bidding. The cost of formal bidding requirements has been increased (to $25,000) to follow State of Texas guidelines, with the permission of the City Council. The total dollar amount for informal quotes has also increased to $500. The Purchasing Department has changed in many ways. Office Services (print shop/mailroom) is under the purchasing umbrella. Purchasing no longer deals with petty cash. The office moved from 42nd Street to City Hall, second floor in the late 1980s. The offices were remodeled in the 1990s. Between 1980 and 1990, purchasing issued between 3,000 - 5,000 purchase orders annually. In the 2000-2001 fiscal year the number of purchase orders issued was almost 6,000.