The main competition and documentation thresholds are: above SAR 20,000 a minimum of two quotations is required; above SAR 100,000 a minimum of three quotations is required, enhanced written support and generally a written contract is required. Additionally, above SAR 250,000 a structured written RFQ or RFP is required.

Exceptions, emergency or sole-source approvals up to SAR 100,000 require approval by the Director of Finance. Above SAR 100,000 and up to SAR 250,000 they require approval by the Director of Finance and another member of the schoolwide leadership team. Above SAR 250,000 they require Superintendent approval.

Above SAR 3,000,000 Board approval is required for contracts based on total estimated commitment throughout the contractual commitment period.

All procurement activities must comply with ISG’s related Board policies. All purchasing decisions must be properly documented, authorized, and supported by appropriate records.

No single individual should control request initiation, vendor selection, receipt confirmation, and payment approval for the same transaction.

All purchases must align with approved budgets and internal approval limits.

Split purchases designed to avoid quotation, contract, or approval requirements are prohibited. Related purchases should be considered in aggregate.

Purchases above SAR 100,000 and other important purchases must be planned early enough to allow competition. Lack of planning does not by itself create an emergency procurement.

All purchase orders must include a clear description of the asset, service, or work requested.

For requests above SAR 100,000, the request must also include the current condition or performance of the existing asset or service, as well as a justification records appropriate to the nature of the purchase, such as photos, usage data, service history, inspection findings, incident records, legal or regulatory requirements, insurer recommendations, or a brief site or operational assessment.

As a general guideline, expenditures up to SAR 20,000 should include at least one written quote or comparable price evidence.

For expenditures above SAR 20,000, a minimum of two quotations must be obtained using the same defined scope.

For expenditures above SAR 100,000, a minimum of three quotations must be obtained using the same defined scope.

For procurements above SAR 250,000, and for recurring campus services of strategic or operational importance, a structured template of RFQ or RFP must be used as provided by the Finance Office. The process must seek at least three quotations or proposals based on the same requirements, service levels, term assumptions, and commercial conditions.

Quotations must be based on the same defined scope and provide enough pricing and service detail to allow fair comparison.

Sole-source or single-bid awards are exceptions and may only be used when there is no suitable alternative, genuine urgency, or documented compatibility or standardization need.

Convenience, familiarity, dislike of transition, or preference for the incumbent vendor are not sufficient reasons on their own to avoid competition or justify sole-source selection.

A written justification must explain why competition was not practical and why the selected vendor is the most appropriate option available.

Vendor selection must consider price, fit to requirements, service quality, reliability, and overall value to ISG.

The basis for vendor selection must be documented, including the reasons when the lowest-priced bid is not chosen.

Incumbent vendors must not be favored solely because they are already on site, familiar with the campuses, or convenient to manage.

Continuing with an incumbent without meaningful competitive effort must be justified in writing.

Vendor selection decisions above SAR 100,000 require approval by the Director of Finance.

New vendors may not be awarded work or paid until required vendor setup and due diligence are completed.

For critical or high-value services, proportionate vendor due diligence must be completed before award.

A written contract is required for all recurring services, any arrangement with advance payment, any commitment with a term longer than twelve months, and one-time procurements above SAR 100,000, unless the Director of Finance approves another documented form of agreement that provides adequate commercial and legal protection to ISG.

Contracts must clearly state the scope, pricing, term, renewal and termination rights, and any key service or exit requirements.

Automatic renewals, exclusivity provisions, and restrictive exit terms must be limited and justified.

The normal maximum initial contract term is three years.

Any initial term longer than three years requires Superintendent approval regardless of amount.

Contracts may only be signed after approval of the respective purchase orders by the relevant budget holders and once applicable procurement requirements are met.

Board approval is also required for any contract with total estimated commitment above SAR 3,000,000 throughout the contractual commitment period.

The Board submission must summarize the competitive effort, vendor comparison, total commitment, and key lock-in terms.

For high-cost recurring campus services, ISG should seek to avoid excessive dependence on a single vendor across all campuses. Any decision to continue with a single vendor model must be justified in writing and approved in accordance with the exception approval thresholds in this regulation.

Recurring service contracts with expected annual spend above SAR 250,000 must be competitively tested at least once every three year.

Renewals, extensions, or major price resets must be treated as procurement decisions and may not be approved automatically.

No supplier should start work and no commitment should be made until the required approvals are in place, except in a genuine emergency affecting safety, security, legal compliance, or continuity of operations.

Emergency procurements must still be documented, limited to what is immediately necessary, and reported promptly to the Finance Office.

Staff involved in procurement must disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest. Staff must not take part in vendor selection where they have a personal interest and must not accept gifts, hospitality, or other benefits that could influence, or appear to influence, a procurement decision.

Acquisition of property or services from an ISG employee or their family member should be avoided and requires Superintendent and Board approval in line with Board policy.