Bidding
Procedures
All purchase of goods, supplies
and services fall under the bid policy defined below,with the
following exceptions:
Certain
professional services including legal, auditing, architectural,
actuarial, engineering and related consulting services,
performing arts and lecturing.
Bookstore
inventory and library book purchase are not subject to this
policy. Separate guidelines will be issued for these areas.
Item available from sole source.
Used equipment. Cost of new equipment should be verified for
comparative purposes.
Maintenance contracts, which should be put out for bid at least
every three years.
Emergency situations which are defined as cases of urgent need,
keeping vital equipment operative or eliminating a life safety
hazard.
A. Goods. Includes purchases of
equipment, furniture, vehicles, uniforms, supplies etc. where no
significant service is involved. Delivery and routine
installation are not considered significant service for purposes
of this definition
B. Combination of Goods and Services and Non-professional
Services. Examples are construction, building and
mechanical systems repair and maintenance, landscaping, rental of
equipment or facilities, printing, catering and waste removal.
C. Professional Services, which are exempt from
the bidding procedure, as noted above.
A. Purchase of Goods less than $2,500 and Combination of
Goods and Services and Non-professional Services less than $5,000.
Quotations are not required. The Purchasing Department may
solicit written quotations, take phone quotes, or place
immediately depending on the competitive nature of the items on
the requisition and benefits to the user department. The user
department has the option of selecting the vendor. Vendor
selection may be reviewed by the Director of Purchasing.
B. Purchasing of Goods between $2,500 and $24,999 and
Combination of Goods and Services and Non-professional Services
between $5,000 and$24,999. The purchasing Department
will obtain at least three written quotations. Written quotes on
vendor letterhead, as opposed to quotes received verbally, are
preferred. User departments are encouraged to develop
specifications and obtain quotes from vendors. These are subject
to review by the Director of Purchasing. If three qualified
vendors cannot be found, that conclusion and the steps taken to
identify qualified vendors should be documented. Generally
speaking, purchases will be awarded to the vendor who gives the
lowest quote and meets specifications. Selection of a vendor not
giving the lowest quote must be documented and authorized by both
the area Cabinet Officer and the Director of Purchasing.
Differences of opinion regarding vendor selection will be
reviewed by the Vice President of Finance. If the issue cannot be
resolved at that level, it will be decided by the President.
C. Purchases over $25,000 Requests for Sealed
Bid are to be mailed from the Purchasing Department to at least
three qualified vendors. Vendors will return their bids to the
Purchasing Department. Bids will be opened in the presence of the
Purchasing Director, a representative from both the User
Department and the Accounting Department and the Internal
Auditor. User Departments, in conjunction with the Director of
Purchasing, are responsible for identifying qualified bidders
based on the University's previous experience, research and
networking with other institutions. Generally speaking, Purchases
will be awarded to the vendor who gives the lowest bid and meets
specifications. Selection of a vendor not giving the lowest bid
must be documented and authorized by both the area Cabinet
Officer and the Director of Purchasing. Differences of opinion
regarding vendor selection will be reviewed by the Vice President
of Finance. If the issue cannot be resolved at that level, it
will decided by the President.
Receiving Merchandise
Delivery tickets are to be prepared for merchandise received by
the mailroom indicating that the number of packages/boxes shown
on the packing slip were received. A copy of the packing slip
should be forwarded to the User Department with the package. User
Departments should count contents of packages/boxes and notify
the Purchasing Department if items are missing or damaged. If
delivery is made directly to the User Department, the packing
slip should be verified, signed off as "received" and
forwarded to the Purchasing Department. If no packing slip is
present with the order, the purchasing Department should be
notified in the form of a brief memo that the merchandise was
received.
