Purchasing Procedures

1. The Principal Investigator initiates a requisition based on the needs of the project and congruence with the approved budget.
2. The Budget Executive approves (signs) requisition.
3. The Assistant Vice President for Grants Management - reviews all requests for expenditures of grant funds before submission to the Director of Purchasing and determines the following:
   • Compliance with Agency Regulations.
     • All purchases made with external funds must be in compliance with agency regulations and university policies.
   • Identification of Proper Sub-Codes.
     • Investigators must provide complete information relative to the Fund Number for each purchase. A 24 digit number must appear on the requisition that correctly identifies the grant fund and type of purchase being requested. The fund number is made of five parts: the Index number (6 digits), the Fund number (6 digits), the Organization number (4 digits), the Account number (4 digits), and the Program number (4 digits). For Example: Fund No. 000000-000000-0000-7201-0000 denotes that Office Supplies are to be purchased. Requisitions will be returned to investigators if this information is incomplete or incorrect.
4. The Director of Purchasing issues the purchase order and commits the University to the acquisition.

Additional Purchasing Information

Purchasing Department Policies and Procedure Manual

The Department Policies and Procedure Manual is available for review in the Purchasing Office, the office of Department Chairpersons, Deans, Area Supervisors, and other administrators.

Special Purchase Approvals

The nature of research and other types of projects oftentimes make it impossible for investigators to anticipate their needs; however, every effort must be made by the Investigator, Assistant Vice President for Grants Management, and Purchasing Office staff to resolve differences in a manner that does not inhibit the purchasing process and the activities to be carried out.

Competitive Bidding

All procurement transactions shall be conducted in a manner to provide, to the maximum extent possible, free and open competition (Source: Revised OMB Circular A-l 10).

Sole (Single) Source Procurement

Grantees may only use non-competitive proposals (or sole source procurements) when the small purchase, sealed bid, or competitive proposal methods are not feasible, and one of the following circumstances exists:

• The item is only available from one source;
• There is public exigency or emergency need for the item which will not permit the delay associated with competitive solicitation;
• The awarding agency authorizes non-competitive proposals; or
• After solicitation of a number of sources, competition is determined inadequate.