Purchasing Guidelines
Purchasing Mission
The University’s goal is to acquire the goods and services that UTC’s departments need, at the most reasonable price consistent with value, quality and time consideration. In buying goods and services, UTC seeks to strike an appropriate balance between purchase price, value, quality, delivery and service. UTC also attempts to achieve an appropriate balance between competition and negotiation as permitted by the University’s Procurement Policy. To best serve the interest of the University, the Purchasing Department:
- Strives to obtain the maximum value for each dollar of expenditure.
- Considers quality, price and ability to deliver on schedule.
- Expects honesty in sales representation whether offered through the medium of an oral or written statement, an advertisement, or a sample of the product.
- Declines personal gifts or gratuities.
- Regards each transaction on its own merits.
- Grants all competitive suppliers equal consideration.
The following is a summary of bid limits that apply to goods and services acquired from outside vendors. See Official Purchasing Policies for complete details.
Purchases of $9,999.99 or Less (i.e., less than $10,000.00)
Purchases of goods or services of $9,999.99 or less (i.e., less than $10,000.00) may be made by departments based on their discretion. Whenever possible purchases less than $10,000 should be made using Procurement Cards. Note: Assets costing $5,000 or more may not be purchased with the procurement card. To stay within this limit, departments may not make multiple purchases of or request multiple invoices for single purchases of identical goods or modular components from the same vendor. Purchases of identical goods or modular components from the same vendor which exceed $9,999.99 (i.e., $10,000 or more) must be initiated through Procurement & Contract Services. Excluded are purchases for construction and renovation work and for goods or services available through existing State or University contracts.
NOTE: Purchases of sensitive minor equipment valued between $1500 and $5,000 CAN NOW be purchased on a procurement card. See Sensitive Minor Equipment Purchase Procedure.
Purchases of $10,000 and up to $49,999.99
All purchases of $10,000 or more and under $50,000 (i.e., $10,000.00 to $49,999.99) will be made by Procurement & Contract Services via purchase order. With the exception of noncompetitive purchases (i.e., sole-source, proprietary, or emergency), vendor selection will be based on the solicitation of informal competitive price quotations from at least three sources. Informal bids may be obtained in writing, by facsimile, or by telephone. Documentation of all informal bids will be maintained by Procurement & Contract Services.
At the discretion of Procurement & Contract Services, departments may solicit informal bids from vendors for purchases within this range. This information must accompany the requisition sent to Procurement & Contract Services. (Consult campus/unit procedures statements or contact Procurement & Contract Services for price quotation documentation requirements.)
Purchases of $50,000 and Higher
Procurement & Contract Services will make all purchases of $50,000 and higher based on competitive prices by soliciting written sealed bids from 15 vendors or the number of vendors on the Qualified Bidders List, whichever is less. (The chief purchasing officer or designee must approve the solicitation of fewer than 15 bids.) A public opening of the bids received will be held at the time and date specified on the bid solicitation request.
Note: Competitive bidding may take 20 or more days. Therefore, departments should anticipate their needs as far in advance as possible!
Emergency Purchases
Definition: Justification for an emergency purchase may occur when time is limited and products or services are needed to protect the lives or health of persons, to prevent or minimize damage to University property, or to meet other critical requirements.
Exclusion from Competitive Bidding: Properly documented emergency purchases may be excluded from competitive bidding requirements under certain conditions. The purchasing department should be notified by telephone as soon as possible to expedite the purchase. The required form, Justification for Non-competitive Purchases and Contracts, must be completed to confirm the emergency situation (Sole Source Form). As time permits, Procurement & Contract Services will try to obtain bids. Consult the Purchasing department for specific procedures.
Items Not Subject to Emergency Purchase: Emergency purchases cannot be made for commodities or services covered under an existing contract.
Other Non-competitive Purchases
Criteria for Non-competitive Products or Services: Procurement & Contract Services will classify a product or service as non-competitive when competitive methods are not feasible or practical, as in the following situations:
- Only one product or service can meet the specific need and the required product or service is available from only one source.
- Compatibility or consistency with past acquisitions of products or services is essential (e.g., avoiding additional costs by changing the supplier of the product or service).
Exclusion from Competitive Bidding: When requesting that products or services be excluded from competitive bidding, departments must complete the appropriate NCJ form (currently unavailable via IRIS). Products or services that Procurement & Contract Services determines to be non-competitive may be exempted from competitive bid requirements with the approval of the campus/unit chief business officer (or designee).