Purchasing Supplies

Purchase Orders

All procurement related functions are processed through SourcePoint located within the Employee Self-Service Portal.

All purchases begin as a requisition, are transmitted electronically for approvals, and then received by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's Regional Procurement Office (RPO) for further processing. The RPO issues a Service Purchase Contract (SPC) and/or Purchase Order (PO) to the appropriate Vendor for the purchase of any service or supply respectively.

The Pennsylvania State Procurement Code establishes the rules and regulations that State System universities must follow, concerning the dollar limits for bidding, sole source procurement, and quotations necessary to purchase both supplies & equipment and services.

It is extremely important to note that no one other than the President of the University, or as delegated by the President, is authorized to commit the University to a purchase of a commodity or service.

Any University faculty or staff member ordering something either verbally or by signing an agreement without the proper authorization may be held personally liable for the cost of the service.

Who to Contact for More Information

Please contact the RPO Liaison, Jesus Serrano, for assistance @ (570) 422-3595.

Please refer to the "Services" section for more information about additional considerations necessary when processing requisitions for the procurement of services.

Purchase Requisition Instructions - Supplies & Equipment

Purchase Requisitions, for the purchase of supplies or equipment, need to provide detailed information concerning the item(s) that are being requested.

The User will need to ensure their requisition indicates the manufacturer, size, color, model number and any other specialized information concerning the item to be purchased or regarding delivery.

A User will need to complete a SourcePoint Purchase Requisition, attach all quotes/estimates/proposals, and upon approval of the Budget Manager, the Requisition is sent electronically to the RPO.

Purchase Requisition Approvals

All Purchase Requisitions require the User to enter Cost Center information. Each Cost Center has a hierarchy of electronic approvals that it will automatically go through before being received by the RPO for further processing.

The number of approvals a requisition requires, is dependent upon the funding source or the total dollar amount of each individual line.

The purchase requisition is forwarded to the RPO when all the required electronic approvals have been obtained.

Selecting a Vendor

Generally, the selection of a vendor is the User's choice but it can be dependent on a variety of factors.

Information concerning state contracts, institutional contracts, and various vendor catalogs are available by contacting Jesus Serrano @ x3595, or Denise Aylward @ 3203.

The State Procurement Code indicates that purchases in excess of the mandated bid threshold must be publicly advertised and competitively solicited.

If the cost of the requisition is between $5,000 and the mandated bid threshold requisitioner's are encouraged to obtain three (3) written quotations.

This information must be submitted with the requisition.

The RPO verifies that each purchase requisition contains all of the appropriate information.

Once verified, all requisitions under the mandated bid threshold are processed as Purchase Orders in the System.

The orders are electronically delivered to vendors.

If the Purchase Requisition exceeds the mandated bid threshold, either the formal bidding process is followed or a Sole Source justification must be executed.

Purchasing Procedures for Supplies of $21,900 or Less

Purchases of $21,900 or less do not require FORMAL competitive bidding.

However, the following prudent business practices are established in order to promote maximum utilization of fiscal resources:

1. For goods <$5,000 - departments are able to purchase with their PCard or pay as a 'Direct Charge'.
2. For goods between $5,000 and $21,900 - For procurement needs at this level, University departments are encouraged to solicit quotations, take advantage of volume discounts, and use other techniques to obtain the lowest possible pricing in relation to the value received. Written/faxed quotes are used as determined necessary by the RPO in its judgment, based on historical experience that the potential for appreciable cost savings exists.
3. For goods and services >$21,900 - Competitive Bidding Procedures must be followed as noted below:

Pursuant to Act 188 and State System Board of Governors Policy 1983-02-A, all University purchases greater than $21,900 must be competitively bid under institutionally established business practices.

Such competitive bidding will be undertaken centrally by the RPOt and documented appropriately for audit purposes.

Supplies and services over the mandated bid threshold may be bid on a straight cost basis and awarded to the lowest responsible bidder.  Alternatively, certain services may be solicited using a more elaborate evaluative process, such as a Request for Proposal, which incorporates both cost and other technical criteria.

Exceptions to competitive bidding requirements are authorized for items available from the Commonwealth Warehouse, items on state (DGS) contract, items available from agencies for persons with disabilities (such as Pennsylvania Industries for the Blind and Handicapped), certain items specified under grant or restricted gift provisions, and items procured under the sole source and emergency provisions of the Commonwealth Procurement Code.

Exceptions may also be authorized for emergency contract certification when a threat exists to public health, welfare or safety and the urgency does not permit the delay involved in using more formal competitive methods.

A written determination of the basis for the emergency and for the selection of the particular contractor will be included in the contract file.

Public Notice for Competitive Bids

All procurements greater than $21,900 (except emergency procurements or other authorized exceptions) must be advertised publicly.

The contracting officer will determine the method of source selection and public notice to be given for each procurement to ensure competition that should produce the least cost for the procurement, using any or all of the methods outlined in Section 512 of the Commonwealth Procurement Code, except that a general notice must be given in addition to issuance of invitation for bids to bidders on a solicitation mailing list, or when using the pre-qualification method.

The contracting officer will consider the principles of responsiveness, accountability, fairness, and openness in determining the type of public notice given for each procurement.

Purchasing Office Supplies and other items through the Supplier Catalog

Office Supplies are procured by the User through SourcePoint's Supplier Catalogs or via the Internet with a PCard.

Supplies of <$5,000 or ordered through SourcePoint's Supplier Catalogs DO NOT require a Purchase Requisition and DO NOT require bidding.

If the purchase is made directly with the vendor, use your initials, your phone extension and the month and day as your Purchase Order (P.O.) number: i.e., AM3595-0625.

Arrange for delivery to your DESK (unless that is not feasible) AND ensure that the vendor INCLUDE the Purchase Order number ON the LABEL, so Receiving will know where to deliver items that come into the Warehouse.

At the time of purchase, the purchaser should also instruct the vendor to mail all invoices directly to the department purchasing the item(s) and to use the Purchase Order number on the invoice.

Upon receipt of invoice(s), the department should reference the cost center and general ledger account number on the face of the invoice. The invoice should then be signed and approved for payment, signifying that the goods were received, and forwarded to Accounts Payable for payment processing.

NOTE: It is illegal to break up a requirement (serial purchasing) in order to remain within the $5,000 limit, OR ANY LIMIT.

For example, one cannot purchase $4,999.00 worth of supplies every quarter from the same vendor.

The fiscal year total to that vendor would be $19,996.00 which requires quotes to be obtained.

Standards/Compatibility-PRE-APPROVAL required

In order to be sure the items below are within the standards set by the University and to maintain systems compatibility as necessary, pre-approval is necessary from the appropriate department cited below, prior to completing your Purchase Requisition:

• Computer Hardware, Software & Licenses - Computing Center, Ext. 3325
• Audio & Visual Equipment - Instructional Resources Department, Ext. 3031
• Telecom Equipment - Telecommunications Office, Ext. 3730
• Printer/Copy/Fax Machines - Procurement, Ext. 3203
• Printed Materials - Marketing and Communications, Ext. 3534
• Chemicals & Acids - Health and Safety Officer, Ext. 3235

Council of Trustees

East Stroudsburg University's Council of Trustees meets periodically during the course of the academic year.

The Trustees review and ratify every purchase the University makes between $5,000 and $21,900.

Sole Source Procurement

The use of sole source procurement for purchases is not frequently done.

The Contracting Officer approves in writing a determination documenting the criteria permitting sole source procurement for each instance.

Sole source procurement is usually permissible if one or more of the following conditions exist:

• Only a single contractor is capable of providing the supplies, services or construction.
• The purchase is exempt from competitive procurement by federal or state statue or regulation.
• The total cost of supplies, services, or construction is less than $21,900.
• If it is clearly not feasible to award the contract for supplies or services on a competitive basis.
• The requested services to be provided must be performed by the manufacturer of the equipment or by the manufacturer's authorized dealer.
• The contract for supplies or services is in the best interest of the University as determined by the University Contracting Officer.

For all sole source requests for the procurement of supplies, equipment or services in excess of $21,900, written approval must be obtained from university legal counsel prior to the issuance of any contract or purchase order.

When a requisition is submitted requiring sole source procurement the initiating department must fill out a copy of the Sole Source Contract Certification and submit it with the requisition.

The department written justification should clearly and concisely support the decision.

Personal opinions or prior association with the vendor/contractor alone is not sufficient.

Documentation should also describe specific efforts taken to locate alternate vendors/contractors.

Specifics should include contact names and phone numbers.

If the procurement was "advertised" in any manner, copies of the published document should accompany the request as well.

The person filling out the form should sign it.

All Sole Source forms also require the signature of a University Contracting Officer.

Legal Counsel also needs to sign all sole source requests in excess of $21,000.

Copier and Fax Purchases

The majority of the photocopier equipment on campus is in place through a Cost-Per-Copy program All requests for new or replacement equipment will be placed in this program unless sufficient justification is given.

The purchase of fax machines is handled the same as a purchase of any other commodity.

If a requisitioner is interested in purchasing a fax machine they should contact the Purchasing Department staff member for further information.

How to Track Your Purchase Requisition or Order

A department who processed a request to purchase something may contact the Purchasing Department to find out the status of the delivery of their request and the Purchasing Agent will contact vendor to obtain delivery information.

If a vendor claims that a purchase order was never received, the Purchasing Agent immediately faxes a copy of the order to the vendor.

If the vendor indicates that shipment has been made the Purchasing Agent will request that they provide the University with proof of delivery.

The department will contact the Storeroom to verify that the shipment is not currently in the Receiving Area.

If the requisition has been turned into a Purchase Order, the PO number will be referenced.

Manual Forms

Nearly everyone on campus with a departmental budget (and thus the ability to order supplies and equipment) has access to SourcePoint or SAP.

All purchasing transactions should be done online.

Manual forms may occasionally be used for purchases that cannot be processed electronically such as items in excess of $21,900 that need to have Invitations to Bid or Request for Proposals written.

Requests for items that require sole source procurement are also sometimes processed in written form, certain service related purchases, etc.s.

If a requisitioner has any questions or is in doubt as to which form should be used they can contact the RPO Liaison @ 3595.