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The Office of Business Services provides a variety of services to support campus life for students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests of the university. Visit our service departments

 

General Order Procedures and Competitive Quote Requirements

The university’s interests are best served when individual departments and centers choose the specific products and services to be used, while University Purchasing secures competitive quotes and ultimately selects the most appropriate vendor.

University Purchasing is responsible for soliciting written quotes and proposals based on requests provided by individual departments. In the event that departments have secured the necessary quotes themselves, this supporting documentation should be attached to the Purchase Order form and forwarded to University Purchasing for review. University Purchasing may secure additional quotes if deemed in the best interest of the university.

In selecting the vendor, the department’s product quality and delivery time requirements will be considered in conjunction with the total price.

For select product categories, university end-users will be able to purchase products and services directly with designated vendors using pre-established pricing and services. For these transactions only, Purchase Orders will not be required. For further information, please refer to the CUPP section of this manual.

For most other needs, the main methods for requisitions continues to be the Non-Standard Requisition and Purchase Order forms. Please refer to attachments “A” and “B”, for copies of the Standard Requisition form and Purchase Order forms, respectively.

Once filled out by the end-user department, the purchase order form, as well as supporting documentation such as quotes, specifications, and other attachments, will be forwarded to University Purchasing for review.

The Budget Office will verify budget availability and encumber the required funds. The Accounts Payable office will verify status to meet IRS compliance requirements.

Orders from vendors requiring pre-payment shall be processed via a Purchase Order form with a notation requesting pre-payment. In these instances, the pre-paid check will be forwarded directly to the vendor by University Purchasing.

Check requests are not to be used to pay invoices for supplies and equipment. These purchases are required to be made via Purchase Orders unless available through a CUPP vendor.

Selecting the Product or Service to be Purchased

Each NSU department will determine the specific type of equipment and supplies required for normal operation within its given budget allocation. University Purchasing can assist the department in identifying the appropriate item(s). Once all items identified, the department will forward a completed Standard Requisition form or Purchase Order form to University Purchasing for prompt processing. Advance planning is a critical success factor in the procurement process. Sufficient advance notice must be given to allow University Purchasing to obtain the necessary quotes and to plan for the anticipated delivery lead time. Purchases made in a rush often result in a combination of poor quality and higher prices and therefore must be avoided. Departments are encouraged to contact University Purchasing well in advance for major projects or technically complex needs to plan for the acquisition of equipment and supplies.

Sole Source Items

In instances where required items are of a highly specialized or technical nature, and therefore not available from multiple sources, the requesting department will attach a completed Sole Source Form to the Purchase Order for University Purchasing review. Please refer to attachment “C” for a copy of the Sole Source Form.

Emergency Purchases

University Purchasing will authorize emergency purchases during circumstances beyond the university’s control involving health, public safety, imminent loss or injury, or where an immediate action would reduce more extensive repairs later.

In such an event, University Purchasing will undertake to process the order as expediently as possible. As dictated by the urgency or complexity of the purchase, University Purchasing will either assign a Purchase Order number to the department or place the order directly with the vendor.

Purchases for Goods and Services Up to $5000

Orders with an aggregate value of $5000 or less shall be processed in the following manner:

• Departments are required to consult the CUPP vendor list to determine if a particular commodity or service is available under the CUPP system. If a CUPP vendor has been identified, the current order procedure for this vendor or commodity as outlined in the CUPP manual shall be utilized.
• If a particular good or service is not available under CUPP, departmental end-users will forward Standard Requisition or Purchase Order forms to University Purchasing for proper disposition.

Note: University Purchasing is authorized to secure more than one quote for purchases under $5,000, if it is determined that the university will benefit from potential cost savings.

Purchases for Goods and Services Between $5,000 and $25,000

• University Purchasing is responsible for administering a fair and competitive quote process to obtain products and services at the lowest possible cost.
• Planned purchases with a total value of $5,000 or more must be competitively quoted by University Purchasing.
• University Purchasing is responsible for issuing requests for quotation to multiple vendors and secure their responses in writing.
• University Purchasing will solicit input from the requesting department to properly identify the required items; assist in the selection of potential vendors; and to participate in the evaluation of the responses to the quote.
• If the requested materials or services can only be obtained from a sole source vendor, please attach the sole source form when forwarding the purchase order to University Purchasing.

Contracts to be Reviewed by University Legal Counsel

• All leases, contracts, and agreements for facilities, goods for services that either (i) have a monetary obligation in excess of $15,000, (ii) are for a term of more than one (1) year, or (iii) contain provisions relating to liability, default, indemnification or insurance, must be approved by NSU’s counsel and signed by the President or the Executive Vice President for Administration. (With respect to the Health Professions Division, affiliation agreements for placement of its students must be approved by the Chancellor of HPD). Insurance requirements are to handled by the Risk Management Office

Purchases for Goods and Services from $25,000 to $250,000

• A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be prepared by University Purchasing with the assistance of the requesting department. RFP’s will then be distributed to an appropriate selection of suitable vendors.
• University Purchasing has prepared standard RFP formats and will promptly advise departmental end-users how to make modifications for their specific needs.
• Departmental end-users and University Purchasing will jointly analyze written quotations from vendors and prepare final recommendations.
• The Executive Vice-President of Administration and/or Associate Vice President of Business Services shall grant final approval.

Purchases for Goods and Services in Excess of $250,000

• The procedures for goods and services between $25,000 and $250,000 shall be followed.
• Finance Committee shall grant approval.

Purchases with Special Requirements

• Computers, Computer Equipment, and Audio-Visual Equipment
  The office of the Vice President for Information Technologies (OIT) must approve, in writing, all purchases for desktop computers, servers, workstations, systems, printers, peripherals, and software. All audio-visual equipment such as overhead projectors, video projectors, screens, sound systems, and video-conferencing systems must also be approved by OIT in writing. All requests for computer and related equipment, software, and audio-visual products must be submitted on an OIT Technology Request for Purchase Form. Please refer to attachment “D” for a copy of the required form. Once the equipment request is approved, OIT will forward the necessary information to University Purchasing for prompt processing.
• Purchases Using Grants and Contracts Funds
  Principal investigators (PI) and project directors (PD) are required to approve all requisitions for products and services. In addition, approvals from the appropriate department heads and center/college deans must also be secured. The Purchase Order is then forwarded to the Office of Grants and Contracts (OGC) for review of compliance according to governmental and agency guidelines. Once approved, the Purchase Order is to be forwarded to University Purchasing for prompt processing.
• Vehicles (Purchase and Lease)
  All requests for automobiles and trucks, whether for purchase or lease, must be forwarded to University Purchasing for review and pricing.University Purchasing is authorized to determine the appropriateness of leasing versus purchasing and vice versa. University Purchasing will prepare, in conjunction with the requesting department, specifications for the required vehicle and obtain a minimum of two written quotations.

Goods and Services not Subject to University Purchasing Review

The following commodities and professional services may require the review and approval from specific University departments other than or in addition to University Purchasing:

Architectural & Engineering Services	Contact Facilities Management
Audit Services	Contact University Finance
Construction Contracts	Contact Facilities Management
Employment Services	Contact Office of Human Resources
Insurance	Contact Risk Management
Legal Services	Contact University Counsel
Printed Materials	Contact University Publications
Travel Services	Contact Travel Office