Learn how to purchase what you need to carry on the college’s mission.
Purchasing Guidelines
All purchases made using state funds are subject to the New York state finance law
and rules and regulations promulgated by the Office of the State Comptroller (“OSC”).
They are also subject to procedures developed by SUNY and/or the university.
OSC performs pre- and post-audits on various transactions processed by the purchasing
office. OSC has the authority to approve or deny payments and/or contracts.
Only the director of contracts and purchasing services is authorized to sign a purchase
order to commit a financial obligation on behalf of the college.
eProcurement
Jaggaer is our new primary shopping environment and electronic requisitioning, payment,
and receiving system. It provides a completely electronic and paperless workflow for
purchase requisitions, purchase orders, receiving, and payment vouchers, and improves
efficiency by allowing state and Research Foundation orders to be processed, and campus
departments to access all documents, within a single system.
Jaggaer is an online requisition/purchasing tool. When users shop, items are routed
through various stages: From shopping through to any necessary approvals, the purchase
order being sent to the supplier, the commodities being received, and then the account
being payable to the supplier.
Benefits of eProcurement
Savings with lower pricing, ability to leverage combined spending, and increased vendor
relationships.
Efficiencies by reducing manual communication, reducing reliance on paper, and utilizing
staff for more strategic activities.
Compliance by tracking spending to contracts, use of approved sourcing, and adherence
to procurement law and policies.
Only the director of contracts and purchasing services is authorized to sign a purchase
order or contract to commit a financial obligation on behalf of the college.
Contracts, agreements, licenses and any other contractual document requiring a college
representative to sign must be reviewed and signed by the purchasing office. It is
in violation of NYS finance laws to procure a service or commodity without acquiring
necessary approvals and documents in advance.
Competitive Purchases
The purchasing office has available a wide variety of primary and open market sources
for competitive purchases. Below is a prioritized list of sources for making competitive
purchases.
A preferred source is a designated vendor, who in an effort to advance certain social
and economic goals, has received special provider status under New York state statute.
The preferred sources are the Department of Correctional Services (Corcraft), Industries
for the Disabled, Industries for the Blind and Office of Mental Health. The acquisition
of commodities/services has been given exemption from statutory competitive procurement
guidelines. It is the obligation of the university to procure goods and services from
a designated preferred source provider whenever possible. Purchasing office staff
should be contacted in the early stages of any planned purchases (such as office furnishings)
that may be affected by these regulations.
Corcraft Provides furniture including landscape, modular systems, desks chairs and file cabinets
to name a few of the items.
Industries for the Disabled Provides janitorial and housekeeping supplies and services, field marking paint, printed
apparel as well as certain office and school supplies.
A campus may purchase commodities or services directly from a responsible vendor of
its choice. A campus should take the steps necessary to ensure that prices are reasonable.
For purchases over $2,500 written documentation should be maintained to support both
the selection of the vendor and reasonableness of the price. The vendor selection
and Price Justification Checklist is required to be submitted with the P-Card certification
and approved purchase requisitions for all purchases greater than $2,500.
The total amount of the purchase represents the total financial obligation incurred
by the college. In a multi-year contract, the obligation incurred over the entire
contract term must be considered, rather than the annual amount alone.
This table has been developed to assist departments with understanding New York State
Procurement Requirements. It provides a general overview of requirements when purchasing
commodities, services, construction, and constructed-related services from the open
market. Different rules govern the purchase from NYS Preferred Sources; New York State
Centralized Contracts; as well as emergency, single source, or sole source procurements.1
Purchase Amount2
Advertising
Competitive Selection
Outside Prior Approval3
M/WBE Goals
Purchases up to $2,500.00
No publication in New York State Contract Reporter required
No competitive selection required. However, the department should take steps to ensure
price is reasonable and be able to justify, if requested.
No outside approval generally required
No M/WBE goals required
$2500.01 to $10,000.00
Same as above
No competitive selection required. However, a Vendor Selection and Price Justification
Checklist must be completed.
Same as above
Same as above
$10,000.01 to $49,999.99
Quarterly publication in New York State Contract Reporter required
Same as above4
Same as above
M/WBE goals required for service, commodity, and construction-related service contracts.
Construction contracts exceeding $100,000 must also have M/WBE goals
$50,000.00 to $125,000.00
15-day notice in New York State Contract Reporter required
Competitive selection required. Must solicit a minimum of three informal quotations
from vendors.4
Same as above
M/WBE goals required
$125,000.01 to $249,999.99
Same as above
Competitive selection generally required.5 Must solicit a minimum of five formal sealed bids or proposals.
Same as above
Same as above
$250,000 or More
Same as above
Same as above5
Must be pre-approved by the attorney general and Office of State Comptroller6
1. The following purchases have their own specific rules
Purchases from preferred sources do not require publication in New York State Contract
Reporter or competitive selection at any dollar level.
Purchases from centralized Office of General Service (OGS) state contracts do not
require publication in New York State Contract Reporter at any dollar level, but may
require a mini bid.
Single, sole source contract, and emergency procurements must request an exemption
from OSC for publication in the New York State Contract Reporter for purchases valued
at $50,000 or more. If granted, the college must publish a notice of exemption. While
no competition is required for approved exemptions, written justification supporting
the sole source, single source, or emergency determination must be kept with the procurement
record.
2. In accordance with NYS Finance Law §163 (6)(b), when determining which threshold
to follow, the purchase amount should be based on the aggregated purchases for the
same commodity or services within twelve months. For multi-year contracts, the total
value of the contract across its life should be used for determining the purchase
amount, not only the annual expense. Departments may not split orders to circumvent
threshold requirements.
3. Certain contracts require approval of officials at SUNY Systems Administration.
These contracts include certain academic program agreements, cooperative research
agreements, lease and real property agreements, university-wide or multi-campus agreements,
and agreements with campus-affiliated organizations
4. Construction contracts exceeding $20,000 and construction-related services exceeding
$25,000 require formal competitive bid procedures.
5. Where commodities or services are available from small businesses, New York state
certified M/WBE’s; or New York state certified service disabled veteran-owned businesses
(SDVOB’s); or where commodities or technology that is recycled or remanufactured is
available, purchases may be made in amounts not exceeding $500,000 without competitive
bidding, though reasonableness of price must be documented. Purchases of $250,000.00
or more must still be pre-approved by the AG/OSC.
6. Construction-related services of any dollar amount are exempt from prior approval
requirements.
Must request an exemption from OSC. If granted, must publish notice of exemption.
Competitive Selection
No competition required, however, written justification supporting the sole source,
single source, or emergency determination must be kept.
Expenditure/Reimbursement Guidelines
The following guidelines are intended to assist college personnel with determining
if an expenditure is allowable from state funds. State funds include state purpose
allocation, DIFR, IFR, and SUTRA funds. These guidelines have been established based
upon guidance from the Office of the State Comptroller and SUNY System Administration.
To satisfy state audit requirements, departments must be able to provide written justification
regarding how the item purchased or service rendered is program or mission related
and/or beneficial to the college.
Please address any questions regarding this document or items not addressed in this
document to the budget and financial reporting office and/or the purchasing office.
For questions regarding the use of SA funds, College Foundation funds, or Research
Foundation funds, please contact the custodian of those funds.
Goods generally are received through the university’s warehouse and occasionally directly
to the departments.
The receiving department should examine items received to ensure that they are in
good condition and to verify compliance with the purchase order. If the items are
in order, a receipt should be prepared by the receiving department and forwarded to
accounts payable.
As a state agency, the State University of New York is self-insured and is afforded
protection against claims for legal damages through the New York State Court of Claims
Act. This protection extends also to university employees and officers acting within
the scope of their official duties. There are occasions, however, when it is necessary
to purchase insurance, such as off-site field trips held on private property, certain
travel activities involving students, protection of valuable property on loan to the
university, etc. This must be purchased through the purchasing office. Insurance cannot
be purchased on a P-Card.
When contracting with a vendor for services, construction and other similar requirements
the contractor is required to provide the University with a certificate of insurance.
The standard insurance amounts that are usually required and the format to be followed
can be obtained by contacting the purchasing office. Depending on the nature of the
contract additional forms of insurance may be required. For example, construction
contracts may warrant “Builders Risk” insurance which protects the university during
construction should an accident occur due to the fault of the contractor. Architect
and engineer contracts may require “Professional Liability” insurance.
Inquiries regarding the need for insurance for a specific occasion or activity should
be directed to the purchasing office. The office can obtain appropriate insurance
at a nominal cost to the department through the New York State Office of General Services.