SUNY Purchasing Policy

Purchases made utilizing State-appropriated funds, Income fund reimbursable accounts, and Dormitory operating funds can be processed through several mediums:

1. Direct handling through the Regional Procurement Services (manual completion of the requisition form);
2. Procurement Card directly assigned to an employee; and/or
3. Departmental encumbering at the desktop utilizing the SUNY WEB procurement application. Procurement cards are issued to individuals who are given the appropriate purchasing authority.

Applications for individual employee procurement card(s) must be submitted to and approved by the Regional Procurement Services. The cards are issued with the name of the cardholder and SUNY Plattsburgh embossed on the card. In any case, to guarantee effective buying for the State University and insure compliance with the State's Rules and Regulations governing purchasing, overall purchasing functions are centralized in the Regional Procurement Services.

Guidelines for Processing Requisitions Directly Through Purchasing

Requisition forms must be completed in triplicate and approved by center director, chairperson or dean. Please be sure that the account number of the department to be charged is listed thereon. The first two copies of the forms are then sent to the Regional Procurement Services for processing. The third copy (pink) is retained by the department. The Regional Procurement Services will assign an order number. In the event that delivery is not made in a reasonable length of time, please contact the Regional Procurement Services. All purchases must include the PO# (purchase order #) on the invoice and packing slip. Purchase order numbers are an essential part of Document Inventory Control, therefore it is very important, when placing an order, to ensure the vendor indicates the correct PO# on all billing and shipping documents.

Guidelines for Procurement Card Purchases

The Regional Procurement Services encourages use of the Procurement card when making small dollar purchases. Cardholders may use the Procurement Card for the purchases of materials, supplies or services directly with a vendor when the order meets the following criteria: Total amount of the order does not exceed the individual’s approved transaction limit. Items purchased are not restricted. Restricted items include, but are not limited to: meals, refreshments, alcohol; hazardous materials or payment to a New York State employee. 

Guidelines for SUNY Web Procurement Module (Desktop)

If departmental funds are available to accommodate the purchase, departments can enter requisitions directly to purchasing procurement application utilizing the WEB, an approved USERID/Password combination and the following protocol: Departmental manager determines items required for operations. Authorized departmental employees enter items by unit, description and object code (UNSPSC code). Requisition approved electronically and forwarded to Purchasing for review and completion. Offices utilizing Web Procurement MUST have written departmental approval for every purchase on file in their location.

Types of Purchases

There are two categories in purchasing supplies and equipment. They are: contract items and non-contract items

Contract items are those that may be purchased from a vendor who has received a State Contract from the Office of General Services (OGS) in Albany. Contract items may be purchased from non-contract vendors when a price less than that of an existing OGS term contract are received. When such purchases are made the OGS Group and Contract number along with the savings must be documented on the purchase requisition. It is important to check the New York State Office of General Services web site www.ogs.state.ny.us to determine whether an item is on a state contract.  Contract and non-contract items must be ordered on separate requisition forms.

Competitive Pricing

The Regional Procurement Services is required to publish notice for non-contract purchases and services in excess of $10,000 in the New York State Contract Reporter. Purchases and contracts less than $30,000.00 do not require competition; however the Regional Procurement Services recommends the solicitation of price competition when possible.

• Purchases and contracts greater than $30,000 but less than $75,000 require three forms of competition, whether formal or informal.
• Purchases and contracts greater than $75,000 but less than $150,000 require a solicitation of a minimum of five sealed bids or proposals.
• Purchases and contracts in excess of $150,000 require a solicitation of a minimum of five sealed bids or proposals and must be submitted to the state comptroller for prior approval. Sole source purchases in excess of $10,000 will require an explanation for the selection of a product and a detailed justification for the exclusion of other products. The justification  should include unique features of an item, how the unique features are pertinent to your use and how reasonableness of price is determined.

Requisitions for items received on a trial basis and retained must be marked: "Trial Basis Only". The order will be processed with the above notation; however, payment will not be processed unless the order is accepted by the requisitioner.

All confirming orders must have an original invoice attached and state the nature of the emergency, which prompted the individual to purchase goods or services without the Regional Procurement Services prior approval. These orders must be kept to a minimum. They are subject to review by the Regional Procurement Services and to the possibility of not being honored. An emergency purchase must involve an accident or unforeseen occurrence requiring immediate action; it is unanticipated or fortuitous; it is a sudden or unexpected occasion for action and involves a pressing necessity. The conditions must be such that unless corrected without delay, death, injury or serious damage would result. Where such conditions exist, the waiver of competitive bidding requirements must be approved in writing by the campus President or appropriate designees to provide for adequate internal control.

Purchase requisitions must indicate detailed descriptions including model or catalog number, etc., when describing material or services to be provided. Requisitions which are not completed properly will be returned unapproved.