General Purchasing Guidelines

All vendor account setup shall be established by the business office.  Purchasers will submit a completed W-9 form documenting the vendor’s name, address and social security or federal tax ID number before purchasing from the vendor.

• Purchasers are responsible for not exceeding available budgeted funds.
• The purchaser is responsible for ensuring that sales tax is not charged on any purchase.
• Purchases of goods or services from a business in which an employee or his/her family has a financial interest, or may directly benefit from such purchase, is a potential conflict of interest and should be avoided. The purchaser shall not make any such purchases without approval in advance by a member of Executive Leadership.
• Purchases requiring a change or addition to campus property and casualty insurance including, but not limited to vehicles or inland marine equipment must be approved by a supervisor at a dean lever or higher.
• All purchases that require bids must be approved in advance by a member of Executive Leadership
• Sole source procurements require Executive Leadership approval in advance of the purchase.
• Many vendors provide discounts through Educational Sales Departments- always inquire about education discounts available.
• Purchases that require asset tracking must follow the equipment management guidelines.
• Purchases made on behalf of another department must be approved by the department from which the funds for the purchase will be used.
• Efforts should be taken to avoid purchasing unnecessary or duplicate items. Consideration should be given to consolidating purchases to maximize volume discounts.
• All purchase documentation shall be submitted to the Business Office to process payment to a vendor. Invoices should be approved and submitted within one week of request for approval.  Invoices cannot be paid until the invoice is approved by an authorized employee in the applicable department – see Quick Reference Approval Guide.
• Purchases requiring immediate payment, i.e., travel, in-store purchases, online purchases, should be made with a College procurement card. Payment for all other purchases should be processed through the business office.

LINE OF AUTHORITY

Responsible administrator or office: Controller

Contact person in that office: Jenny Jacobs

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 16, 2023

Approved by President: August 16, 2023