General Purchasing Information
Purchasing Authority:
The authority to sign contracts, purchase orders, agreements, letters of intent, etc. that obligate funds of the University of Rochester or Strong Health is limited to Officers of the University or Strong Health entity, the Director of Corporate Purchasing and their designees. Required approvals and associated dollar limits for authorizing University contracts and purchase orders are outlined in a memo from Ronald Paprocki, Sr. VP, Administration & Finance; Chief Financial Officer dated April 23, 2003.
Sound Practices:
All purchases/contracts made with University of Rochester (UR) or Strong Health funds should be done utilizing sound purchasing practices while affording “maximum practicable opportunities” for small businesses. To assure that the UR receives best value the following guidelines shall apply:
- Honor Our Contracts
UR standards and contracts will be utilized whenever possible. However, Corporate Purchasing may request competitive pricing if deemed appropriate or when a single order for standard/contracted product will exceed $50,000. - Estimate of Fair Market Price
When no standard or contract exists, purchases over $1,000 require an estimate of fair price and realistic delivery. Price quotations should be obtained from multiple approved suppliers and documented. Lists of UR Registered Suppliers and UR Small Business Suppliers are located in Helpful Links on the Corporate Purchasing Home page. - Obtaining Bids or Proposals:
Departments who wish to obtain their own proposals from suppliers may do so within acceptable University Bid Procedures . - Justification
Corporate Purchasing requires a completed Supplier/Price Justification Form (SPJ) for purchases > $25,000 (Complete and attach the SPJ form to requisitions). Corporate Purchasing reserves the right to request a SPJ form for purchases <$25,000 when the purchase involves a Sole Source, Selected Source or where the low bid is not selected.
• Note : Departments are responsible for documentation, justification (a SPJ form or equivalent) and record retention for all other purchases in accordance with funding requirements.
8/1/06