How to Purchase

Purchasing goods and services may be accomplished in a number of ways. The department and/or requestor are not permitted to act on any purchase type requiring a requisition until Purchasing has dispatched the purchase order notification. Procurement of goods and/or services made by department personnel outside the authorized procurement methods can be considered a personal obligation of the individual making the purchase and not the obligation of the University.

We encourage all University departments and affiliates to use certified Small Business (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) suppliers whenever possible. You may access the DGS Supplier Search in order to find existing suppliers within the Department of General Services. In cases where the supplier is not already listed in CFS PeopleSoft, they may be added as an SB or DVBE by completing the Payee Data Record Form (aka Vendor 204 & W9).

 

 

Direct Pay expenditures are payments made against a department's account without the establishment of a Purchase Order. Examples of these expenditures include payments of subscriptions and memberships.

REQUIREMENTS

  1. Requires DOA approval of an invoice.
  2. Transaction limit: $1.00 - $2,500.
  3. Active vendor.
  4. Invoice to accounts payable in 30 days.
  5. Insurance requirements for service requests.

LINKS

NOTES

No recurring payments allowed.

CSUBUY Marketplace is where CSU campuses can shop for indirect goods and services, such as office supplies via an online shopping experience, but with access to CSU negotiated rates. Active vendors: Dell, Staples, Fisher Scientific, CDW, IRG, Waxie, and MSC, to name a few.

REQUIREMENTS

  1. PCard.
  2. CSUBUY setup, contact the P-Card Administrator.

LINKS

A purchase order is probably the least cost-effective method for procuring low-dollar value goods.

 

REQUIREMENTS

  1. PCard.

LINKS

Commodity Purchase Order

REQUIREMENTS

  1. $0-$49,999
    • One Quote
  2. $50,000-$99,999
    • Informal Bid Process
    • Three written quotes
    • 2-5 weeks
  3. $100,000 or more
    • Formal Competitive Bid Process
    • 6-10 weeks
  4. $0-$250,000

ADDITIONAL FORMS, ONLY IF IT APPLIES

Commodity Purchase Order

REQUIREMENTS

  1. $0-$49,999
    • One Quote
    • One purchase Order Per Fiscal Year
  2. $50,000-$499,999
    • Informal Bid Process
    • Three Written Quotes
    • 2-5 weeks
  3. $500,000 or more
    • Formal Competitive Bid Process
    • 6-10 weeks
  4. $0-$250,000
    • Informal Bid Process, Small Business/ DVBE
    • Two Written Quotes
    • 2-4 weeks

ADDITIONAL FORMS, ONLY IF IT APPLIES

If the project involves construction (Public Works), additional documents will be required. Consult with Procurement.

Service Purchase Order

REQUIREMENTS

  1. $0-$49,999
    • One Quote
    • One purchase Order Per Fiscal Year
  2. $50,000-$99,999
    • Informal Bid Process
    • Three Written Quotes
    • 2-5 Weeks
  3. $100,000 or more
    • Formal Competitive Bid Process
    • 6-10 Weeks
  4. $0-$250,000
    • Informal Bid Process, Small Business/ DVBE
    • Two Written Quotes
    • 2-4 Weeks

It Related Service

  1. $50,000-$499,999
    • Informal Bid Process
    • Three Written Quotes
    • 2-5 weeks
  2. $500,000 or more
    • Formal Bid Process
    • 6-10 Weeks

ADDITIONAL FORMS, ONLY IF IT APPLIES

Public Works

Public works include construction, alterations, demolition, installation, and repair work that is funded in whole or in part by public funds. "Construction" includes all works performed during the design and preconstruction phases of a construction project including inspection and land surveying.

Any state structure, building, road, or other improvements of any kind, as well as its construction, alteration, painting, repair, or improvement, is a "Project".

"Maintenance" is work performed in a routine manner for the preservation, protection, and maintenance of any publicly owned or publicly operated facility (plant, building, structure, ground facility, utility system or any real property) or any part of it for its intended purposes in a safe and continuously serviceable condition for the purposes it was designed, constructed, altered or repaired.

Work at public facilities requires repairs, cleaning, and other operations to keep the equipment permanently attached to a building or property as fixtures in a safe, efficient, and continuously useful condition for which it was built. This includes carpentry, electrical, plumbing, glazing, and touch-up painting.

Minor Capital Construction Projects of less than $4,999.00 will be administered by a Facilities Project Manager (PM). The PM will directly solicit one prequalified minor cap vendor for an informal quotation (written on vendor letterhead). A requisition, along with the vendor quotation, will be sent to the Procurement office. After review, a purchase order will be emailed from the Procurement office to the awarded vendor. 

ADDITIONAL FORMS, ONLY IF IT APPLIES

 

Routine, recurring, and usual work for the preservation, protection, and keeping of any publicly owned or publicly operated facility (plant, building, structure, ground facility, utility system, or any real property) for its intended purposes in a safe and continually usable condition for which it has been designed, improved, constructed, altered or repaired. Maintenance work may be contracted as a service order or service contract. It may incorporate contract terms typically associated with projects — or it may be contracted using capital outlay project documents and methods.

For differentiation between Maintenance and Projects, please see CSU guidelines: Contracting Methods for Maintenance Task (PDF).

Maintenance procured as a service follows regular buying procedures. Please see the Buying page Option 6. Service Purchase Order of the Procurement website for more information. Maintenance procured as a Public Works Project follows regular Public Works Project procedures.

ADDITIONAL FORMS

Minor capital outlay (construction) projects are projects that correct deficiencies, provide new or improved facilities, or provide equipment for new or improved facilities. Section 10108 of the Public Contract Code establishes the maximum cost of a project that may be budgeted as a minor capital outlay project, currently at $1,103,000. Minor capital outlay (construction) projects may be less formally bid.  

Minor capital outlay (construction) projects less than $5,000:

No bidding is required with an estimated cost of $5,000 or less.

Minor capital outlay (construction) projects greater than $5,000 or more:

Bidding is required. The award shall be to the lowest responsible bidder.

    Major Capital Construction Projects - all greater than $1,103,000.00 - are administered by the Procurement office.

      Alternate Purchasing Policies

      When an emergency involving the public health, welfare, or safety, or the protection of State property or programs requires the immediate issuance of a purchase order, standard agreement, or service order without a formal issuance of bid invitations, a statement regarding the nature of the emergency will be attached to the requisition, and be signed by both the requestor and the campus procurement officer. Such statement shall include an attestation that an immediate threat to the public health, welfare, or safety or damage to State property exists. EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION FORM

      Sole Source or Sole Brand procurements must be justified and approved in writing if the specified procurement exceeds $50,000 for services and commodities, excluding Public Works.

      • 100,000 - Vice President of Administration and Finance
      • 250,000 - Chancellor

      A sole source acquisition is justified when it has been determined that only one source exists for the required product or service, and bidding is not possible. Justification for a sole source acquisition must accompany the requisition. This justification should include: the unique performance features of the product, why these specific features are required, and why other products that could be considered will not meet requirements.

      A sole brand acquisition exists when only one brand-name product will satisfy the requirements of the requester, and a written justification has been authorized to limit the bidding only to dealers of that specified name-brand. Unless exempted, standard bid specifications call for "brand-name or equal."

      An "or equal" product may be offered as an alternative but the bidder must establish that the offered product is truly equal to that requested (e.g., by full comparison of product specification). Failure to provide such information may be grounds for rejection of the bid/offer without further review. No substitutions will be accepted without information and/or documentation. Failure to provide documentation is grounds to reject the bid/offer or terminate the contract/purchase order. The evaluation of the "or equal" alternative item will be made by the University whose decision is final.