The objective and responsibility of the Purchasing Office is to provide supplies and services to all departments on campus and to all faculty and staff on a timely, cost-efficient and quality basis. The following procedures were established to facilitate the accomplishment of this objective and yet comply with the policies and practices as stated in the State Administrative Manual (SAM), the State University Administrative Manual (SUAM), the Education Code, the Government Code, and other State, University, and campus policies. These policies apply to all funds, regardless of source, administered through the University Accounting Office.

 

The Purchasing Office is the campus office held accountable for its actions in spending University funds. The Purchasing Office is the only authority that may conduct and or conclude negotiations affecting procurement transactions although Purchasing has delegated low dollar value authority under the programs noted in section II below. Exclusive of those programs, a staff member who purchases supplies or services before obtaining the approval of the Purchasing Office, assumes the responsibility of personal liability for payment.

 

Each of the buyers has been assigned the responsibility to purchase certain commodities and, in the normal course of business, would be the person you would contact for information relating to the status of such acquisitions. However, these assignments are not fixed and may be adjusted depending on existing work load, vacations, illness, etc. Please see Attachment 1 for a listing of current responsibilities.

 

In addition to the standard methods for the acquisition of goods and services, the Purchasing Office has developed a number of optional programs designed to improve services to the using departments and eliminate the need for extensive involvement of purchasing staff in the acquisition of low dollar value acquisitions.

 

Procurement Credit Card

The procurement Credit Card is a VISA card, issued directly to a campus employee subject to approval by an official with budgetary authority. Purchases can be made by phone or in person and should be used as the first option to obtain supplies and services costing less than $1,000 which are not restricted or prohibited such as alcohol, travel, printing, or repair of State buildings. No approval of the Purchasing Office is required in advance but there are requirements for training and users must comply with certain accounting requirements. Please contact Al Newell at X2120 for complete information on the program.

 

• Procurement Card Handbook
• CSU East Bay Credit Cardholder Guide (PPT)

 

Limited Purchase Order

The Limited Purchase Order is a program that guarantees a maximum of 24-hour turnaround on requisitions up to $1,000. Again, with departmental approval, departmental staff can be trained to provide specific information required to generate a purchase order. Requests can be faxed or can be hand carried to the Purchasing Office for review and assignment of Purchase Order information. Please contact Paula Wittler for additional information.

 

Purchase Orders for supplies/equipment/services will only be issued to commercial sources after consideration of the following sources (normally in the sequence listed) and these sources have been determined not appropriate, and justified accordingly.

 

University Stores List

 

State Contracts

For certain supplies and equipment such as chemicals, drugs, office machines, tools, furniture, athletic equipment, film, paper products, etc., the Contracts section of the Department of General Services issues yearly contracts with various suppliers to provide for the annual needs of State Agencies for these items. The terms of the contracts are clearly outlined and contract prices are highly competitive. The important feature of contract purchases is that prices are fixed and the University may issue purchase orders directly to the vendor with no dollar limit, in most cases. Complete lists of contracts are maintained by the University Purchasing Office and copies of contracts are issued to known using departments as soon as they are available. For additional copies or to add departments to the normal distribution, please contact the University Purchasing Office.

 

CSU Master Agreements

Recently the CSU has begun developing certain master agreements where the combined purchasing power of the entire University, or at least several regional campuses, has been used to secure improved pricing or service. Once in place, campuses are generally prohibited from using other sources of supply except in cases where the primary vendor is unable to meet delivery requirements.

 

State Price Schedules

Related to the system of State Contracts is the State Price Schedule program. This program offers guaranteed prices by the vendor, usually for specialty items such as supplies and parts for a particular brand of office machine. Although the University is not obligated to use State Price Schedules, we do have the authority to purchase up to $4,999.99 without obtaining further price quotations. Copies of State Price Schedules are distributed in a manner similar to that used for State Contracts.

 

Introduction

Each department head is charged with the responsibility of operating his/her department within an assigned budget. Purchasing will not issue any order charged to an account with insufficient funds to cover that order. Requisitions for supplies and/or services that fall into this category will be returned to the Department. It shall be the full responsibility of the Department to initiate any transfer of funds required and resubmit the Requisition. Obviously, the Department can expedite the processing of a Requisition by ensuring that account data is current and funds are available for each proposed transaction.

 

Form L-1-835-06 (Departmental Requisition)

Departmental Requisition (Form L-1-835-06) available from University Stores, is to be completed for all purchases to be made through the University. The more completely the document is prepared, the faster and more accurately the Purchasing Office can process your request.

 

Approval Process

The following items require approvals, in addition to the Department Head, which should be completed prior to the submittal of the Requisition to the Purchasing Office.

 

• Audio Visual Equipment - The Director of the Instructional Media Center must approve any purchase of audio-visual equipment (i.e., video tape recorders, television monitors, cameras, audio recorders, video cameras, overhead projectors, films, video tapes, etc.).
• Data Processing Equipment - Although approval is not required by the Director of Computing Services, technical review of computer-related purchases is available on request of the ordering department.

 

Requisitioning Lead Times

• Supplies from University Stores - 5 working days.
• Supplies from Office Supply Contractor - 4 working days.
• For the processing of commodity supply orders to commercial sources, the following times apply:

  a. $1-$9,999 and all orders from State Contracts and Price Schedules - 5 working days

  b. $10,000 or more - 4-6 weeks

  
  

• For the processing of service orders to commercial sources other than contracted vendors the following times apply:

  a. $1 - $999 - 5 working days.

  b. $1,000 - $99,999 - 4-8 weeks. State law requires that services in excess of $1,000 must be advertised in the California State Contracts Register. This can add six weeks to the processing time and accounts for the extended period noted above.

 

The above noted times are average for Purchasing to process the Purchase Orders, Service Orders, and Contracts. Inadequate information or discrepancies in the Requisition will delay processing. Vendor performance time must be added to these times to determine delivery dates.

 

Fiscal Year Deadlines

In order to ensure that all requisitions citing a particular fiscal year funds can be processed by the Purchasing Office and encumbered prior to the close of the fiscal year, certain deadlines must be met in the submittal of Departmental Requisitions. A specific memorandum is sent each year to remind departments of actual dates. The following shows the approximate deadlines:

 

1. March 1 - All requisitions for contracts.
2. April 1 - All requisitions of $10,000 or more.
3. May 1 - All requisitions from $1000 to $9,999.
4. June 1 - All other requisitions.
5. June 15 - All charges on current year accounts for stores, copying, duplicating and office supplies contract.

 

In order that all equipment may be repaired and contractors paid for their services, the following procedure has been established:

 

• Whenever equipment for which you are responsible breaks down or requires service, please complete the Notice of Service Request, Form L-1-907-00, and forward to the Receiving Department. THE RECEIVING DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTACTING THE PROPER AGENCY OR VENDOR IN ORDER THAT SERVICE AND/OR REPAIRS ARE MADE.

 

The only exception to the above procedure occurs when equipment must be sent from the University to a repair facility. In this case, please complete a Departmental Requisition and forward to the Purchasing Office. Indicate on the requisition that service will be completed off-campus, how equipment is to be transported to the contractor and an estimated cost for repairs. Purchasing will complete a Service and Expense order showing either an estimated amount or a "Not to Exceed" cost and will forward the original of the order to the department. The original should be packaged with the equipment and forwarded to the contractor (Receiving will handle the shipping if necessary).

 

• All service representatives should first visit the Receiving Department before proceeding to the department for repair of a specific machine. When service has been completed, the vendor will normally present a Service request slip for the departmental representative to sign that service has been performed. If not presented, please contact Receiving prior to signing the vendor's service slip. While the service representative is present, please check your machine to confirm that it is working properly. DO NOT SIGN ANY SERVICE RECEIPTS UNTIL YOU ARE SATISFIED. If repeat calls are required, please complete a new Notice of Service Request and indicate that information on the request.
• If the machine is under contract, there is normally no further action required. In some cases however, service on the machine will require the installation of additional parts. Please read the applicable contract to determine whether parts are covered by the maintenance agreement. Each agreement is different. If parts are installed and they are not covered by contract, the Department should confirm exactly what has been installed. When the invoice arrives from the vendor, it will be forwarded from the Accounting Office to the Department with a stamp requesting approval. The approved invoice is to be returned to the Accounting Office for payment.
• If the equipment is not under contract, your costs will include parts, labor, and travel, in some cases. Determine from the service representative the cost of the repairs before signing the service receipt. When the repairs are completed, attach a copy of the service receipt to a copy of the Notice of Service Request and forward both to the Receiving Department.
• CONTRACT VENDORS CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR AS THE COMPANIES PROVIDING THE BEST SERVICE ON PARTICULAR MACHINES VARY. DO NOT CALL CONTRACTORS DIRECT FOR MACHINE REPAIRS UNLESS IT IS DONE AT THE REQUEST OF THE RECEIVING DEPARTMENT.

 

General Instructions

Expenditures should be planned sufficiently in advance to allow the Purchasing Office to obtain the best price and/or overall service. Small orders are costly to the University and to vendors. Many vendors are now adding a handling charge on small orders or have set up minimum order levels. If you are aware that you will have a need for other items from the same vendor, consolidate your needs and order on a single occasion. Often, significant quantity discount savings will be earned. Purchasing will occasionally hold a requisition to consolidate a University order for similar items where quantity price breaks may be reasonably obtained.

 

Purchase Orders are based on the information and specifications shown on the Departmental Requisition. Most unacceptable items received by the University can be traced to improperly executed requisitions. Care should be taken so that specifications are adequate to allow someone with little or no knowledge of the merchandise to place the order properly.

 

When requesting parts for machines or equipment, a part number, model number, manufacturer and serial number of the units the parts are to fit should be included.

 

On the rare occasions when payment is to come from two or more accounts, one requisition will suffice but it should include an explanation of the split funding. If two departments are participating, both signatures are required. SEPARATE REQUISITIONS should be prepared for equipment items.

 

Any document such as a flyer used as a basis for ordering items should be attached to the Requisition. At your request these will be returned to the Department after an order has been issued. Following this procedure will significantly speed up processing time for a requisition.

 

Splitting Purchases

The Purchasing Office has various approval levels based on the dollar amount shown on the Requisition which dictate the methods used in obtaining pricing. Attempts to circumvent this policy by splitting one large order into a series of smaller requests will not be permitted. Multiple requisitions to the same vendor will either be consolidated at the Purchasing Office or will be returned to the Department for resubmittal.

 

When a department attempts to undertake a project involving multiple requisitions to different vendors, the project should be noted on each associated requisition and the group should be submitted together to the Purchasing Office. Remember that equipment must be separated from other supplies and both must be charged to the appropriate account number.

 

Emergency Requests

The Purchasing Office recognizes that emergency needs do occur and that special requirements may prevent a department from providing the normal order lead time. In such cases, departments should first consider the use of the Procurement Card or Limited Purchase Orders as identified in Section II. If this is not available, the Purchasing Office is prepared to act quickly and responsively to the needs of the University.

 

A Departmental Requisition should be prepared immediately and HAND CARRIED to a member of the Purchasing staff. Purchasing will either telephone an order to a vendor and call for immediate delivery or will issue a Purchase Order while-you-wait for materials to be picked up by departmental staff.

 

An emergency is defined as a situation in which an unforeseen combination of circumstances constitutes a threat of physical injury or death to personnel and/or serious damage or destruction to University property or equipment.

 

Occasionally such an emergency will occur after normal working hours. In such situations, it may be necessary for the requisitioner to take independent action in order to prevent loss. The most appropriate action necessary under the circumstances should be taken. The Purchasing Office should be advised the following working day of the nature of the emergency and all actions taken. A departmental requisition confirming the action accompanied by a justification will be the only acceptable use of a CONFIRMING REQUISITION.

 

Pick-up Orders

There are vendors who will not ship items to the University or will charge an exorbitant amount in the form of a delivery charge. The Purchasing Agent will contact the department to determine the interest by the department in picking up the items, paying the extra charges, or waiting while Purchasing attempts to locate an alternate source.

 

Also, occasionally the departments have a need for certain items and cannot or prefer not to wait for the normal delivery process. Whenever possible, a "RUSH" order will be processed and the department will be informed by telephone that the order is ready. At that time, the Department must send someone to the Purchasing Office to receipt for the Purchase Order.

 

Justifications/Approvals

Approvals must be obtained for the purchase of the following items:

1. Carpeting (Facilities Planning)
2. Audio Visual (Instructional Media Center)
3. Information Technology (Computing Services)
4. New Memberships (VP, Administration & Bus Affairs)
5. * Sole Source/No Substitution Requests.
6. 6. Where a similar or like item is available from Stores, Master Contract or Prison Industries

 

*Appropriate justifications for "sole source" or "no substitution" requests must include: a) The unique performance factors of the product specified and why these specific factors are required (include a list of similar or competitive items investigated in determining these factors and why each competitive item has been eliminated from consideration) and b) if the item is to be part of an already existing system, indicate the items with which it must interface and/or the quantity and model number of similar equipment.

 

PERSONAL PREFERENCE IS NOT CONSIDERED AN ADEQUATE REASON FOR A SOLE SOURCE REQUEST.

 

Often, items requested are from a vendor which is the only known source. Rather than indicate sole source, the department should indicate that substitutions must be reviewed by the department before issuing an order.

 

Confirming Purchase Orders

A confirming purchase order is used, after the fact, when a purchase has been executed before the proper forms have been submitted for authorization. This is generally unauthorized and is acceptable only in extreme emergencies where human safety is endangered, State property or equipment could be damaged, or irreparable damage could be done to the administrative or academic function of the University. In almost all cases, proper planning and consultation with the Purchasing Office will eliminate the need for confirming purchase orders. Further, the party responsible for by-passing the purchasing process always runs the risk of being held personally liable to pay for unauthorized purchases. When a department finds a situation requiring a confirming purchase order, the following information, signed by the Department Head, must be included on the Departmental Requisition:

 

1. The reason why the normal purchasing procedures were not used.
2. An explanation containing the detailed facts that constituted the emergency.
3. A statement outlining the steps taken to avoid another confirming order in the same or similar situation.
4. Invoice number and date events occurred.
5. Proof of delivery or services performed. This may be in the form of a packing slip, freight bill, or invoice.
6. The above document must be signed by the individual responsible for the purchase in the following form:

 

"I hereby certify that I inspected the merchandise or services listed above and there is no exception as to quantity or quality:"

___________________________ _______________________ Signature Date

Bidding Policies

It is the policy of the University to obtain written quotations for the purchase of supplies, equipment, and services whenever possible (Master Contracts excepted). The following rules are generally observed in obtaining such quotations/bids:

 

1. Requisitions for amounts between $1 and $9,999 - Quotation requests are normally only sent to the suggested vendor. Response time is approximately one week and purchase orders are normally issued the day following the receipt of quotation.
2. Requisitions for amounts of $10,000 or more - The use of the formal request for bids is mandatory and requests will be sent to as many sources as possible. The term for processing is six to eight weeks.

 

Contracts

All contracts involving the University must be handled through the Purchasing Office. This includes both the contracts initiated by the University and contracts from any external source which commit the University to a prescribed course of action. Specific formats and verbiage are critical and the State can be held liable for damages due to an improperly prepared and executed document. Further, the State can and may choose to hold an employee personally liable for an improperly executed contract.

 

1. Equipment Maintenance Contracts - Approximately the 1st of April, notification will normally be sent to all University Offices requesting that departments submit requisitions covering equipment maintenance for the coming fiscal year. At that time, departments should submit the following information on a departmental requisition:

 

• Make, model, serial number and property number.
• Location, including building and room number.
• Account number to which services are to be charged.

 

All equipment may be placed under contract at the discretion of the department. Although the cost to have equipment on maintenance contracts may seem quite high initially, in many cases the cost of one service call will prove to be higher than the entire annual cost of a maintenance contract. In addition, regular periodic maintenance has proven to extend the useful life of equipment and should be considered for all equipment.

 

2. Miscellaneous Contracts - In addition to the equipment maintenance contracts, the Purchasing Office is responsible for the negotiation and administration of the following:

 

• Construction and Public Works.
• Personal Services.
• Agreements between State Agencies.
• Agreements for Student Teaching in School Districts.
• Equipment Leases.
• Space Rental.
• Agreements allowing nursing students, medical technology students, speech pathology students, and educational psychology students to obtain clinical/field experience.

 

With the exception of emergencies, sole source contracts, and certain other agreements, MOST SERVICE AGREEMENTS MUST BE ADVERTISED IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE CONTRACTS REGISTER. Due to delays in production and distribution of the Register, a minimum of six weeks advance notification is required prior to the bid opening date. Please add this six weeks to the term of completion to find out the minimum required advance notice to determine when requisitions must be submitted to Purchasing.

 

Service Orders

Service orders are used in lieu of contracts to provide for services such as rental of equipment, job advertising, labor charges, repair of equipment, etc. Restrictions governing their use are similar to those in effect for purchase orders in that Service and Expense Orders in excess of $1000 must be competitively bid or a defensible sole source justification must accompany the request. Additionally, services in excess of $1,000 must be advertised in the CSCR as is required for contracts.

 

Expediting

The Purchasing Office has limited resources available to expedite all orders to ensure prompt delivery. Once the purchase order is processed and mailed to the vendor, no further follow-up is scheduled.

 

At the same time that a purchase order is mailed to the vendor, a copy is forwarded to the department for information. Departments can assist Purchasing by tracking their own purchase orders and notifying the expeditor of overdue shipments. The upper left corner of the Purchase Order indicates quoted delivery information, including an estimated date for delivery. Departments should not contact the vendor directly.

 

Deliveries

When deliveries are received, packaging and other visible factors are checked by the Receiving Department. Boxes are opened and contents are visibly inspected against the description on the purchase order. If acceptable, Accounting is instructed to make payment to the vendor upon receipt of invoices. Merchandise is forwarded to the ordering department for additional checks and certification as to the acceptability of the items. If there are problems and payment should be stopped, departments should notify Receiving immediately.

 

Bookstore Purchases

The Bookstore will accept a University VISA card as the simplest method to rapidly process small orders for books, specialty office supplies, and other appropriate items for University Departments. If you do not have a card, you may also use the following procedures:

 

1. Visit or telephone the Bookstore, identifying yourself as faculty or staff, and obtain pricing on the required items. The Bookstore, at your request, will set the items aside for a period of seven calendar days (thus guaranteeing pricing) before returning them to stock.
2. Prepare a Departmental Requisition showing each item, the unit price, an extended price and a total including tax. Either hand carry to Purchasing or forward the requisition through the campus mail, depending on your immediate needs.
3. Purchasing will assign a purchase order number, sign the requisition if the purchase is approved, stamp the requisition for signature by the person picking up the items, and return the requisition to be hand carried to the Bookstore for the pick-up of the desired items.

 

In availing yourself of these procedures, the following restrictions will apply:

 

1. The total of the requisition must not exceed $50, excluding tax. This does not apply to class schedules which should be ordered separately on a blanket order at the beginning of the Fiscal Year.
2. Without an adequate justification, the purchase of office supplies is restricted to those items which are not available in University Stores or from master contract suppliers.
3. The items requested must be an appropriate use of State General Funds. The purchase of foodstuff and the like will not be approved.
4. Items may be deleted but may not be added to the requisition once processed through the Purchasing Office. Attempts to do so will result in the restriction of privileges. If the department determines at the Bookstore that the item listed is not the item desired, the item may be deleted and the total adjusted. However, the department must prepare a new requisition in order to obtain the correct item.
5. The Bookstore has been given permission to alter prices (but not the items) by as much as 10% or $1.00, whichever is less, in the event of errors in pricing. Any increase larger than noted above requires that the requisition be reprocessed. Accuracy is the responsibility of the department.
6. Orders exceeding the $50.00 limit must be processed in the same manner as you would handle a normal purchase order to any commercial source.

 

Printing

Except for orders of business cards which must go directly to Purchasing, all requests for printing services, including letterhead, binding, posters, catalogs, flyers, etc., must be directed to the Duplicating Services department on campus. The department will review the request to determine whether equipment and staffing are adequate to handle the order. If not, the order will be forwarded to the Purchasing Office for processing. NO APPROVALS FOR PRINTING AT COMMERCIAL SOURCES WILL BE GRANTED AFTER THE FACT.

 

Office Supply Contract

The University has entered into an agreement with a local office supply company for the furnishing of the annual office supply requirement for the entire University. Please contact the Purchasing Office for details.

 

In addition to purchasing, contracting and other procurement operations, the Purchasing Office is responsible for handling several other associated expenditure programs. These include processing invoices for payment to independent contractors, processing cash payment vouchers, obtaining insurance for some University programs, and processing orders for repair service for equipment.

 

Independent Contractors

The University often requires the services of individuals, other than employees, who operate in an independent capacity and are paid from operating expense funds. As there are several legal questions involved, extreme caution should be exercised in determining whether persons should be considered as independent contractors rather than employees. If there is any doubt, the Purchasing Office should be contacted in advance for a determination.

 

The main factors to be considered in determining whether individuals are acting as independent contractors or should be considered employees of the University have to do with the term of employment, the expertise and complexity of the service, and the degree of control exercised by the University. The following is a list of several aspects which should be considered:

 

1. The individual performing the service should be acting in an independent capacity and not as a representative of another company. In the latter case, a purchase order or service contract would be completed by the Purchasing Office.
2. The term of service should be relatively short, usually one day. A longer term or intermittent service should be handled as a contract for services or should be a Personnel action for temporary or part-time help.
3. The work should involve expertise not available on the campus and should be of a type not normally performed under the direction of a supervisor or employer.
4. The University should provide no supplies, tools, or other instrumentalities for the person doing the work. For example, you cannot hire a typist as an independent contractor and provide the typewriter and paper for completion of the job.
5. The work should be relatively simple to define and not involve a final product such as a report.
6. Payment should be made by the job, not by the hour.
7. The University should have no right or control as to the method of accomplishing the results.

 

In order to receive payment for services, individuals meeting the above criteria should complete the standard Independent Contractors Invoice (Form L-1-900-73) and submit it to the Department prior to starting the work. The certification should be executed by the person supervising the service and the department head should approve the expenditure.

 

The following general procedures should be observed when utilizing the Independent Contractor's Invoice as a method of payment for services:

 

1. INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EMPLOYED BY THE UNIVERSITY, MAY NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE HIRED AS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS AFFAIRS.
2. Checks may not be issued to any vendor, including independent contractor's unless a Standard Form 204 (Vendor Data Record) is on file. Complete files are maintained in both Purchasing and Accounting offices. If in doubt, it is a good practice to obtain a signature to both documents simultaneously.
3. Procedures established relative to independent contractors apply to all funds administered through the University Accounting Office, regardless of source.
4. Checks will not be prepared in advance except in extreme situations where the person will not be available to receive checks in the mail after the work is performed.
5. The Independent Contractor's Invoice must be completed and signed prior to the provision of any service by the contractor. There are special provisions and conditions which are agreed to by the contractor which limit the liability of the State. Failure to complete the form in advance may create new problems of individual/personal liability on the part of the person committing the University, particularly if there is an accident during the provision of the services.
6. Completion of work must be certified by the person supervising the event. Approval for payment must be made by someone with an authorized signature on file for that particular account. The same person MAY NOT certify completion of the work and authorization for payment.

 

As a general rule, Purchasing will not become involved in any program for the hiring of independent contractors. As a control measure, Purchasing will review all invoices to determine the appropriateness of their use.

 

Cash Payment Vouchers

Cash Payment Vouchers are to be used to reimburse University employees for out-of-pocket expenses incurred during the operation of the various departments on campus. The Cash Payment Voucher (Form L-1-915-00) may be used at any time under the following circumstances:

 

1. The maximum limit is $50.00.
2. Items such as foodstuffs, potables, and any other items that would not be considered an appropriate use of State funds should not be purchased.
3. Original receipts must be attached to the voucher form and should indicate "Paid" somewhere on the receipt.
4. The receipt must be itemized and must be specific. A claim for miscellaneous merchandise will not be reimbursed. Receipts should be on stamped, preprinted stock, or cash register receipt. If a cash register receipt is not specific, the purchaser should indicate in writing the exact nature of the item shown and must then sign the reverse of the receipt.
5. The items purchased must conform to other guidelines noted for the Purchasing Office in this manual. For example, you may not have printing work done without first obtaining the permission of the Office of the State Printer.

 

With the exception of emergency purchases or expenses where the use of normal purchasing procedures would not be feasible (i.e., bridge tolls, parking fees, telephone charges, etc.) ALL CASH PAYMENT VOUCHERS MUST HAVE THE PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASING OFFICE. Permission will be granted by telephone. The final decision as to the appropriateness of the expenditure will be made by the Procurement Officer.

 

Insurance

Purchasing is responsible to contract for all insurance needs of the University. Since the State has elected to be self-insured as to motor vehicle and tort liability, the insurance needs of the campus are generally limited to fine arts insurance for privately owned exhibits held throughout the campus.

 

Please be reminded that insurance cannot be purchased retroactively. Each department is responsible to provide all necessary information regarding the exhibit on a timely basis. This should include the following as a minimum:

 

1. Complete, itemized list of the exhibition with a value for each piece and a total valuation.
2. Dates for coverage.
3. Departmental Signature.

 

In special instances, purchasing will occasionally obtain insurance for high risk instruments or equipment, motor vehicles used outside the continental United States, and any other purpose relative to University operations. If you have questions, please contact the Purchasing Office.

 

Please be aware that there is a $500 deductible for any insurance obtained through the insurance office. Departments will be obligated to pay the deductible from their operating budgets.

 

State Educational Agency for Surplus Property (State Surplus)

All State offices have access to this Agency. It is essentially a storehouse of items, some new and some used, which are surplus to another agency or the Federal Government. The items available through State Surplus are extremely varied and can only be effectively screened by periodic trips to the office in our district located at:

140 Commerce Circle

Sacramento, CA 94815

 

Only persons properly authorized by the University may make purchases from State Surplus. Authority for one time purchases is granted by letter issued by the Purchasing Office which is hand carried to the Agency at time of use. Persons desiring regular access should contact the Procurement Officer for information.

To make purchases from State Surplus, authorized persons should adhere to the following procedures:

 

1. Call the University Purchasing Office for a Purchase Order Number for State Surplus.
2. Visit the warehouse at the address shown and determine what items are needed and complete the Distribution Document order blank provided by that office.
3. Return to the University and immediately complete a Departmental Requisition and attach one copy of the above mentioned Distribution Document. Please fill in the assigned Purchase Order number and forward to the University Purchasing Office.
4. The Purchasing Office will issue a corresponding Purchase Order and will forward it to State Surplus. Upon receipt of the Purchase Order, State Surplus will ship the items at a $25.00 charge. This charge may be avoided by picking up the items at the time of the initial visit.