Policies

Purchasing of Goods and Services

Purchases of goods, contracted services and lease of equipment are to be made only through the Procurement Manager and authorized by a formal Purchase Order issued by the College Purchasing Department unless purchasing authority has been delegated in writing.

The Purchase Order Number should appear on all invoices. Limited Purchase Orders are available for purchases up to and not exceeding $500.00. All purchases in excess of $500.00 are to be made only through the Purchasing Department, authorized by a formal Purchase Order issued by the Purchasing Department. Purchase Requisitions MUST be signed by the Department Head and/or person responsible for the budget account number on the purchase requisition. (Example: A Grant account number may need approval by both the Department Head and Provost).

Authority to Requisition: Heads of Academic Departments and Administrative units assigned budgets are the only persons authorized to requisition supplies, contracted services and equipment against their budgets.

Delegation of Purchasing Authority: The Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer may delegate the Departments the authority to purchase merchandise on behalf of the College. Persons with the authority to purchase supplies and equipment may delegate this authority to others in their Department with the approval of the Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer or the Controller.

Competetive Bidding

The College will use a competitive bidding procedure whenever it is practical for all types of purchases. The Procurement Manager, at his/her discretion, will determine when to request formal bids for a purchase under $10,000. All orders in excess of $10,000 must be competitively bid. Orders totaling over $10,000 will require three (3) documented quotations attached to the requisition to be filed in the Purchasing office. (Lafayette College Financial Policies Manual, Section 30420, approved by the Board of Trustees August 18, 1976).

The requesting of Bids and/or quotations is a recognized and accepted means of insuring effective competition among suppliers, and the College will generally receive greater discounts and better service through this process. It is the responsibility of the Purchasing Department to originate, control and analyze supplier bids, quotations and proposals. The requisitioning department is responsible for defining the quantity, specifications, and delivery date and any other pertinent information essential to proper purchase. The requisitioning department should also suggest sources when known, especially for unusual or unique items. The requisitioner may be called upon to assist the Purchasing Department in evaluating the bids received relative to a purchase for that department. When the requisitioning department secures the quotations, all of the Supplier’s original written bids must accompany the requisition so that full information concerning the Purchase Order is available for audit purposes within the Purchasing Department.

The requisitioning department should allow from one (1) to three (3) weeks for the competitive bid process to occur, depending upon the requirements.

Competitive bidding is not required when one or more of the following conditions exist:

• Bids have been recently received (within the previous 3 months) for the same items and the bids are still valid.
• The item is a college standard (Standardized Computers through IT, Steelcase furniture/file cabinets, etc.).
• The item to be purchased has already been bid either through the Educational and Institutional Cooperative (E&I), the LVAIC Purchasing Consortium, or through Pennsylvania State Contracts. The item must be purchased from a sole-source distributor or manufacturer. In this case a sole source justification sheet should be attached to the purchase requisition. (Example: PA Grant through a PA vendor.)

Pre-Paid Orders/ On-Line Company Orders

The College does not approve of prepaid orders or using on-line companies that will not accept a Purchase Order. There have been cases where the College has prepaid and not received the material, and not received return of the money. Some on-line companies go out of business or are unreputable. It is up to the discretion of the Procurement Manager or the Controller to decide if a prepaid Purchase Order will be done. If it is approved, a requisition must be completed with back up from the company stating that pre-payment is required. A Purchase Order will be done, sent to the Controller’s Office for a check (using whatever back up was included). A copy of the Purchase Order (along with whatever other paperwork needs to be returned) will go in the envelope with the check.

Unauthorized Purchases

The purchasing facilities of Lafayette College are not to be used to procure supplies, equipment or other merchandise for fraternity associations or for the personal use of employees of the College.

Various College policies can be found on the Business Affairs website including the Reimbursement Policy and the Transportation Policy. The Reimbursement Policy details items that will be reimbursed to the employee and items needed to be ordered through the Purchasing Department. In order to avoid Unauthorized Purchases this policy should be reviewed prior to making a private purchase.

Disposal of Surplus Material and Equipment

The Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer may delegate the authority to dispose of surplus material and equipment on behalf of the College

The Procurement Manager is authorized to arrange for disposal of surplus material and equipment by internal transfer, trade-in, outside sale or outright contribution. When new furniture or equipment is purchased and there are un-needed items to be disposed, the Purchasing Department should be called to have it removed. If it is still usable, it will be stored for use by other departments. Items placed in surplus are not kept for a specific department but are for general campus wide use. Items from surplus can be given to any department in need. The only cost involved would be the moving costs charged by Plant Operations. If your department is in need of an item and you do not have funds, you can check with the Purchasing Department and see if the item is available in surplus.

An item in extremely poor condition should be trashed after the Purchasing Department is notified.

If a computer or piece of equipment that has a serial number is to be eliminated, the Purchasing Department will need the serial number and information on the equipment in order to remove it from the Capital Assets list. After notifying the Purchasing Department, all computer items go back to IT Services Department for distribution or use as parts.

American Express Corporate Card

The College offers an American Express Corporate Card to Administrators who will need to travel. This Card can be used for car rentals, registration for conferences, hotels and expenditures. When using the card for car rental, CDW and liability insurance should be declined as coverage is extended by the Card’s benefits. Information about the car insurance is received with the Card.

The Card can be used for on-line travel reservations (i.e. Travelocity, Orbitz or other on-line travel sites). You are required to check the on-line American Express “rezport” site first to determine their lowest available rate before using another on-line travel site.

This Card cannot be used be used for purchases. Any purchases of supplies or equipment on this Card will not be reimbursed by the Controller’s Office unless it has been pre-approved by both the Purchasing Department and the Controller’s Office.

The annual fee for the Card is $35.00 and is reimbursable through your department account. Request for reimbursement of the annual fee should be submitted on a Travel Reimbursement Form with the department account number and department head’s signature.