How to Purchase Goods or Services

How to Purchase Goods or Services

How to Purchase Goods or Services

Things you need to know prior to soliciting goods or services from a vendor.

  1. The Office of Contracting & Procurement (OC&P) is bound by State laws and University policies that mandate how goods and services are procured.
  2. Price thresholds were developed by the State and adopted by our Board of Trustees.
  3. There are 35 categories of exceptions that can be utilized by the campus community in lieu of quotes/bids; however, if your purchase exceeds the current bid threshold, exceptions can only be used with a Board of Trustees approval.
  4. Additional requirements or documentation may be applicable depending on the commodity and/or price of your purchase.
  5. Vendors are also subject to State regulations. Please visit Vendors: Doing Business with Rowan for more information.

 

Price Thresholds

Bid splitting is the improper split of a purchase into multiple purchases in order to avoid triggering dollar thresholds that would require you to obtain additional documents. Bid splitting is in direct violation of State & University regulations.

Non-Public Works Thresholds

< $19,999.99 Three quotes are encouraged, but not required.
$20,000.00 - $99,999.99 Three quotes are required, unless an exception applies.
> $100,000.00 Public bid is required, unless an exception* 

 * Please note if you are applying an exception to a purchase over the bid threshold a BOT Waiver will also be required.

 Prevailing Wage (Public Works) Thresholds

< $7,879.99 Three quotes are encouraged, but not required.
$7,880.00 - $39,399.99 Three quotes are required, unless an exception applies.
>$39,400.00 Public bid is required

 

Additional Requirements

  1. The Vendor will need to be setup appropriately, which includes an up-to-date W9/W8 and NJ compliance at certain thresholds. Please visit our Vendor page for detailed instructions.
  2. If you have a contract, it will need to be processed through the Contract Portal.
Entertainment, Food, & Gourmet Dining
 
The Rowan University Food Service Agreement with Gourmet Dining grants Gourmet the exclusive rights to food service on the Rowan campus including the main Glassboro campus, the Stratford campus, and the Camden campuses of CMSRU & the undergraduate college for all internal and external clients. As per contractual guidelines with Rowan University the use of outside food service vendors must be approved by Gourmet Dining in order to not be in violation of said contract.

In order to request the use of an outside vendor on the Rowan campuses one must submit a food service waiver request form for review to Gourmet Dining at least two weeks in advance of the anticipated service. Once received Gourmet will contact the client to discuss their services and offerings to base the approval or denial of the food service request.
 
To submit for a food service waiver please click here. 
 
Please note, if your waiver is approved, you will also need a fully executed Entertainment Form to submit with purchase request.
 
Furniture & Facilities Related Purchases
 
Approval through RU's Facilities team is required for all furniture purchases including refrigerators, freezers, bulletin boards, and dry erase boards.
 
Contact Kyle Kephart: kephart@rowan.edu  
 
Space Heaters outside of the Pre-Approved Space Heater List will also require pre-approval.
 
Contact Tyler Healy: healyt9@rowan.edu 
 
Lease / Rental
 
Copy of fully executed agreement required as part of your requisition supporting documentation.
 
Independent Contractor
 
See the Independent Contractor webpage for complete guidelines.
 
IRT
 
IRT Acquisition Process (ITAP) All corresponding quotes/invoices are submitted as supporting docs.
 
Vehicle

Vehicle Request Form 

Additional Price Thresholds 
$15,000 (+) NJ BRC  (unless Prevailing Wage at $5,910.00)
$17,500 (+) Ch. 51 compliance approval *
$25,000 (+) System for Award Management (SAM) approval *
$100,000 (+) AA302 (unless Prevailing Wage at $39,400.00)
 The OC&P handles the approvals for the compliance documents noted above; however, it may delay your requisition if the vendor is determined to be non-compliant.

 

Please remit supporting documentation for all requisitions requiring quotes or requests for additional assistance to: requisitions@rowan.edu

 

BOT Waiver Requests  

The Board of Trustees can permit the University to procure specific goods and services for which the dollar amount exceeds the bid threshold, without publicly bidding the request.

There are 35 categories of exceptions that can be utilized by the campus community to request a board waiver.
Departments requiring the requested goods or services must submit the BOT Waiver Request with any additional information necessary to Chris Haley via email.

 

Public Bid Requests 

The OC&P is here to help whenever you anticipate a purchase of goods or services that may exceed the public bid threshold established by the State or extend over multiple fiscal years. There are certain purchases/services that will be exempt from public bidding. OC&P will determine whether or not your purchase is subject to bid. Please contact the OC&P for any bid related inquiries.

 

Sole Source Exception Request

It is the policy of the University to procure all materials, equipment, supplies, and services through competitive means. However, there exists a category of expenditure whereby such open bidding is not possible due to the product or service being available from only one source. In those instances, the Sole Source exception may apply.

Threshold Requirements

< $20,000 No Exception Request required.
$20,000 - $399,999.99 Exception Request required.
> $400,000 Exception Request and BOT Waiver required.

What to Expect After Logging into the Portal

Sole Source Request Portal

Please attach additional supporting documents, i.e., contracts, quotes, specifications, etc. An OC&P team member will notify you if your request has been approved.

Note: You must login to google docs prior to submitting request.

 

Purchasing in Banner: What you need to know

Following the vendor selection and appropriate threshold requirements, you are ready to enter your request in Banner. For help with this process, view IRT’s Banner Training Resources.

Step 1: The End User creates a requisition (req) in Banner
Step 2:  The OC&P reviews the req and any supporting documentation for compliance within State & OC&P policies.
Step 3: The OC&P converts the req to a final purchase order (po) in Banner and obtains all necessary signatures.
Step 4: All completed pos will be emailed to the End User for final distribution to the vendor.
Step 5: End User completes appropriate screens in Banner, and forwards invoices on to Accounts Payable for payment.

 

Commodity Codes

All requisitions (including individual line items) must have an accompanying Commodity Code. Commodity Codes are specific reference codes that classify goods or services being purchased. All valid Commodity Codes start with the letters "CD," or "IT" if they are Information Technology related. Information Technology Codes cannot be on the same Requisition as non-IT commodities (Shipping & Handling is the only exception).

Commodity Codes Last updated: September 6, 2017

Note: This list will be periodically adjusted with new codes from end-user feedback. Please revisit this page for the most up to date list. Future updates will not change existing codes.

 

Account Codes

Use of the appropriate Banner Account Code when processing transactions is vital in ensuring the University's financial statements are property stated. Please carefully consider the account code(s) to be used when entering requisitions.

Use of an inappropriate account code will cause your transaction to be disapproved so that it can be corrected.

Account Codes

 

Payment Guide

The OC&P formalized the language used for payment recipients across the University.  These include payments to vendors, employees, and students. The goal is to provide a guide to the University community with definitions and payment processes so the language surrounding payments is consistent across all division and departments.

You will find a spreadsheet here with a list of payment types, definitions, and other applicable information.

 

Change Orders

You will make all of your purchase order change requests below:

Change Order Request

What you will be asked to provide:

  • Purchase Order #
  • Vendor
  • Buyer (listed on the bottom left corner of your purchase order)
  • Type (increase of decrease)
  • Amount (since last change order)
  • Change Request
  • New Total
  • Explanation for Change
  • Any documentation you wish to provide

 

If you have any general questions, please reach out to requisitions@rowan.edu. If you have any purchase order specific questions, please reach out to the buyer listed on your purchase order.

 

Closeouts 

You will make all of your purchase order closeout requests below:

Closeout Request

What you will be asked to provide:

  • Purchase Order #
  • Vendor
  • What is the remaining balance on the purchase order to be closed?
  • Comments

Notes:

  1. Department will need to verify all invoices have been paid prior to requesting a closeout.
  2. You will only be able to submit a request to close one purchase order at a time.
  3. If your purchase order has multiple line items, they cannot be closed individually. Due to limitations in system functionality, the entire po will need to be closed.
  4. Please check the purchase order status in FGIENCD in the Encumbrance Detail section to ensure your purchase order is in "O" (open) status. If your status is "C" closed you will not need to fill out this form. Your purchase order has already been closed. *Pro Tip: Your Encumbrance Detail may have multiple pages, you will need to check each page to know if your purchase order is fully closed.

 

Please reach out to Beth McMillan at mcmillanb@rowan.edu with any questions or concerns related to a specific closeout.

If you have any general questions, please reach out to requisitions@rowan.edu.

 

Unsure where your Purchase Order is in Banner? Use FOIAPP

Search Banner screen FOIAPP by po number.

To view the approval history for a document:

  1. From the Banner 9 Welcome screen, search for page FOIAPPH and hit Enter
  2. Enter the document number into the Document Code field
  3. Click “Go” on right hand side
  4. The Details section will display actions taken on the document to date

Preferred Vendor

Through the public bidding process, the OC&P has approved specific vendors for certain goods and services.

Alternative Procurement

In certain instances, the OC&P will allow you to go outside of the requisition system. You can find out more here.

Green Procurement

Green Purchasing, also known as environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), is the coordinated purchasing of goods and services to minimize impacts on human health and the natural environment.