BLANKET PURCHASE ORDERS: Specified dollar amounts are allocated to a purchase order for goods and services that are provided on an as-needed basis. Payments are made when the materials are provided and invoiced.
COMMODITIES: Commodities include, but are not limited to, materials, equipment (including computer equipment), supplies and motor vehicles. Additionally, "electronic information resources," which include but is not limited to: electronic academic, professional and industry journals, electronic reference handbooks and manuals, and electronic research tracking tools, indexes and abstracts.
CONFIRMING ORDERS: Confirming orders are purchases made by an individual who does not have authority for purchasing goods or services on behalf of the college without obtaining a purchase order in accordance to with the New York State procurement rules and regulations, and may violate New York State Finance Law. When established purchasing procedures are circumvented we tend not only to pay more for materials and supplies but also may incur additional expense beyond the cost of the goods or services.
Confirming orders may also preclude our ability to comply with State Prompt Payment Law requirements which state that invoice payment must occur within 30 days from receipt of goods. If payment is not made within the 30-day time frame, interest is incurred and is automatically assessed by Albany for the vendor. Thus, the campus is unaware of its true financial obligations.
To comply with Internal Control Audit recommendations, confirming orders are not allowed. Therefore, a confirming requisition will not be accepted unless authorization as a justifiable emergency has first been obtained from the campus Purchasing Department or is one of the following exceptions under $2,500: advertising expense; moving expenses for the college; medical examinations for employees as required by the college; personal safety equipment such as protective glasses or shoes for employees as required by the college; delivery charges, i.e. Fed EX, UPS, truck freight; personal reimbursement of registration fees to employees; payment to "On Campus Services" i.e.Auxiliary Services (other than the College Book store); reimbursement of money to individuals from over payment of fees or fines.
PREFERRED SOURCE: Preferred Sources are purchases made from the Department of Correctional Services, Industries for the Blind, Industries for the Disabled, and Veteran's Workshops. The campus is required by law to attempt to use preferred sources first before considering other sources. Other sources may be used (State Contracts, open bidding) when the preferred source does not meet the form, fit or utility of the requirements.
PURCHASE ORDER: A purchase order is the document that requests a vendor/supplier to furnish to the campus specified commodities/services. A purchase order is processed by the Purchasing Department based on a requisition received from a department.
QUOTATION: A quotation is the current price/s and pertinent information needed from a vendor/supplier for which they will furnish specified commodities and/or services.
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION: A Request For Quotation is used to acquire the price/s and pertinent information needed from a vendor/supplier before placing a purchase order.
REQUISITION: A requisition is the form departments use to request the Purchasing Department to purchase specified commodities and/or services.
SERVICES: Services means, except with respect to contracts for state printing, the performance of a task or tasks and may include a good or a quantity of material goods, and which is the subject of any purchase or other exchange. For this definition, services shall not apply to those contracts for architectural, engineering or surveying services, or those contracts approved in accordance with prompt contracting and interest payments for not-for-profit organizations.
STATE TERM CONTRACT/S: A State term contract is a negotiated agreement between the State of New York and a vendor for the delivery of specific commodities, at a specific price, for a specified period of time. The Office of General Service (OGS) negotiates term contracts under which all New York State agencies may purchase their requirements for standard commodities that are in common use without the need for quotations or formal bidding.