Policies and Procedures
- Shelby Topping
Purchases on behalf of the University are typically made via Contract, Blanket Purchase Order, Purchase Order, or Credit Card and have signature authority guidelines. The policies and procedures related to these procurement methods are outlind below.
Table of Contents:
ALL UNIVERSITY CONTRACTS:
Send all contracts for execution as per the Contract Execution Policy. When entering the Datatel purchase requisition, briefly describe the contracted service and include the contract start date and termination date. If it is a multi-year contract, state that on the requisition.
STEPS TO BE FOLLOWED BY UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS FOR ALL CONTRACTS:
Enter a purchase requisition into Datatel and briefly describe the contract.
Make a copy of the contract to retain in the Department.
Include the requisition number in the subject line when emailing the contract to contract.review@valpo.edu, as per the Contract Execution Policy.
Procurement will send the signed contract and purchase order to the vendor. If payment is required, Procurement will work with Accounts Payable to include a check.
Contract Retention Policy: All contracts should be retained in the department for the full length of the active contract period. Then, for record retention, the contract must be retained five years beyond the contract end date.
University Policy for Purchases More Than $10,000:
In an effort to obtain the best value for the goods and services purchased and to comply with federal grant requirements, purchases of more than $10,000 require three (3) competitive quotes.
Three suppliers should be provided with identical requests for quote information/specifications and given an equal opportunity to quote.
When the vendor has been selected, enter the requisition in Datatel.
Send all three quotes to Procurement. Quotes are retained for the annual audit.
If less than three quotes are obtained, send a brief memo or email to the Procurement office explaining why three competitive quotes were not obtained. In some instances, lack of competition or the type of service may prohibit obtaining three quotes. If you need assistance locating a competitive supplier, please contact the Procurement office.
REVISING A CURRENT BLANKET PURCHASE ORDER (BPO)
To increase/decrease the encumbrance on a BPO, email vu.purchasing@valpo.edu.
Please specify:
The BPO number.
The dollar amount of the increase or decrease.
If requesting an increase in the encumbrance, send a copy of the email to the appropriate “Authorized Signer” in your department. If you are an authorized signer and the increase is within your limit, send an email to vu.purchasing@valpo.edu.
REVISING AN EXISTING PURCHASE ORDER (PO)
To revise an existing PO, send an email request to vu.purchasing@valpo.edu.
The Procurement office can make slight revisions to an existing PO. If the change is so great that it becomes a completely different order, the PO will be closed and a new requisition must be entered.
Please specify:
The PO number.
Request for revision.
When you are requesting a change that increases the encumbrance, copy the appropriate “Authorized Signer” in your department. If you are an authorized signer and the change is within your limit, send an email to vu.purchasing@valpo.edu.
SIGNATURE AUTHORIZATION
Authorized signers are individuals within each department who have been approved to make expenditures for the department up to their spending limit. Please refer to the VU Spend Authority by Title page for details.
When personnel changes affect signature authorization, contact the Procurement office. Those in the Procurement and Finance office who process purchases and expense requests must be kept informed about changes in signature authorization.
TECHNOLOGY PURCHASES
All Technology purchases must be approved and ordered through the IT Office
Please use the IT HelpDesk. All hardware and software purchased must be tracked in IT. Items like PCs, Laptops, ipads must be tagged by IT. Contact IT for purchases.
ON-LINE ORDERS
Orders placed on line with a purchase order, University credit card or personal credit card that will be reimbursed to a university employee, must be shipped to Valparaiso University and delivered during normal business hours. University purchased packages and items should not be shipped to your home address