Before you buy
Start from the requirement, not the vendor: what you actually need, which funding string pays for it (and whether that source has restrictions — grants often do), and whether it needs competition. Check for an existing contract first — many common goods and services are already on a university, state, or cooperative agreement with negotiated pricing, and using one skips the bidding step. For anything involving software or data, technology and information-security review is required before purchase; for anything the public will use, accessibility must be part of the specification. Sustainability and diverse-supplier considerations are built into the process, not add-ons.
Thresholds and competition
Spending rules step up by dollar amount. Small purchases can be made directly, often on a purchasing card, with light documentation. A middle tier requires a few documented quotes. Above the formal threshold, Purchasing runs a competitive process — a public request for quotes or proposals with defined evaluation criteria — and the department participates in scoring but does not run it. Splitting a large purchase into smaller ones to dodge a threshold is a policy violation. Sole-source purchases (only one vendor can meet the need) are allowed but require a written justification that survives scrutiny.
Contracts and signatures
Only specific officials hold delegated authority to sign a contract that binds the university — a department chair, a faculty member, or a staff member signing a vendor agreement, a clickwrap "I agree," or an event contract without that authority creates a personal and institutional problem. Route any agreement (including free trials, data-sharing terms, and NDAs) through Purchasing and, as needed, legal, risk management, and information security, and do it early: rushed contract review the week of an event is how bad terms get accepted.
Receiving and payment
Standard terms are net 30 days from a correct invoice and confirmed receipt of the goods or services. Suppliers should reference the purchase order number and send invoices straight to Accounts Payable; the department confirms what arrived so payment can release. Keep the PO, packing slips, and any acceptance documentation together — that record is what an audit checks, and it is also what protects the department in a dispute over what was delivered.
Questions?
See the full staff & office directory for any phone number or email. Because this is a fictional parody site, addresses and phone numbers are illustrative and do not reach a real university.