7.5 Purchasing

Added: 11/07/2013
Revised: 07/08/2015
Last Reviewed: 07/31/2018
Effective: 08/07/2015

 

 

 

 

 

Overview

These sections are designed to provide a reference for Administrators, Faculty, and Staff in the determination of regulations, policies and procedures for using Procurement Services, and the proper methods for working with its service sections to obtain assistance and formalized procedures for processing requests (orders), follow‑up inquiries, and orderly monitoring of the status of initiated requests.

Sometimes University administrative personnel responsible for specific budgets or funds may require additional procedures beyond the scope of this Manual. Procurement Services personnel should be contacted to assist with these situations.

As stated in Section 3 of the USG Business Procedures Manual:

The University System of Georgia (USG) operates in a complex purchasing environment. It is governed by laws of the state of Georgia, policies of the Board of Regents, regulations of the state Department of Administrative Services (DOAS), regulations of the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA), and regulations of the Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services (OTFS).

Also stated in Section 3 of the USG Business Procedures Manual and applicable to the MGA University Policy Manual:

This section provides a brief summary of selective purchasing rules and regulations affecting USG institutions. It is beyond the scope of this document to provide all pertinent information, forms, and procedures about specific purchasing requirements as promulgated by DOAS or GTA. For any requirements or issues not covered in this section, the institution’s procurement office should contact the Department of Administrative Services for guidance. Extensive information about DOAS procurement policy and procedures is available online.

Policy

BOR Policy 7.7 states:

Purchasing regulations will be published and distributed periodically to the various operating units in Section 3.0, Purchasing and Contracts, of the Business Procedures Manual.

BOR Policy 7.7.1 requires that the college have one centralized purchasing office under the direct management and control of the chief business officer.

Any services, supplies, materials or equipment required by an employee of Middle Georgia State University (MGA) in the performance of their individual duties will be purchased from funds budgeted for such purposes within their department.

The charging of purchases to the University for services, materials or supplies without appropriate written or electronic approval conflicts with the State laws governing purchases. Any employee who does not comply with this policy will be held personally liable for the costs of items involved and may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

An approved Purchase Order is required for purchases and may only be issued by the University’s Procurement Officer or his/her designee after the requisition(s) have gone through the necessary approvals. The type of purchase and method of purchasing is determined by the Purchasing Office. Qualified purchasing card purchases have been delegated to the department by the purchasing office.

Purchasing Responsibilities

The Purchasing Department is responsible for the procurement of all materials, supplies, equipment and services required by all departments and units of Middle Georgia State University. This responsibility includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Implementing efficient and effective processes and procedures that align with Federal and State Laws, Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) regulations and procedures, and University System of Georgia policies and guidelines,
  2. Management of electronic requisitions (ePro),
  3. Issuance of Request for Proposals (RFP) and Request for Quotes (RFQ),
  4. Bidding purchases as necessary,
  5. Issuing purchase orders and placing orders,
  6. Administering the State of Georgia Purchasing Card Program,
  7. Providing purchase information as required/requested by DOAS.
  8. Communicates with College Departments/Units concerning purchasing rules, regulations and processes.
  9. Maintains centralized records and control of all University Procurement files following the Department of Administrative Services Policies;
  10. Provides using Departments/Units with current cost information on supplies, equipment, and materials as requested, and processes orders for these needs;
  11. Negotiates adjustments and claims for defective or incorrect items;
  12. Documents and reports to the Executive Vice President for Finance & Operations any matter related to these sections which either has the appearance of illegality or could violate the integrity of the University regarding the public administration aspect of this Manual.

 Designation of Agency (University) Procurement Officer

Each State agency or institution is required to designate an individual as the Agency Procurement Officer to implement the requirements of the State purchasing system. The Director of Purchasing is the designated Agency Procurement Officer for MGA.

The agency procurement officer may be referred to as College/University Procurement Officer (CUPO), agency (university) procurement officer or procurement officer.

Guidance

These policies and guidelines have been developed in accordance with rules and regulations established by the Board of Regents, State Purchasing Office of the Department of Administrative Services, and the statutes of the State of Georgia as annotated in the Official Code of Georgia (Sec. 50).

Guidance for the performance of the Purchasing Office functions and responsibilities is provided by several sources. The primary authorities are:

  1. The Department of Administrative Services (DOAS), the Agency empowered by the Purchasing Act, State of Georgia Annotated Code 50-5,
  2. The State of Georgia Procurement Manual,
  3. The Board of Regents Policy Manual,
  4. The Board of Regents Business Procedures Manual,
  5. Middle Georgia State University (MGA) Policy Manual.