Purchasing "Do's" and "Don'ts"

Below are some acceptable and unacceptable practices when initiating procurements for your respective departments.

Acceptable:
- Prepare for your requisition in plenty of time.
- Emphasize functional or performance criteria while limiting design or other detailed physical descriptions that does not meet your needs.
- Encourage open and free competition.
- Accompany your requisition with a written justification, if your need can only be met by a specification which has:
  - The effect of exclusively requiring a proprietary supply.
  - Service
  - Major repair item or
  - Procurement from a single source. (Justification is subject to Purchasing approval before an official Purchase Order is issued)
- Set the "delivery date" on the requisition as a meaningful and realistic date.
- Use a specific date rather than: "ASAP", "NOW", "RUSH", etc.
- Notify Purchasing immediately upon observing shortages or damage to received goods.
- Be specific when preparing your requisition. Part number, size, quantity, colors, etc.
- Call us for assistance if you need assistance with a requisition, or the Ellucian/Colleague system.
Unacceptable:
- Debriefing: Disclose the details of a purchase you plan to make to a vendor thereby giving him/her advantage over the others.
- Bid-shopping: Disclose one's vendor’s price and inviteing the other vendor to beat it.
  - It is unethical
  - You could lose a good vendor and supplier
  - You could be the cause of a big lawsuit for the University
- Waiting until you are in trouble with a supplier. Call purchasing for assistance.
- Accepting demonstration equipment from salesmen without advising the Director of Purchasing.
- Buying prior to submitting a requisition and/or having an authorized purchase order on hand.
- Failing to notify the Purchasing department if you have received or picked up an order from a supplier.
- Signing a sales agreement with a vendor and/or supplier for any University property.