UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH POLICY 05-02-15

CATEGORY:              FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
SECTION:                  Purchasing
SUBJECT:                 Required Use of Contracted Suppliers
EFFECTIVE DATE:   August 4, 2004
PAGE(S):                   1

I.    SCOPE

      This policy establishes the responsibilities for all persons with purchasing authority

      (purchasers) regarding the use of University contracted suppliers.

II.   POLICY

      The Purchasing Department is authorized to negotiate and implement University-wide

      contracts that will provide the University with the overall best value for purchased goods

      and services based on competitive pricing, quality, excellent service, favorable delivery

      terms, and efficient ordering and payment processes.

      All University units are required to use University contracted suppliers, when available, to

      purchase goods and services.  A listing of these suppliers is provided at

      http://cfo.pitt.edu/pexpress/purchases/contractedSuppliers.php.

      When contracted suppliers are not available for a particular commodity or service,

      University purchasers must follow the University’s competitive bidding requirements (see

      Policy 05-02-16), or directed or sole-source purchase justification requirements (see

      Policy 05-02-17).

      When the contracted supplier and product are available on the Internet Procurement

      System, all University units are required to utilize the Internet Procurement System to

      execute the purchase transaction.

III.  REQUIREMENTS FOR RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

      University purchasing policies and procedures cover the purchasing requirements under

      OMB Circular A-110 for grants and cooperative agreements.  For research contracts,

      however, there may be additional contractual requirements related to purchasing. 

      Research Administrators and Principle Investigators are responsible for identifying and

      complying with any additional purchasing provisions, such as the Federal Acquisition

      Regulations (FARs), that may be included in the terms of their research contracts.  The

      Purchasing Department is available to provide assistance in complying with any additional

      research contract purchasing provisions.

IV.  REFERENCES

      Policy 05-02-02, Conflict of Interest and Procurement Relationships

      Policy 05-02-03, Code of Ethics

      Policy 05-02-14, Authority for Management of Procurement

      Policy 05-02-16, Competitive Bidding

      Policy 05-02-17, Directed or Sole Source Purchase Justification

      Directed or Sole Source Justification Form