Purchasing assists in procuring equipment, materials, supplies and services; and monitors college expenditures for compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies.
Purchasing is committed to meeting the needs of the College and its departments and to making sure that state and federal laws and College regulations are followed. Laws regarding the use of public funds are very specific, so it is important that College procedures be carefully followed.
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING PURCHASES
All publicity materials distributed by a program or department of Gadsden State must have prior approval from the Public Relations and Marketing Department. This includes, but is not limited to, flyers, signs, print ads, new logos, radio ads, commercials/videos, billboards, posters specialty print and promotional items.
The Request for Services PR & Marketing Form must be completed when requesting PR & Marketing Services. The Request for Services PR & Marketing Form is located at the MyGadsdenState portal.
COLLEGE-WIDE CONTRACTS/PREFERRED VENDORS
The College regularly contracts with suppliers to provide, computers, copiers, paper, office supplies, IT equipment, janitorial supplies and other materials. All supplies and services contracted via college-wide contracts must be purchased from awarded suppliers.
ESTABLISHING VENDORS
To request new vendor/A numbers, departments must submit to Purchasing a completed IRS Form W-9, along with vendor contact information (an email address must be provided).
GIFTS AND PLAQUES
Gifts and plaques to Gadsden State employees are not allowed.
Gifts and plaques to non- Gadsden State employees are allowed if it is determined that the expenditures are in the best interest of the College (A.G. Opinion 2015-004). Purchase requisitions for gifts and plaques for non-Gadsden State employees must include: Recipient’s name, purpose, and cost.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) PURCHASES
Certain IT purchases (e.g. desktops, laptops, printers, printer cartridges, scanners, projectors, Adobe software, telephones) requires prior approval of the IT Department. Complete an IT Helpdesk Ticket at the MYGADSDENSTATE portal to obtain approval for IT related purchases.
MEALS/REFRESHMENTS/FOOD
This policy is intended to be neither all-inclusive nor to address every situation which may arise. Questions about specific situations not addressed in this policy and/or policy clarifications should be addressed to Purchasing at 256 549 8483.
This policy is applicable to expenditures of State funds. Questions and policy requirements related to meals where federal or other sponsored funds will be expended should be directed to Grants Management at 256 439 6835.
Sodexo (cafeteria) should be given first preference for purchases of food, meals, and refreshments. Contact Sodexo at Linda.Griffin@sodexo.com for quotes.
Except for meals and refreshments incidental to business meetings, the State Examiner’s office considers food and beverages for employees to be personal in nature and therefore unallowable costs.
When the meal is incidental it is expected that the group will continue through the agenda with little or no interruption. Box lunches, refreshments, or similar inexpensive meals may be provided for the sake of continuity. Note: Simply planning a meeting at mealtime does not make the meal integral to the meeting. If employees leave their normal business activities to go to a restaurant for a meal, the presumption will be the primary purpose was to eat rather than conduct business, even if business was discussed, and these meals are unallowable. Meals held prior to or subsequent to a business function/meeting are unallowable.
From an IRS perspective, for meals to qualify as a business expense, they must be ordinary and necessary and must directly be related to or associated with the College’s mission. In addition, a College employee must be present at the meal/event.
Because the State Examiner’s office and the IRS imposes strict documentation requirements on such expenditures, departments must be able to provide the following documentation on food/meal expenses:
- Amount (The amount per attendee cannot exceed the prescribed daily per-diem rate) Contact Accounts Payable at 256 549 8353 for per diem rates
- Date, time, place
- Business purpose served
- Listing of invited participants and their business relationship to the College
- Full agenda which includes time and location of meeting
MEMBERSHIPS
With the approval of the dean; faculty and staff memberships that are within the guidelines outlined below are allowable.
Faculty and staff memberships should return demonstrable benefits to the division/department in terms of its mission. In general, memberships must be in the name of the College with no benefits accruing to any particular individual or department. However, in cases where an individual membership will benefit the College, the individual membership will be allowable. The benefits to the College through both institutional and individual memberships should include:
- Receipt of scholarly journals and professional publications
- Professional development
- Instructional enhancement
PURCHASES EXCEEDING $5000
In compliance with Alabama State Law Act 2001-955, Section 4(a) (1), (2) and (3), Gadsden State (GS) requires the disclosure of certain information regarding vendors and their relationships with GS. When expenditures exceed $5000, Purchasing will provide vendors a Vendor Disclosure Statement to complete
and submit to Purchasing. Payment will not be made until a completed Vendor Disclosure Statement is on file. Contact Purchasing at 256 549 8244 or ahale@gadsdenstate.edu to determine if a Disclosure State is on file.
PURCHASES INVOLVING $50,000 OR MORE
Alabama Community College System policy mandates that there be public competition for purchases involving $50,000 or more. Therefore, competitive, sealed bids are required if the item needed is not already covered on an existing College contract. Because of the competitive bid requirement, this process can take 20 or more days to complete; therefore advanced planning is required for such purchases. The process may take significantly longer if user review of bids is delayed.
Purchases involving $50,000 or more cannot be divided into smaller purchases in an effort to circumvent the Alabama Competitive Bid Law. For example, multiple copies of the same item should be grouped into one requisition.
Bid Specifications
Competitive bid specifications should clearly state the minimum requirements necessary to achieve the overall goal of the procurement. Specifications should not be so specific that they limit competition by inclusion of unnecessary unique requirements.
There are multiple types of specifications depending on the type of good or service needed, including, but not limited to:
Provide a specific brand name or equal of the item(s).
Provide specific description including manufacturer, and/or catalog number, and/or model number.
Describe what a good or service is expected to do by defining desired result using performance indicators.
Provide a quantity of items needed.
Bid Specification Writing Checklist:
- Include only essential information in specifications required for function of purchase
- Exclude non-essential information not necessary for function of purchase
- Do not be too restrictive – Specifications should be capable of being met by more than one bidder
- Write in simple, clear and concise method
- Clearly identify goods and /or services sought
- Clearly state intended use
- Clearly state required lead time, when applicable
- Clearly define any compatibility requirements (e.g. brand / model, connectors, interfaces, etc.)
- Must include “or equal” when a specific product is specified
- Clearly define any special terms, conditions, reports, testing, warranty, maintenance, etc.
- Clearly define bidder qualification and reference requirements, when necessary
PURCHASE ORDERS
All purchases require an approved departmental Purchase Order. Purchases of goods and/or services should never be made with personal funds. Any such purchase may not be reimbursed.
PURCHASE ORDER ADJUSTMENTS
A purchase order is a binding contract between the College and the vendor. It cannot be modified or cancelled unilaterally. When changes in purchase orders (change orders) are required due to price changes or other necessary modifications, the request must be in writing to Purchasing (purchasing@gadsdenstate.edu). The request should include an explanation of the requested change and must be signed by the budget manager and in some instances must be signed by the appropriate Dean.
QUOTES
All purchase orders require a quotation (or quote). Quotes must be appended in Self Service Banner (SSB) Document Management (BDM). A quote is provided by the supplier (either in writing or via a designated website) to the department. The quote must include: price (in some instances price before discount or mark-up may be required), a description of the goods or services, and if applicable, a state, local, or national contract number.
SERVICE CONTRACT
Contracting for professional services such as consultants, license agreements, speakers, pianist, requires use of a Service Contract. Contact Legal Affairs at 256 439 6822, for questions regarding service contracts.
SOLE SOURCE ITEMS
Sometimes an item is available from only one source. It might be something such as a specific part, or equipment manufactured by only one manufacturer. When you wish to make such an acquisition, you must complete a Request for Sole Source Justification Form, and route it for approval.
STATE-WIDE CONTRACTS
State-wide contracts involving purchase of $50,000 or more are established by the State Purchasing Department. Contracts established by the State Purchasing Department must be used unless there is an existing Gadsden State bid for the commodities.
TRAVEL EXPENSES
College funds may expended for registration fees, hotel fees, and airfare.
In-State travel purchases requires an approved School Business Leave Form (located at the MyGadsdenState portal), along with a quote for registration fees, hotel rates, and airfare.
Out-of-State travel purchases requires an approved Out-of-State Travel Form (located at the MyGadsdenState portal), along with a quote for registration fees, hotel rages, and airfare.