Procurement Policies and Procedures

Authorized Approval / Signatures

  • Pursuant to the University Signature policy, the Director of Procurement is the approval authority for any University purchase of goods or services, regardless of fund, that exceed, or have the potential to exceed $2,500.

  • Procurement supports a paperless procurement process, which is critical to streamlining and simplifying the process.  The benefits of maintaining all procurement files in buyWays include ease of filing, sharing of information and visibility, simplifying the audit process, and decrease in "wait time" during processing of purchase requisitions while waiting on manual approvals.

    Requisitions are electronically routed through approval channels in the buyWays eProcurement system. An approval of a requisition by a Project Investigator, Department Head, or their designee signifies that the commodity/service is needed and that funds are available.  Since buyWays is a secure system with controlled login access, any approval in the buyWays is the equivalent of a physical signature. Separate, physical signatures required for approval are not acceptable.  By maintaining both an automated and manual procurement process work is duplicated and the procurement process becomes a hurdle.

    Further, pursuant to the Disbursement Policy, a department head or other individual with spending authority is required to grant approval for a purchase prior to the purchase being made.  They are able to delegate their authority to approve purchases.  Delegates should be identified as someone to act on behalf of an approver.  That delegate should have knowledge of the appropriate budget, projects, purchases, etc. and should have an appropriate skill set so they can take on the responsibility of acting for, and being responsible for, the approver delegating to them.  This delegation needs only to be documented in some manner.  Delegation of approvals is critical to ensure a streamlined approval process in buyWays that will further simplify the overall procurement process.  Auto-approvals can be set up to any reasonable limit by department or grant if properly delegated.  There is no need to add additional approvals or tighter limits on buyWays POs.

    Employees signing any documents as the approving authority must sign their own name or use their own electric signature or userid.
  • Sole Source Procurement Form (Code Section 11-35-1560 and Regulation¬ 19-445.2105) must have the written approval of the Chief Financial Officer or his designee (currently the Comptroller, routed through the Procurement Director).
  • The Emergency Procurement Form (Code Section 11-35-1570 and Regulation 19-4¬45.2110) must have the written approval of the Procurement Director.