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://www.bc.pitt.edu/purchasing/downloads/arContSupp.pdf.

     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