New Procurement Guidelines

Updated 6/5/2017

New procurement guidelines apply to all Concur purchases over $3,000.   Please refer to this policy when entering requests for reimbursement in Concur. 

The new procurement standards require additional documentation when purchasing supplies and equipment to ensure that competitive pricing is attained and to certify that there is no conflict of interest between the purchaser and vendor.  For consistency and appropriate oversight, all grants awarded to USF must follow these procurement policies and procedures.

There are five different classifications of purchasing.   The most appropriate classifications for USF grants and their definitions are listed below.  Most purchasing at USF will fall under the Micro-purchase and Small purchase classifications.

  • Micro-purchase: $0 - $3,000

These are purchases where the aggregate dollar amount on an invoice does not exceed $3,000.  No competitive quotes are required if the Office of Sponsored Programs determines that the price is reasonable. When practical, the entity should distribute micro-purchases equitably among qualified suppliers.

  • Small purchase: $3,000 - $150,000

These include purchases where the aggregate dollar amount on one invoice is between $3,000 - $150,000. Informal purchasing procedures are acceptable, but price or rate quotes must be obtained from at least three sources. 

  • Competitive proposals:> $150,000

This is used for purchases over $150,000. This procurement method requires formal solicitation.   The resulting contract should be awarded to the responsible firm whose proposal is most advantageous to the program and price is one of the factors for selection.

  • Noncompetitive proposals 

This is also known as sole-source procurement and may be appropriate only when specific criteria are met.   Examples are when an item is available only from one source or when a federal awarding agency authorizes the purchase. 

USF’s purchasing department will determine whether a purchase falls under the noncompetitive proposal classification.

All expenses for supplies and equipment need to be included in the grant budget, each of them need an itemized receipt, and have to be under $5,000. If the expense is over $5,000, a Dean’s approval email needs to be attached

All purchasing of supplies and equipment should go through the Purchasing & Ancillary Services (PAAS) department. Their website can be found here. 

All purchases of computer equipment must be done through the Office of Information Technology 

Technology Acquisition Life Cycle Management Policy
Computer Refresh High-Level Process

Please Note:

Any purchases made with grant funds where the aggregate dollar amount for the entire purchase exceeds $3,000 must be made through the Purchasing department.  This can be done either by submitting a Purchase Requisition, or through their Online Ordering link.  This will ensure that all the requirements for each purchase are met and adequately documented.

Any purchase submitted via an expense report in Concur for supplies and/or equipment whose aggregate exceeds $3,000 will not be approved.