Related Policies and Guidelines

TBR Policy 4:02:10:00 Purchasing Policy

TBR Policy 4.02.10.10 Procurement Card Policy

The responsibilities for the purchasing of supplies, materials, and equipment from outside vendors for all college departments have been centralized in the office of Purchasing under the authority of the Purchasing Coordinator. The operation of the office of Purchasing is designed to relieve the faculty and other staff of most of the details connected with procurement.

In accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee and Tennessee Board of Regents policies and guidelines, it is the responsibility of the office of Purchasing to procure all supplies, services, or equipment as needed by the College in a manner that will ensure maximum value is obtained. The budget manager requesting to make a purchase should conduct research in an effort to determine the best value for the College and initiate a request for purchase in the Banner system according to institutional procedures.  All non-emergency purchases should be requested in Banner unless a preapproved exception is authorized.

If a new contract is required, a request for contract form is sent to the office of Purchasing.  See Policy 04:34:00 Outside Contracting for details of this process.

The Requisition for Purchase is completed by the department requesting an item(s) to be purchased and is automatically forwarded to the appropriate approving management by Banner. The requestor should include the description of the items needed; fund, organization, account, and program codes (FOAP); cost; and the suggested vendor’s name and address.  Any associated contracts or quotes should be referenced in Document Text. To ensure that materials, equipment, and services are received in a timely manner, a specific desired delivery date must be specified. 

Requisitions for the purchase of materials and supplies should be submitted electronically in Banner as needed periodically throughout the year. In order to have equipment available for students beginning the fall semester, requisitions for equipment should be submitted as soon as possible after the beginning of the fiscal year. The Office of Purchasing will help locate items or catalogs for any special requests. (Reference the Northeast State Purchasing Policy and Procedures Manual for detailed policy and procedures.)

As discussed in TBR Policy 4:02:10:00 Purchasing Policy, all requisitions for purchases totaling $10,000 or more must be bid unless a State of Tennessee term contract is available. Solicitation of bids, negotiation with suppliers, and obligation for purchase will be conducted by the office of Purchasing.

A Northeast State purchase order is required for all supplies, equipment, or services purchased from any funds of the College whether funds arise from State or Federal appropriation, student fees, grants, endowments, contracts, agency funds, or other sources. Once a requisition is electronically approved by all required levels of management, the office of Purchasing will create the Purchase Order. Special or unusual procurement problems should be brought to the attention of the Purchasing Office.

The requesting department should confirm the accuracy of the purchase order against the requisition for any discrepancies and report them immediately to the Office of Purchasing. Upon receipt of the merchandise or service, any discrepancies should be reported in writing to the Purchasing Office and Accounts Payable.

• Emergency Purchases:
  
  When there is an immediate need for a materials, supplies or services that cannot wait for the normal purchase requisition to be approved, an employee may purchase the materials using a NORCARD (if pre-approved by their Division Vice President and the Vice President for Finance and  Administration), or using their personal funds and subsequently  request to be reimbursed.
  
  All emergency purchases using personal funds to be reimbursed must be pre-approved by the division Vice President or their designee prior to making the purchase.  In this case, a written request/paper requisition for reimbursement should be provided and approved by all levels of management in the employee’s management chain, the Vice-President of Finance and Administration and the President.  Detailed receipts must be provided to document what was purchased, and an explanation of why the standard purchasing process could not be used must be included.  Once all approvals are received, the employee will be reimbursed.

• Norcard Purchases: