Purchasing Goods & Services Guidelines

Process Steps:

Step 1:  Identify the need and business purpose. 

Step 2:  Evaluate your suppliers and obtain valid quotes.     

Step 3: DO NOT MAKE A PURCHASE OR AGREE TO A SERVICE WITHOUT A VALID PURCHASE ORDER (PO) OR CONTRACT.   

Step 4:  Check Workday to verify the supplier is already set-up.    If supplier is not a current vendor, proceed to Step 5. If the supplier exists, verify whether the supplier’s information /address is correct, if not you will need an updated Form W-9 emailed to .  If correct, proceed to Step 5. 

Step 5:  Request a W-9 and ACH banking information from the Supplier, Create New Supplier Request in Workday and proceed to Step 7.   

Step 6:  Choose type of purchase or service and follow the below process.  NOTE:  Gift Card Purchases are NOT ALLOWED. 

Purchase or Service Type		Process
All purchases of goods or services that are not listed below:		Purchase Order (PO) Request in Workday: Create a Requisition that generates a PO.   Proceed to Step 7 unless,  If a signed agreement or contract is involved – go to iContracts
One-time situation:  No terms and conditions.  Small micro-purchase.  Examples: membership fees, hotel deposit, place a hold on a good or service.		Use a P-card.  Most P-cards have a overall credit limit of $3,500 and a single swipe limit of $1,500.  If one-time purchase is higher, use your Division VP’s P-card or request a one-time higher limit by completing a P-Card Request Form in Workday.   Proceed to Step 7
Amazon purchases, goods and supplies  Cheaper pricing, items and offers that are only available for Amazon Business customers, volume-tiered discounts.  Some restrictions:   IT and computer equipment must be requested through .  Furniture must be requested through Physical Plant at .    Gift Card purchases are not allowed.  Access through Workday.  Amazon Business FAQs.		Amazon for Business  Email to confirm user account set up.  To access link, in Workday go to Create Requisition.   In Requisition Type, select Supplier Website, click OK.  Click Connect to Supplier Website.  Click on Connect at the right of the Amazon Business logo.  After purchase has been made, you will be returned to Workday to finish the process that creates a PO#.   Proceed to Step 7
One-time or consistent payments usually under the $10,000 threshold:  Examples: Utility payments, legal services, library acquisitions, contractor/contingent worker services  If over $10k, terms & conditions may be iContracts		Proceed to Step 6,   Once invoice is received proceed to Step 7 for a Supplier Invoice Request (SIR).

Step 6:  Order the goods and/or services, be sure to include the approved PO number to supplier. 

 Step 7:  After the delivery of the goods and/or services is complete, follow the guide below depending on purchase type: 

Purchase Order Invoice Submission	P-Card Reconciliation	Supplier Invoice Request (SIR) Submission	Amazon for Business
Supplier sends an invoice to the Requester.  Check that the Supplier address matches Workday information.  If it not, you must get an updated Form W-9 first emailed to .  Requester ensures a PO# is on the invoice, scans and uploads to apoffice@marymount.edu  Accounts Payable (AP) will process the invoice.   The requester will receive a task in Workday called Create a Receipt.   Enter the PO#, upload a copy of the invoice, enter the exact amount to be paid, and Submit.  This process needs to be followed in order or the invoice will not pay out and will cause a Match Exception with the purchase order.  For every invoice there must be a receipt to match.	By the 5th business day of the month after the transaction has occurred, complete reconciliation.  In Workday reconcile all charges, provide detailed transaction description. Upload receipts.  If original receipts are not available, contact the vendor, if the vendor cannot provide a receipt, complete a Missing Receipt Affidavit.  Submit.	Supplier sends an invoice to the Requester.  Requester submits the invoice for payment in Workday via Create Supplier Invoice Request.   Submit	The Buyer/Requestor will receive an invoice by email from Amazon Business.  Nothing for the Requester to do, the PO process will move forward and continue through approval process.

Definitions 

• Requester:  The employee that submits the requisition or invoice in Workday. 
• Buyer:  After a Purchase Order (PO) is approved and issued, the Requester becomes the Buyer listed on the PO. 

Sole Source Purchasing

Definition
A sole source exists when goods or services, because of unique characteristics or other reasons, are only available from a single source. Sole source justifications are reviewed and approved by Procurement Services prior to an order being placed. When an alternate supplier for a product or service cannot be identified, to the best of the requester’s knowledge, based upon thorough research, a sole source justification must be provided. The sole source justification should document the good faith effort made in searching for other suppliers, include a list of the unique technical specifications required of the product, and the companies that were contacted in the search for alternate sources.

Guidelines:

• A sole source justification is required for every purchase over the Direct Buy Limit ($10,000 including shipping and handling, but excluding tax) unless the purchase is being made from an existing contract, the supplier is specifically named in the funding source award, or the purchase is being competitively solicited.
• Sole source cannot be based on quality or preference
• Sole Source Statement cannot be provided/written by the Supplier
• Sole source cannot be based on price comparisons as it indicates the existence of a competitive marketplace, please reach out to Procurement and they will work with you on issuing a competitive solicitation.

Sole Source Justification Criteria
A Sole Source justification describes the steps taken to determine that the chosen supplier is the only source available for your product/service. The following list of criteria may be used in determining if a sole source situation exists:

1. Only one manufacturer makes the item meeting required specifications; that manufacturer only sells direct or exclusively through one regional/national distributor; Describe the steps taken to determine only one source exists.
2. Item must be identical to equipment already in use to ensure compatibility with existing equipment or systems, and that item is only available from one source. Provide a previous po number or equipment inventory tag number in your sole source justification.
3. Named in award: Supplier is specifically named by the funding source award documents, inter-agency agreement, or clinical trials agreement. Proposal documents are not considered an “award document”.
4. Maintenance or repair by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and the manufacturer does not have multiple agents to perform these services.
5. Replacement or spare parts are required from the OEM, and the OEM does not have distributors for those parts.
6. Patented items or copyrighted materials, which are only available from the patent or copyright holder.
7. Consultants only: The chosen Consultant has unique expertise, background in recognized field of endeavor, the result of which may depend primarily on the individual’s invention, imagination, or talent. Consultant has advanced or specialized knowledge, or expertise gained over an extensive period of time in a specialized field of experience.
8. A Market Survey has been conducted to determine whether other suppliers capable of satisfying the requirements exist. A list of all the suppliers contacted, along with the reason why each supplier could not meet the requirements should be provided with the sole source justification.

Federally funded sole source purchases are limited to the following categories:

• the item is available only from a single source – describe the steps taken to determine there are no other suppliers
• the public exigency or emergency for the requirement will not permit a delay resulting from competitive solicitation
• after solicitation of a number of sources, competition is deemed inadequate

Note: An item being a “sole brand” or “sole manufacturer” does not automatically qualify as a “sole source”. Many manufacturers sell their products through distributors. Therefore, even if a purchase is identified as a valid “sole brand” or “sole manufacturer”, the department should verify whether the manufacturer has multiple distributors. If the manufacturer does have multiple distributors, competition should be sought, Procurement Services can work with you on a competitive solicitation.