Procurement/Payables

For studies that the results of it lead to decision making process as next step, are they considered consulting or professional service?

Each department will have to assess these scenarios on a case by case basis. Please refer to the PSDoc.2001 Bill 122- Consulting vs Non-Consulting Services April 2011, on what are professional services and what are consulting.

The differentiating factor between professional services and consulting is whether the service is mostly “thinking” and whether it is strategic versus tactical in nature.

Is survey (Data Evaluation) considered consulting?

No. Data evaluation is related to specific operational needs and, therefore, is professional service.

There is an object code for consultants specifically; would there be one for professional services?

For professional services, we don’t have one object code for all. However, there are various object codes for different professional services in FRS. Please pick the correct object code applicable to your purchases.

On the Single Source/Sole Source Form, there is a scenario of “exceptionally advantageous circumstances”. I negotiated with my supplier and get an exceptionally good discount, can I select this?

The scenario of “exceptionally advantageous circumstances” refers to the circumstances of taking advantage of the rare opportunities such as the supplier is in situation of bankruptcy or receivership. Getting a good discount as result of negotiation doesn’t fall into this category.

Negotiation is an effective way in seeking better value from suppliers but cannot justify single source or sole source.

If I invited 3 suppliers or more to quote but only received one quote, and the other two suppliers declined to quote, should I use a Single Source Sole Source Form for this situation?

No. The written responses from the two suppliers declining to quote along with the one quote you received can be attached with your requisition to justify your supplier selection.

However, when we select suppliers to participate in our competitive process, we should use our best judgement in the screening process so that the suppliers who have reasonable possibility to respond effectively to our request are invited.

For the Single Source/Sole Source, some Professors are also the department chair, so they have the signing authority to approve single source sole source form. Do I need to get approval from higher level such as Dean?

Yes. Minimum of two signatures are required on the Single Source/Sole Source form before it’s forwarded to Purchasing Services. If the requestor happens to be the same person as who has the signing authority to approve the Single Source/Sole Source, such as the department chair, a higher level approval is required.

Can the delegate by department signing authority sign the Single Source/Sole Source form?

The delegate can sign off the Single Source/Sole Source form only when:

A.  The department signing authority has delegated him/her under Financial Services’ General policy GE 5.0 - Delegation of Authority for Commitment of University Funds upon Budget Allocation, and

B.   The department authority is not available at the time of request. 

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Procurement/Payables