SOURCES AND METHODS OF PURCHASING
College of Charleston Requisition
SOURCES AND METHODS OF PURCHASING
Which Method?: There are a number of purchase methods authorized for the procurement of goods, services and equipment. You must determine which method fits the type and dollar value of your specific need before you take any purchasing action. In situations where you are not certain which method applies to your specific need- call your Procurement Officer.
Assistance: All departments are encouraged to contact theProcurement Officer responsible for their functional area before taking any purchase action if they are unsure of how to proceed.
First Sources of Supply: State and College sources must be evaluated before requesting a purchase order to an outside source. Consideration must be given to surplus property, Central Stores stock, State Term Contract, College Term Contract, and Prison Industries for goods and services; Copy Center for copying and Citadel Print Shop and MUSC Print Shop for printing needs. These transactions are accomplished using the College of Charleston Request Form. See reference to specific area for more detailed procedures. Office supplies should be purchased on-line with Corporate Express for next day delivery to your office. Contact Procurement for details and sign-up.
Petty Cash: Small immediate need materials or supplies with an aggregate total of $50 or less may be purchased with cash. A Petty Cash Form properly completed, with a valid receipt, will be reimbursed. Purchases artificially divided into smaller purchases to circumvent the Petty Cash Guidelines will be treated as unauthorized purchases. Complete instructions are contained on the form.
Purchasing Card The Purchasing Card is a Visa credit card issued by Bank of America. It is a fast, flexible new purchasing tool which offers an alternative to the existing College purchasing processes and provides an extremely efficient and effective method for purchasing and paying for small purchases with a total value of $1,500 or less. The card is to be used only for official College purchases. It may not be used for personal purchases.
The Visa Purchasing Card will enable you to purchase non-restricted commodities, in person or by telephone, fax, internet, or mail directly from the vendors. It will eventually eliminate the need for issuing low dollar purchase orders, many blanket purchase orders, and the use of many Direct Expenditure Vouchers.
The Visa Purchasing Card will be issued in the approved employee's name with the State of South Carolina emblem, the wording "For Official Use Only" and the College of Charleston clearly indicated on the card. Complete explanation of the program is included in Procurement Card Manual.
Expenditure Authorization: Generally no payments can be made to a vendor without a purchase order. In a few specific cases non-purchase order payments may be initiated for paying certain items exempt from the Procurement Code (See Department Purchase Method listing .) This may be accomplished through an Expenditure Authorization Form . The forms may be obtained from Accounts Payable in the Controller's Office. The Departmental Purchase Method (DPM) number should be entered in upper left-hand corner of the form. The rest of the form is self-explanatory, and after it is completed and signed by an authorized fund administrator/department head, it should be forwarded to the Controller's Office. A proper explanation for payment should be noted on the form in the space provided and the invoice or supporting documentation attached. Expenditure Authorizations may not be used in place of the Purchase Order system to contract with outside vendors for any other goods or services. As noted above, sufficient documentation must accompany any Expenditure Authorization to verify it meets the above guidelines. Examples of documentation are: invoices, letters, printed advertising, and order forms.
College of Charleston Requisition: The Purchase Requisition is used to initiate all purchase transactions other than those using Petty Cash, Purchasing Card or Expenditure Authorization systems described previously. As part of the College's computerized system, Purchase requisitions are normally entered on a personal computer or terminal using the FRS system. FRS Automated Requisitioning Procedures manual is given to each individual completing automated requisitioning training. (Contact . Procurement Manager to schedule training). Until a department has equipment and training is accomplished, requests may be completed on a College of Charleston Request Form . Blank three part forms are available from the Controller's Office. Request Forms should be as explicit as possible. When properly completed on the FRS system, the requisition authorizes Procurement to process the requisition and issue a purchase order. The following points should be addressed on each purchase request:
- Date materials/services are needed
- Proper account title and number and object code (see Business & Finance Manual)
- Clearly indicated unit of measure such as each, dozen, case, gallon,
- Clear description of material or service required
- Listing of suggested vender(s) with contact name and telephone number.
- Signature of authorized fund administrator
In addition, if not using the automated system, you should check for adequate budget balance and fund availability before requesting purchasing action.
