Administrative Responsibility:   Associate Vice President for Business Services / Procurement

PURPOSE

Procurement & Strategic Sourcing (Procurement) is the central department responsible for the acquisition and purchase of equipment, supplies, and services for Wayne State University (WSU).  This authority is vested by the Board of Governors per University Policy 04-6, Contract Signatories.  Procurement is responsible for obtaining the best value for the University in the procurement of all goods and services.  This responsibility must be discharged in accordance with ethical practices of the purchasing profession. Procurement is committed to adhering to the codes of conduct, obligations, and ethics mandated by the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). We conform to the laws of the Uniform Commercial Code and all laws stipulated by local, state and federal government. 

SCOPE

This Policy applies to all WSU employees and external contractors involved in the procurement of goods and services for the University, whether as an administrator within a Department or Unit, or the final end user of such goods and services.  This policy includes acquisition both by the requisitioning / purchase order (PO) process and by Procard.

DEFINITIONS

The following are terms and definitions of some commonly used terms in the procurement cycle:

POLICY

The Board of Governors Contract Award Statute, Wayne State University Statutes Section 2.81.01, requires routine contracts in excess of $50,000 to be awarded on the basis of competitive bid or request for proposal. In addition, Procurement reserves the right to solicit competitive bids at any amount, whenever known competition exists. Please see APPM section 2.4 for description of the competitive bid, Request for Information (RFI), and Request for Proposal (RFP) processes.

This policy incorporates standards set by the Federal Office of Management and Budget - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, & Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; Title 2, Subtitle A, Chapter II, Part 200 Procurement Standards Sections 200.317 through 200.326 , which apply to any University purchase made with federal funds. The policy applies to National Science Foundation (NSF) awards or funding amendments commencing as of March 01, 2018, and all other federal awards or amendments commencing with the University's fiscal year 2019, or October 1, 2018.  This policy includes federal dollar-specific bid limits, including the Micro Purchase, Small Purchase, Sealed Bids, and Competitive Proposals, and the appropriate purchases and thresholds under each category.  The complete policy can be found at U.S Government Publishing Office's eCFR site by clicking on this link.  Additional information regarding specific dollar thresholds can be found in APPM Policy 2.9 - Federal Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Procurement Standards for Federal Awards, and Appendix 1 of Section 2.9 contains a copy of the policy as of 6-18-2018.  The current policy on the eCFR site will always prevail over Appendix 1.

Any written agreement between WSU and a non-WSU party is a contract and is enforceable by law. University Policy 04-6, Contract Signatories, identifies the administrative officers who have the authority to sign contracts, and any subsequent delegation of their authority. Signatory authority may not be delegated below levels designated by the University Policy.  It is the Department or Unit's responsibility to strictly adhere to this policy.

No contract may be signed on behalf of WSU unless it has first been approved, in writing, by the Office of the General Counsel (OGC).  Exceptions to this rule include, but are not limited to, University Contract Forms, such as the Personal Services Agreement, the FP&M Construction Contract, the DOSO/Housing Artist contract, and the University Purchase Order, provided they have not been modified in any manner.  OGC has also granted exceptions for routine banquet agreements, routine equipment maintenance agreements, and individual use end-user software license agreements.

The Wayne State University Purchase Order (PO) is a legal and binding contract.  The PO is an offer to buy the specific goods or services described therein. All contract documents or agreements pertaining to a new or existing purchase order (PO) must be authorized in writing by Procurement. Purchases for equipment items at the capital asset level (currently $5,000 or more), using federal grant and contract funds, must have prior approval of the Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA), before a Purchase Order is issued.

Special authorization is required for the purchase of certain goods and services. Please refer to Special Approvals 2.2.1, Requisitioning Policy for the identification of those goods and services and the units authorized to approve the acquisition.

It is the responsibility of all faculty and staff to take appropriate steps to ensure that the University does not knowingly enter into any procurement transaction which could result in a conflict of interest situation.  Procurement brings any situation that appears to be questionable to the immediate attention of the appropriate University officers. Business transactions involving University employees are strictly prohibited unless they are specifically approved in advance by the Board of Governors as a board resolution.  Prohibited transactions include purchases from or contract with

1. An employee of the University
2. A firm in which the University employee is a partner, employee, director, officer, substantial stockholder, or stands to achieve personal or monetary gain; and/or where the University employee has solicited the contract, engaged in negotiation regarding the contract, or represented either the firm or the University in the transaction.

Please refer to University Policy 05-4 Contracts between Wayne State University and External Organizations in Which University Employees Participate for further information on the Conflict of Interest policy.

All goods and services purchased using University funds must be delivered to a University address.  There are two options to physically receive these items.  

1. Central Receiving (and certain specified locations) accepts delivery of goods and completes the receiving function in the University's eProcurement system, WayneBuy.
2. For goods or services delivered directly to a department, the department must immediately record the receipt in WayneBuy.  Job Aids for completion of online receivers and other WayneBuy related processes can be found at procurement.wayne.edu/waynebuy/jobaids.php.

For all PO related deliveries, it is critical that an accurate record of the receipt is entered into WayneBuy.  Any shipping or delivery discrepancies must be reported to Procurement immediately, as the Uniform Commercial Code limits the timeframe in which the University can make a claim.

Vendors are to send all invoices and billing inquiries related to POs to Accounts Payable at the address indicated on the PO (unless instructed otherwise by Procurement via the PO).

The University encourages the use of a University Procurement Card for the purchase of small dollar items with a transaction amount below $2,000, provided no special approval is required to make the purchase (see APPM 2.2.1).  For specific details on Procurement Card policy and procedure, please reference APPM 2.7.

OTHER PROCUREMENT AND PAYMENT METHODS

Under certain circumstances, there are other methods of procurement / payment that may be used.  Please refer to APPM sections 1.3.2, Disbursements Payment Request, and 1.3.6, Petty Cash, for more information about these other methods of payment.   

PROCEDURE

See Sections of the Procurement Policy as listed below for individual procedures

• 1) 2.2.2 General Requisitioning
• 2) 2.3.1 General Purchase Order Process
• 3) 2.3.4. Contracts for Specialized Services with Organizations
• 4) 2.4.1 Contracts and Competitive Bidding
• 5) 2.5.1 Personal Service Contracts
• 6) 2.6.1 Amendments to Purchase Orders
• 7) 2.7 Procurement Card
• 8) 2.8 Debarment Policy on Non-Responsible Vendor
• 9) 2.9 Federal Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Procurement Standards for Federal Awards
• 10) 2.10 Prevailing Wage Requirements for Construction and Construction-like Work

APPENDICES

1. Federal Office of Management and Budget - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, & Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; Title 2, Subtitle A, Chapter II, Part 200 Procurement Standards Sections 200.317 through 200.326

(See APPM Policy 2.9 Federal Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Procurement Standards for Federal Awards for the complete text in the Procurement Standards)

RELATED UNIVERSITY/BOARD POLICIES

1. 2.81.01 Contract Awards           

Effective Date: Prior to 2000

Revised Date: 6/27/2024

Reviewed Date: 3/05/2024

To be reviewed, at minimum, every three years and/or revised as needed by:  Associate Vice President for Business Services / Procurement

Next Review By Date: 3/05/2027

SUPERSEDES POLICY

1. N / A

HISTORICAL DATES

6/30/2020, 04/04/2017, 05/01/2016, 01/01/2013, 04/01/2012, 09/01/2010, 08/01/2009