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Miscellaneous Procedures
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Receipt of Goods and Services:
Departments are responsible for ensuring that goods and services
have been received prior to entering receiving data into the purchasing
system.
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Accounts payable uses the receiving data as authority to pay the vendor
for the goods or services.
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If payment is authorized for goods or services which have not been received
you could be held pecuniarily liable.
Complaints Against Vendors:
The State has a vendor complaint system which includes a vendor complaint
form that the vendor has to answer within seven days.
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Whenever a department feels a vendor has not satisfactorily delivered the
goods or services contracted for by a purchase order or contract, they
should contact their respective purchasing officer for reconciliation.
Travel Payments:
There are several methods available that can be used to pay for travel-related
expenses that do not require you to use your own money.
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One method is to use your Dining Club Card to pay for items such as airfare
and lodging and then request reimbursement on the travel reimbursement
form.
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Another method is to prepay expenses for hotels by processing a purchase
requisition (PR).
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Finally, you may contact The Citadel's contract travel agent, AAA, to arrange
airfare, etc.
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You may use the departmental purchasing card to pay.
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You must provide the agent with you travel authorization number.
Damaged/Returned Goods: The
respective procurement officer is to be notified of all goods received
and determined to be excessive, obviously damaged, non-acceptable, inappropriate
or substandard to the intended end-use for which it was purchased.
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It is the procurement officer's responsibility to negotiate and arrange
return of the goods.
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The procurement officer can be notified by e-mail message or memorandum.
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The original purchase order number must be referenced and a short description
of the required action to be taken.
Furniture, Floor Covering, Wall
Coverings and other Decorative or Ornamental Items:The purchase
of furniture, floor covering, wall coverings, or other decorative or ornamental
items for at least one of the following uses must be reported to and approved
by the Board of Visitors when the cost of the item exceeds five hundred
dollars:
- In an office or adjoining reception area utilized by the President
or Assistant President.
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In a board room or a conference room used as a board room.
- The report/approval request will be forwarded to the Chairman
of the Board of Visitors by the Director of Procurement Services
in letter format and will include the item(s) to be purchased
and prices.
- Departments requesting purchases of such items will contact
the Director of Procurement Services during the planning stages
of the purchase.
Assistance To Minority Businesses:The
Board of Visitors, The Citadel, has approved the following policy statement
regarding the use of Minority Business Enterprises (MBE's) in all aspects
of procurement:
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"The Board fully supports the efforts of the Governor and the State Legislature
to assist minority-owned businesses to develop as part of the State's policies
and programs which are designed to promote balanced economic and community
growth. The Board, therefore, wishes to ensure that those businesses owned
and operated by minorities in the State of South Carolina are afforded
the opportunity to participate fully in the overall procurement process
of The Citadel that will result in awarding contracts and subcontracts
to certified, qualified and responsive minority business firms in order
to enhance minority capital ownership, overall state economic development
and reduce dependency on the part of minorities. This statement shall be
distributed to all personnel directly or indirectly involved in procurement
activities of The Citadel."
Prohibited Purchases: There
are several items which are inappropriate for purchase with state
appropriated funds. The danger with making a list of such items is
that individuals may feel items not on the list are permissible. The
following list are those items that are known to be inappropriate
at this time. The list may be expanded with use as they are tested.
The prohibited items listed are considered inappropriate for purchase
orders and purchasing card purchases. If questions arise consult with
the Director of Financial Services. Prohibited items are as follows:
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Items that create a personal benefit to an individual or a department.
This includes such items as:
- coffee pots,
- microwaves,
- Brigadier Club memberships, etc.
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Some items are inappropriate for an individual office, but may be appropriate
when they benefit the entire campus. Examples of this are:
- holiday decorations.
- A Christmas tree is appropriate when it is to be displayed
in a general campus area, but it is inappropriate on an individual
department level.
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Gifts for faculty and staff are inappropriate purchases with state appropriated
funds. This includes:
- flower arrangements,
- going away presents, etc.
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The payment of an individual's professional dues is inappropriate. Dues
for institutional purposes are permissible.
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Contributions to a nonprofit corporation that is sectarian or religious,
or to a civic organization whose benefits extend only to members are inappropriate.
Contractual Agreements:Responsibility
for approving contracts and agreements (excluding purchase orders) is contained
in The Citadel Memorandum Number 1, dated 9 January 1998, Policies and
Procedures for Contractual Agreements.
Specifications: Specifications should
be a combined legal document and technical paper.
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Specifications determine the quality level and basis for evaluation of
bids and should be reviewed each time they are used, since they are not
static.
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If the requisition is for items with special qualities (i.e., flame retardancy,
machinery for use by the handicapped or blind, etc.), specific reference
to such special requirements should be made.
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The following guidelines should be used in developing the specifications
for the requisition:
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Identify the minimum requirements necessary to accomplish the task.
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Allow for competitive bidding. (Don't be restrictive to certain brands
unless a valid compatibility requirement has been established.)
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List the criteria on which testing will be judged for compliance with specifications.
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Although the specification must be written to allow competitive bidding,
this does not mean that the college must accept all bids regardless of
quality.
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Items which are below the minimum quality level may be rejected on that
basis. However, the specification sets the minimum acceptable quality,
and the low bid that meets that level must be accepted.
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It is necessary that the specification is clear and concise as all awards
and justifications will be based only upon the information as stated in
the specification and bidding documents.
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Rejection of the low bid because it does not have characteristics specifically
listed in your specifications is invalid.
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The item bid must be "equal to or better than specified."
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If you are unsure, contact the purchasing office before submitting the
requisition.
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If an omission or error is discovered in specifications after the bid has
been opened, the result may be the rejection of all bids and a revised
bid being issued.
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Use caution when obtaining specifications from salespeople.
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They want to sell their product and will attempt to convince you that theirs
is the only product that can fulfill your requirements.
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Sources for obtaining specifications are:
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Purchasing Office
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Catalogs
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Associations of users and /or manufacturers
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Technical and trade societies
Revenue Generating Contracts: Revenue generating
contracts are those where there is a sales management agreement with an
outside contractor and the contractor pays The Citadel a commission or
some other consideration. These contracts are subject ot the SC Procurement
Code.
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Examples of managment services covered are:
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Bookstore management
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Canteen management
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Food service management
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Vending management
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Sports marketing
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Novelty and trademark rights
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Scoreboards where pouring or other rights accompany the contract
- Cash management by banks
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