General Information

PURCHASING

General Information

Background

Georgia Code 50-5-51 gives procurement authority to the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS).  Included is the authority to contract for the rental, lease, purchase or other acquisition of all supplies, materials, services (other than professional and personal employment services) and equipment required by the state government or any of its institutions, to contract for telephone services, have general supervision over all storerooms and to contract for state printing. DOAS State Purchasing Division (SPD) has delegated general purchase authority to the Procurement and Logistical Services Department at Georgia Southern University. 

The Purchasing Department is established to manage the procurement of supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services for the University.  It has the responsibility for preparing, negotiating, executing, awarding and administering all contracts other than some personal service and all Public Works contracts.  Further, it serves to coordinate the University’s procurement activity with appropriate State agencies.  In addition to state statutes, the University adheres to policies established by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the University and recommendations furnished by the state and internal auditors.

Timeliness of Purchase and Lead Times

The Purchasing Department is committed to completing University departmental purchases in a timely manner. Many factors determine the time to complete a purchase including, but not limited to: state procurement regulations, buyer workload, commodity purchased, availability of funds, suppliers, time of year and other contract considerations. The following lead times are considered to be necessary to ensure that purchases can be completed correctly and within established regulations:

Bids (RFQ’s and purchases $25,000 and greater, not otherwise exempted, and Sole Brand)	20 – 45 days
Sole Source (determined by dollar amount)	10 – 20 days
Open Market purchases ($24,999.99 and less)	7 – 15 days
Contract Releases (purchased against state or agency contracts)	7 – 15 days
Requests for Proposal (RFP’s)	35+ days

Order of Precedence

• Tier I: Mandatory Statewide Contracts – State Entities must use these contracts unless SPD has granted a waiver. 

• ​Tier II: Existing Agency Contracts – These are contracts negotiated by the State Entity or by SPD on behalf of a State Entity. Procurement personnel must purchase goods and services that are available on existing contracts established by their State Entity. Any deviations must be documented and approved by the Agency/University Procurement Officer.

• Tier III: Statutory Sources Designated as Mandatory – There are two mandatory statutory sources – Georgia Enterprises for Products and Services (GEPS) and Georgia Correctional Industries (GCI).

• Tier IV: Other Sources – Consists of Convenience Statewide Contracts, Preferred Products, SPD approved piggyback, consortia, or cooperative purchasing agreements, and open market sources.

Purchasing Methods

Refer to the required purchase methods for required methods to be used to purchase from the sources listed in the order of precedence.

Emergency Purchases

Defined as a risk to life or property of Georgia Southern University. Should an emergency arise during normal working hours, contact the Purchasing Department by phone as soon as possible.  A member of the staff will review the situation with you and make a decision on the appropriate course of action.  Should an emergency take place after hours, weekends and/or holidays, the department should make the purchase or acquire the services.  If necessary, the department can furnish the vendor with their VISA card number or advise the vendor that Purchasing will contact them the next work day with either a purchase order number or a VISA card number.  Departments must contact the Purchasing Department on the next working day.  Proper follow up action will be discussed and taken at that time.

E-Verify Senate Bill 160 amends O.C.G.A. 13-10-90 relating to definitions and O.C.G.A. 13-10-91 relating to verification. These changes require that State and Federal Government Entities obtain a signed and notarized Contractor Affidavit providing the Federal Work Authorization User Identification Number, from all vendors who will provide a physical performance of service(s) to the Entity of $2,500.00 per occurrence or greater. E-Verify identification numbers can be obtained at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Department of Homeland Security website, www.uscis.gov and required forms, on the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA) website http://www.audits.ga.gov/NALGAD/section_3_affidavits.html

Last updated: 11/3/2021