Purchase requisitions are the primary means to acquire goods or services. Federal regulations require documentation of cost or price analysis in connection with every procurement action regardless of the amount. Each center is responsible for identifying their center’s needs, conducting the required bidding processes to assure prices for goods and services are fair and reasonable, submitting purchase requisitions to Network Services for approval within a reasonable time period, tracking order status, and notifying Network Services when goods and services are received satisfactorily. Should any problems occur with goods or services, it is each center’s responsibility to communicate the situation to Network Services. All center purchases will be categorized under the appropriate project(s) and budget category(ies) as provided by Network Services. Any questions regarding this should be addressed to Network Services at the State Office.
Each center will establish and maintain a log of unique document numbers for the following:
Authorizations for payments (AFP)
Mileage reimbursement claims
Travel documents
Petty cash reimbursements
Reimbursements for cash purchases
These numbers will include specific and sequential identification numbers for the type of document, center, and fiscal year. An example: The number AS01-50 means
A = AFP
S = State Office
01 = Year 2001
50 = 50th AFP issued in 2001
Typical processing time for purchase orders from initiation of purchase requisition by centers to receipt of hardcopy purchase order by vendor, is approximately 5 - 7 working days after all supporting documentation needed is forwarded to Network Services. Emergency procurement may be requested by notifying Network Services by phone, but these requests should be limited and done only under unusual circumstances.
(See RCUH Policy 2.140 for further information on emergency purchases.)
Non-Routine Orders. All non-routine orders, including computer orders, will be handled by Network Services after a center has provided the following information: (a) A needs-analysis and (b) a description of the goods/services needed.
All contracts for goods and services should be forwarded to the State Director for approval since the State Director is the only SBDC staff person who is authorized to enter into binding agreements on behalf of the Hawai`i SBDC Network. Additionally, the Hawai`i SBDC Network is not able to enter into contracts that exceed their current funding period unless the vendor stipulates that the contract will end if the Hawai`i SBDC Network should lose its funding.
Best practices encourages the use of purchase orders for all estimated regular expenses; e.g., utilities and postage. In accordance with RCUH procurement policy, authorization for payment (AFP) forms will not be used in lieu of purchase requisitions. While normal and routine services such as utilities, subscriptions and postal charges may be paid with an AFP once the initial request is approved, generally purchase orders are a better practice.
(See RCUH Policy 2.220 for more information on the appropriate use of AFPs.)
See related topics in this section:
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Purchasing |
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