Have you ever wondered, “why is Purchasing concerned about that”, when you are trying to order something? Here is a behind the scenes look at just some of the things Purchasing has to consider when approving a purchase. First, we must consider the State of Alabama bid laws. These laws were created in an attempt to manage the spending policies of governmental agencies that receive funding from your tax dollars. While far from perfect, these laws attempt to ensure businesses have a fair and equal opportunity to do business with these governmental entities that are funded by their tax dollars. Second, we must consider the University’s policies and procedures as they relate to purchasing. These policies and procedures are in place to ensure the proper oversight and approval of expenditures.
Purchasing is involved in various other reviews and decisions that are considered before a purchase is approved. Just a few examples are:
- if the vendor is performing work on campus, do they have the proper insurance to cover us in the event of an accident,
- do we need a Vendor Disclosure Statement to identify any potential conflicts of interest between the vendor and UA,
- are there any concerns with fire, safety and ADA requirements/codes,
- do we need to involve Environmental Health & Safety to review due to the nature of the products,
- do we need to involve UA Facilities to review the space and energy requirements of the equipment,
- does the purchase involve import or export concerns,
- do we need to ensure the vendor is registered with the National E-Verify program,
- other decisions involve HIPAA laws, Child Protection requirements, Non-Disclosure Agreements, and various other considerations that may be involved in a wide variety of purchases.
Purchasing at a public university involves state laws, policies and procedures that are different from purchasing in the private sector since the funding used to make these purchases comes from public tax dollars. Hopefully, this peek behind the curtain of UA Purchasing will give you some better insight to the challenges of public procurement.
