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Delegated Purchasing Authority (C-10)

Original Implementation: Unpublished
Last Revision: April 23, 2013


Stephen F. Austin State University adheres to a policy of centralized purchasing for the purposes of:

  1. ensuring compliance with state and federal laws, rules, and regulations;
  2. protecting the university from unauthorized acquisitions of supplies, equipment and services;
  3. providing budgetary control and coordination;
  4. ensuring fair and ethical business practices;
  5. providing savings through consolidation of requirements and standardization of products where appropriate; and
  6. providing best value acquisition through various procurement methods; see Best Value Procurement (C-7).


The procurement department, under supervision of the director of procurement and property services/HUB coordinator, has sole authority for the negotiation and purchase of all goods and services for the university with the exception of items listed in Items Requiring Board of Regents Approval (D-20.5), and the following specific delegations that exist under proper administrative approval:

  1. The director of the university libraries is authorized to purchase books, periodicals, journals and other related materials needed to maintain university resource material collections.
  2. The curator of the Stone Fort Museum is authorized to purchase general merchandise for resale in the museum gift shop.
  3. Employees are authorized to make procurement card purchases of items costing $2,000 or less through procurement card procedures. See Procurement Card (C-44).
  4. Employees without procurement cards may make purchases and request reimbursement if the purchase is approved by the account manager, follows university procurement policy and procedure, and other purchase options are not possible or available. Taxes will not be reimbursed, except as allowed by law.
  5. Certain payments may be made by completing a voucher for submission to the controller's office. See Purchase Voucher (C-31).


All other purchases are to be submitted as a formal request for the procurement office to secure a good or service. See Purchase Requisition (C-30).

All official correspondence other than that delegated above; i.e., solicitations, purchase orders, change orders, cancellations, etc. shall be issued by the procurement office. The director of procurement and property services/HUB coordinator is delegated authority to sign all titles and associated documents for the purchase, transfer or sale of vehicles, trailers, or marine equipment.

UNAUTHORIZED PURCHASES MADE OUTSIDE OF DELEGATED AUTHORITY

An unauthorized purchase occurs when a university employee orders a product or service without an authorized purchase order issued by procurement. Unauthorized purchases will include inappropriate reimbursement requests that fall outside the scope of university procurement policy and procedure. Except as delegated herein university employees are not authorized to commit to an expenditure of funds on behalf of the university.

Unauthorized purchases over $2000 will not be paid by the university unless a justification is submitted to the vice president for finance and administration for review.

If approved, the appropriate documentation and payment approval must be submitted to the procurement office to process a purchase order for the unauthorized purchase, and state appropriated funds may not be used to pay for the service or product unless approved by the vice president for finance and administration.

If the unauthorized purchase is not approved by the vice president for finance and administration, the employee will be responsible for payment to the vendor unless the order can be cancelled and/or the goods returned. Any freight, shipping costs, or return penalties will be paid by the employee in the event the order is cancelled and/or the goods returned to the vendor.

The following circumstances will not constitute an unauthorized purchase; however, a requisition must be entered in the university’s financial system at the earliest practical date so that payment is not delayed resulting in possible late fees.

  1. emergency purchases as defined by Best Value Procurement (C-7);
  2. memberships;
  3. purchases that were to be made with a p-card that reasonably could have been expected to be less than $2000;
  4. magazine or book subscriptions;
  5. other automatically recurring or renewable fees;
  6. purchases associated with existing contracts negotiated by the procurement office;
  7. tournament fees or game guarantees;
  8. athletics game workers;
  9. guest lecturers, speakers, artists, entertainers, performers, musicians if the contract is signed by the president prior to the event;
  10. other professional services as defined by state comptroller’s expenditure codes, if the contract is signed by the president prior to the event;
  11. services contracts associated with grants as long as the contract is signed by the president prior to the event.

 

 

Cross Reference: Items Requiring Board of Regents Approval (D-20.5); Purchase Requisition (C-30); Purchase Voucher (C-31); Procurement Card (C-44)

Responsible for Implementation: Vice President for Finance and Administration

Contact for Revision: Director of Procurement and Property Services/HUB Coordinator

Forms: None

Board Committee Assignment: Finance and Audit