Purchasing methods and thresholds
- 1 NCSSM Procurement Methods:
- 2 State Term Contracts (STC)
- 3 E-Procurement
- 4 3 Quotes required (<$99,999)
- 5 Electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) Solicitations - ($100K+) ONLY Purchasing can do this process. Requires Posting open solicitation on the State of North Carolina’s electronic Vendor Portal. Please contact Purchasing immediately for assistance with this $$ spend.
NCSSM Procurement Methods:
State Term Contracts (STC)
Mandatory 1st review - State Term Contracts (STC)#:
a. 0002A-NPWCBSD (Non-Profit Work Centers for the Blind and Severely Disabled) (Punchout catalog in E-Procurement)
b. 001A – Correction Enterprises (NC Dept of Adult Correction)
(Punchout catalog in E-Procurement)
The Department of Administration Division of Purchase & Contract (DOA P&C) is dedicated to providing quality products and services at the best available price. DOA P&C, is always actively searching to establish State Term Contracts(STC) with Vendors for Goods and Services that could be utilized by all State Agencies, usually at discounted prices, free shipping, or with other negotiated benefits. The State of North Carolina has over 100 (Non IT) State Term Contracts. IT State Term Contracts can be found under the State of NC IT webpage. Many STC’s are Mandatory contracts and REQUIRE all State Agencies to use when purchasing the items or services listed on the STC. When making a purchase for NCSSM, STC’s should be reviewed first for all purchases. A list of all active State Term contracts, can also be found on the Term Contracts Link on the E-Procurement and Department of Administration (DOA) home page. Completed requests must include the State Term Contract number on each line item and be submitted through the E Procurement System. Individuals should refer to the Purchasing Benchmarks for guidelines concerning necessary approvals for purchase requisitions.
Exception: Lowe’s – STC#2714A - You can not enter E-Pro requisition, but you CAN use your P-Card.
E-Procurement
E-Procurement is a state-wide, internet-based purchasing system that offers electronic purchase order processing and enhanced administration functions to buyers and suppliers, resulting in operational efficiencies and potential cost savings. Many Vendors have catalogs on this system for items purchased everyday. STC vendors also have “punchout” catalogs that they maintain and keep updated of all their products. So STC’s and E Procurement go hand in hand. A purchase requisition is processed by an e-Procurement user in the department and then approved by the Department Director/Dean. In some instances, approval by the appropriate Division Vice Chancellor is required to initiate purchase requests. The Purchasing Department provides final verification and approval of the request.
3 Quotes required (<$99,999)
Purchases under this $ threshold amount require comparable quotes from 3 different vendors meeting specifications and delivery requirements.
Electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) Solicitations - ($100K+) ONLY Purchasing can do this process. Requires Posting open solicitation on the State of North Carolina’s electronic Vendor Portal. Please contact Purchasing immediately for assistance with this $$ spend.
ONLY Purchasing can do this process.
(Require 2-4 months prior notification and UNC or DOA approval based on $$ amount) (Contact Purchasing)
P-Cards (For purchase of small goods only – Not for Services and ONLY Non IT purchases) All cardholders are setup in “Groups” in BOA Works based on the department they work in or to whom they report to, and an “approver” for each of the group(s) will be reviewing and approving all the cardholders transactions in the groups, after the cardholder submits the completed transaction. Purchasing will also be reviewing every cardholders transactions monthly as well.
See more detailed guidelines and instructions on Methods following Thresholds(below).
STANDARD PURCHASING THRESHOLDS | ||
Goods and Services | ||
Threshold | Approval | Procedure |
Small Purchases (Goods and Services) -$25,000 or less | Department Director/Dean and Purchasing Approval Required. ALL ITS requests require IT approval before purchase & requests greater than $5,000 require Division Vice Chancellor approval. | Commodities or services should be purchased from Correction Enterprises (STC#001A) or NPWCBSD (STC#0002A) if available, and if not, Purchaser should review all State Term Contracts(STC) to see if good or service is covered under STC. If good or service is not covered under STC, Purchaser should contact Vendors for at least (3) three competitive quotes or bids, whenever practical. “Punchout” catalogs requisitions should then be entered into E-Procurement, or “non-catalog” requisitions should be entered to order good or service required. P-Cards are also generally used in this threshold for small goods purchases, if needed. (Note: P-Cards can also be used for STC purchases) |
$25,000 - $99,999 | Department Director/Dean, Division Vice Chancellor, Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance, and Purchasing Approval Required. | IF item/service is NOT on STC, Department MUST request 3 or more Vendor quotes for item/service using email, or e-Quote or the RFP or RFQ Forms if purchase is complex. All quotessubmitted (written, faxed or e-mailed) must be attached to the requisition in e-procurement. Verbal quotes are not satisfactory. Requisitions must be entered into E-Procurement for purchase of goods or services and all quotes or RFP documentation must also be attached to requisition before submission. [Purchases or services will be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder(s), meeting specifications and best overall value]. |
Over $100,000 to $299,999 *$300,000 + | Department Director/Dean, Division Vice Chancellor, Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance, Purchasing Approval, and UNC approval Required. DOA approval only. | Formal Bid is required and can only be completed by Purchasing dept. Must be bid through the State of NC Electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) using an electronic process and the Request for Proposal (RFP) Form. Bid must be posted for a minimum of 10 business days. The bidding process is at least 20 + days for completion. Requisitions must be entered into E-Procurement for purchase of goods or services and all quotes or RFP documentation must also be attached to requisition before submission. UNC can approve to award up to $299,999. *Purchases over $300,000 require DOA approval to post and approval to award. This extended approval process can add up to 2-4 months to final approval. Please see Purchasing Manager immediately upon identification of purchase of this expected amount. Information Technology (IT) requests must be completed on an IT RFP/IFB Form for processing. (See Purchasing for templates and instructions) |
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