{"id":68,"date":"2021-03-16T13:09:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T18:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/purchasing-payables\/?page_id=68"},"modified":"2025-06-30T14:35:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T19:35:28","slug":"purchasing-within-uws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/purchasing-payables\/about\/purchasing-within-uws\/","title":{"rendered":"Purchasing Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/purchasing-payables\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/556\/2021\/04\/Purchasing-in-UWS-Graphic.png\" alt=\"Special Considerations and Requirements Decision Chart\" class=\"wp-image-446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/purchasing-payables\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/556\/2021\/04\/Purchasing-in-UWS-Graphic.png 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/purchasing-payables\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/556\/2021\/04\/Purchasing-in-UWS-Graphic-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-following-key-questions-guide-the-purchasing-process\"><strong>The Following Key Questions Guide the Purchasing Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Are there special considerations or requirements for the good\/service?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some goods and services or processes differ from standard procurements and processes. Examples include, but are not limited to: Legal services,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/print-copy\/\">Printing<\/a>, Vehicles, Telecomm Equipment, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uw.foxworldtravel.com\/\">Travel<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Different processes exist which might apply for Emergency procurements, Grants, Non-procurement transactions, Inter-agency purchases or \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/business-financial-services\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/355\/2016\/08\/Purchasing-Request-for-Sole-Source-Purchase-.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sole Source<\/a>\u201d situations.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/business-financial-services\/purchasing\/contact-form\/\">Contact Purchasing<\/a>&nbsp;if you feel any of these circumstances may apply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Is there an existing contract for which I&nbsp;<strong>must<\/strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<strong>may<\/strong>&nbsp;buy from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If what you need is on a&nbsp;<strong>mandatory<\/strong>&nbsp;(usually statewide) contract, 51ÁÔÆæ&nbsp;<strong>must<\/strong>&nbsp;buy from the contract. The State Board of Procurement\u2019s centralized purchasing acts in the best interests of the state to aggregate spend, leverage price, and standardize contracts for commonly used products across agencies and campuses. If there is a mandatory contract for the good or service that you need but there is a justifiable business reason why purchasing from another source is in the best interest of 51ÁÔÆæ, it may be possible to get a waiver from the State to use an alternate supplier. Note that price alone may not be a good enough reason to obtain a waiver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If what you need is available on an existing contract managed by the Purchasing Office, another state agency, a collective purchasing consortium, or another state, another state agency, or the federal government, 51ÁÔÆæ&nbsp;<strong>may have the option<\/strong>&nbsp;to purchase from the existing contract, taking advantage of already negotiated costs, terms, and conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See the Department of Administration\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/vendornet.wi.gov\/Contracts.aspx\">contract listing here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>3. What is the appropriate process for the dollar value of my purchase?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If no special considerations and requirements or mandatory or optional contracts exist, then the dollar value of the good or service determines the procurement process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Less Than $5,000 \u2013 a \u201cBest Judgement\u201d procurement.<\/strong>&nbsp;If there is no mandatory contract, then you can purchase from a vendor you judge best able to supply the goods or services. Consider origin and delivery location, quality, price, conformity of specifications, purpose, date, etc., when determining which vendor is best able to supply. 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s preferred payment method for purchases under $5,000 through \u201cbest judgement\u201d is your Purchasing Card (P-card).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You must avoid serial contracting\/purchasing under the \u2018Best Judgement\u2019 threshold. \u201cSerial Purchasing\u201d, which is prohibited, is the practice of using the purchasing card for purchases to the same vendor for the same commodity or service to avoid a competitive bidding process.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Between $5,000 and $50,000 \u2013 a \u201cSimplified Bid\u201d.<\/strong>&nbsp;A minimum of three bids for the good or services should be collected and recorded by the Purchasing office in an official document (DOA-3088). Specifications for the item being bid should be developed to allow competitive bids from multiple vendors wherever possible; generic specifications are preferred and the use of trade names is discouraged unless it is to communicate a level of quality, performance or compatibility. The Purchasing office can assist you with building specifications, finding vendors to bid, and soliciting bids. An RFP can also be used for services under $50,000 \u2013 please contact Purchasing to determine whether an RFP may be appropriate for your procurement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Over $50,000 \u2013 an Official Sealed Bid (an RFB) for goods, or a Request for Proposal (RFP) for services.<\/strong>&nbsp;You should contact the Purchasing office immediately when you require a procurement over $50,000, so that our trained Purchasing Agents can work with you through the RFB or RFP process. Different levels of Departmental involvement will be required, but the Purchasing Office manages these formal processes in line with State procurement guidelines. An official sealed RFB can take 3-6 months from beginning to end; an RFP, depending on the complexity, will likely take at minimum 6 months to complete and can last up to a year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What is the difference between a Bid (RFB) and a Proposal (RFP)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An RFB is appropriate where clearly definable specifications, often with \u2018Yes or No\u2019 answers, can be met; the RFB criteria should not restrict competition or limit the number of bidders \u2013 see also the above notes regarding trade names. Purchasing can assist the Department with developing specifications, and subject matter experts may offer assistance during this process. The specifications must be written so that the award can be made to the lowest cost bidder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An RFP is appropriate where an award cannot be made strictly on specifications or price, and several firms are qualified to furnish the product or service. Rather than meet detailed and precise specifications, vendors are given an opportunity to propose how they would meet the Department\u2019s needs. Purchasing and the Department will develop the solicitation and vendors\u2019 proposals will be scored by a committee, to allow for subjective determination of the best outcome. While lowest cost is important, it is not the single determining factor in the award of an RFP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>4. What other key policies do I need to know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The State has codified key policies relating to: Minority Business Enterprises, Disabled Veteran-Owned Business, State Use Program, Bureau of Correctional Enterprises\/Badger State Industries, Wisconsin Reciprocity Law, American-made Preference, Contract Compliance, Ineligible Vendor Lists, and Prompt Payment. The Purchasing Office will guide you through the technicalities related to any of these policies when it comes time to complete your procurement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>5. Who manages Suppliers after orders are placed by Purchasing? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 51ÁÔÆæ Division or Department requesting the goods or services is responsible for the management of contractors, including any required onboarding, training, compliance, managing deliveries, returns, deliverables and deadlines, and initiating and approving payments (excluding payments for ShopUW+ orders placed with catalog vendors). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Purchasing will assist with contract compliance issues that are raised by the unit or the Supplier. Any complaints about Suppliers must be substantiated (e.g. a documented history of late arrivals to a work site). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-non-compliant-vendor-list\">Non-compliant Vendor List<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-u-flex uwm-u-flex--wrap uwm-u-flex--left\">\n<a class=\"uwm-c-button uwm-u-mr-20 uwm-u-mb-20\" href=\"https:\/\/doa.wi.gov\/Documents\/DEO\/CertList.pdf\" rel=\"\">Non-compliant Vendor List (PDF)<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Following Key Questions Guide the Purchasing Process 1. Are there special considerations or requirements for the good\/service? 2. Is there an existing contract for which I&nbsp;must&nbsp;or&nbsp;may&nbsp;buy from? 3. 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