Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents

 

Uniform and Integrated Purchasing and Contracting

2.07

  1. Purchasing for all entities under the jurisdiction of the Board shall be unified and integrated.

    1. The Chief Procurement Officer (“CPO”) of Oklahoma State University (“OSU”) is designated as the CPO for all entities governed by this Board.
    2. The Vice President for Administration and Finance of OSU is authorized to appoint Purchasing Directors within the OSU System as needed.  Any person so appointed shall be responsible to the CPO for all procurement actions and shall have authority as delegated by the CPO. The CPO shall be authorized to prescribe unified and correlated forms and to promulgate uniform purchasing guidelines applicable to all institutions. All sole source contracts and contract disputes, not amicably resolved, will be handled by the CPO.
    3. Added expenses of the CPO office in Stillwater resulting from services to entities other than OSU shall be prorated among all other entities under this Board.

  2. The President or chief administrative officer of each entity governed by the Board shall be responsible for preparing and presenting matters for Board approval as necessary, and for designating the funds to be used in payment of requisitions.

  3. The President of OSU has a pre-approved limit of $250,000 for any single expenditure, subject to the restrictions of Board Policy 1.12.  The Presidents of Langston University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, and Connors State College each have a pre-approved limit of $100,000 for any single expenditure, subject to the restrictions of Board Policy 1.12. Further, the President of OSU has a pre-approved limit of $500,000 for the payment of any insurance deductible or self-retention relating to any single medical malpractice claim asserted against OSU-CHS or its faculty and staff providing medical care. The Office of Legal Counsel shall promptly inform the Board Chair of the amount paid on any such claim. Any requests to raise these pre-approved limits of spending authority must be made in the form of a Board agenda item.  Regardless of source of funds used, unless otherwise allowed by a specific Board Policy, advance approval is required for any expenditure exceeding the limits set forth above, and such expenditure shall be made only after solicitation of bids, unless exempted.  Acceptance of bids that exceed by more than fifteen percent (15%) of the estimate previously approved by the Board will require further Board approval.  Exempt from Board approval are expenditures in any amount for the following:

    1. Food or items for resale
    2. Bulk gasoline, oil and fuel
    3. Utilities
    4. Non-construction sponsored agreement contracts and expenditures
    5. Refunds
    6. Feed
    7. Hotel reservations/activities, transportation, interpreters, group meals, event tickets, and the like, directly related and relevant to group student study and travel programs for educational credit.
    8. Payments made pursuant to a contract with any individual student athlete as may be allowed by a finalized settlement of the case titled In re: College Athlete NIL Litigation, No. 4:20-CV-03919 (N.D. Cal.), (the” NIL Case Settlement”) which contract amount is in excess of the Institutional President’s pre-approved expenditure limit, provided such contract has been approved by the Athletic Director in consultation with the Board’s Finance Committee Chair. The total amount of all payments allowed by the NIL Case Settlement shall not exceed in the aggregate the annual cap set forth in the NIL Case Settlement.

  4. Regardless of source of funds used, prior approval of the Board is required for:

    1. Any purchase of, or contract for, real property that exceeds the applicable expenditure limit set forth in Section (3) above. However, Board approval is not required for OSU System real estate purchases under $1 million where fair market value has been determined by market comparable property.
    2. Any lease of real property, whether as lessee or lessor, which exceeds the applicable expenditure limit set forth in Section (3) per year, or which is for a total duration, including options, of more than five (5) years.

      Purchase or lease agreements are to be executed by the institution's President, or delegate.

  5. Furniture or equipment for Presidents’ homes, regardless of source of funds:

    1. Acquisitions, replacements or repairs of furniture or equipment in an amount equal to or less than $5,000 are not required to be approved by the Board.
    2. Acquisitions, replacements or repairs in excess of $5,000 (excluding emergency utility/HVAC repairs or replacements) require prior Board approval.
    3. Emergency repairs or replacements of utility or HVAC equipment, regardless of amount, do not require prior Board approval.

  6. Requisitions that exceed delegated thresholds shall be submitted to the CPO.

  7. All sole source purchases shall be justified by a written statement that sets forth in detail the facts justifying a sole source purchase.

  8. Purchasing limitations are established as follows:

    1. The CPO is authorized to establish a fair and reasonable threshold below which solicitation of quotes or bids is not required.  Purchases below that threshold amount may be made by those persons so authorized by the institutional Presidents.
    2. Purchases equal to or greater than the fair and reasonable threshold as set by the CPO, but less than $50,000, shall be preceded by the solicitation of quotes obtained by the entity, and then may be made by those persons so authorized by the institutional Presidents.
    3. Purchases equal to or greater than $50,000 must be processed on a requisition form by a Purchasing Director as designated in Section 1(B) above, and must be routed through the CPO’s office for solicitation as follows:
      1. Purchases equal to or greater than $50,000, but less than $100,000, shall be preceded by the solicitation of quotes obtained by the CPO or authorized delegates.
      2. Purchases equal to or greater than $100,000 shall (unless excepted through a sole source request as set forth in Section (7) above, or by a special request for an exception to this Policy) be made through a competitive bid process, with bids opened at a specified time and place, which shall be open to the public, or made available online.  Acquisitions or contracts shall be awarded to either the lowest and best or best value bid in the absolute discretion of the CPO.  In the event of a tie between bidders, the CPO may utilize discretion as to which bid to select or may break the tie by drawing lots.  When established purchasing contracts exist, purchases should be made from such contracts

        Competitive bids shall not be required for:

        1. Contracts for architectural, construction management, engineering, legal, and other professional services.
        2. Sole source purchases and items on which bids are not available.
        3. Special requests, defined as those requests in which the Board is requested to deviate from its own policies and procedures.
        4. Acquisitions related to textbooks, laboratory supplies, instructional materials and specialized laboratory equipment.
        5. Grant acquisitions, when specific makes/brands and models of items or specific suppliers of services are named in the grant.
        6. Contracts/acquisitions with state, city or other government agencies.
        7. Acquisitions of livestock, poultry and crops.
        8. Hotel reservations/activities, transportation, interpreters, group meals, event tickets, and the like, directly related and relevant to group student study and travel programs for educational credit.  Trip requisitions in accordance with institutional policies and Board policies will be required to be submitted to the CPO, or designee, for processing prior to incurring any obligations for the trip.
        9. Merchandise and food for resale to the public in department retail outlets, such as restaurants, bookstores and other support facilities.
        10. Utility services regulated by a state or federal regulatory commission or by municipal ordinance or by an Indian Tribal Counsel.
        11. The CPO reserves the right to competitively bid any acquisition deemed in the best interest of the OSU/A&M System.

  9. The Board has adopted separate policies governing large construction and renovation projects undertaken by Long Range Facilities Planning ("LRFP"), utilities only construction projects undertaken by Facilities Management ("FM"), and the use of On-Call Construction Managers At Risk (each, an "On-Call CMAR") to perform minor construction, repair and maintenance projects under the supervision of FM. Those policies shall govern the construction portion of such projects.  However, this Policy 2.07 shall govern the purchase of any Furniture, Fixtures or Equipment ("FFE") that may be a component part of any particular construction project. If a question arises as to whether a particular item constitutes a construction item versus an FFE item, such determination shall be made exclusively by the CPO.  Similarly, if a question arises as to whether a project constitutes a minor construction, repair or maintenance project, such that it can be performed by an On-Call CMAR, such determination shall be made exclusively by the CPO.

  10. All purchases of insurance and public official bonds: Companies submitting bids must have a financial strength rating as defined in the latest edition of A. M. Best Ratings.  Ratings below B+ will require prior Board approval before acceptance.

  11. All entities may use "State Contracts" negotiated by the State Central Purchasing Division in Oklahoma City, whenever entity needs can be served adequately and economically.  Requisitions submitted to the CPO shall so indicate if based on "State Contracts" giving the contract number and listing itemized prices as shown on the current contract.

  12. Whenever possible, purchases shall be combined for items of common use by the various entities.  The CPO shall implement procedures to maximize bid quantities by consolidating all entities’ requests to obtain optimal bid results when deemed beneficial.

  13. Whenever departments obtain quotations locally, copies of all quotations, or a tabulation showing itemized amounts for all quotations received and naming all firms contacted for quotations, shall be attached to the requisition form submitted to the CPO.

  14. Regardless of the fact that a vendor may be suggested, or local quotations obtained, other possible sources may be investigated by the CPO, as deemed appropriate.

  15. All participants in the procurement process are expected to file supplier payment claims expeditiously in accordance with sound business practices. Any supplier performance issues are to be reported promptly to the CPO for resolution.

  16. Purchases for the lease or rental of space and associated services from affiliated alumni associations and foundations, which are less than an institution’s Board approval limit, shall be exempt from Board approval.


Amended Date: 
June 18, 2004
October 27, 2006
March 4, 2010
July 23, 2010
January 20, 2012
October 24, 2014
June 22, 2018
April 26, 2024
December 6, 2024
October 24, 2025