~ ~ ~ Ocean Purchasing ~ ~ ~
The office of Ocean Purchasing is located in the Ocean Teaching Building, Room 104. It is staffed by two people who are here to assist you in acquiring the necessary goods and services to accomplish your work. We also advise you on shipping, risk management insurance, issue building keys and permits, and handle petty cash purchases, or reimbursements.
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Instructions for Making Purchases of Goods and/or Services
In general, you may place orders (called Confirming orders) on your own with vendors for goods costing up to, but not exceeding, $3,000. The $3,000 limit applies per order, not per item, and does not include sales tax or freight/handling.
There are exclusions to this, however. 1) You may place orders for reprints from a foreign vendor, but you may not place orders with foreign vendors for any other type of item. Instead, write up your order and hand it in to the Ocean Purchasing office. We will take it from there; 2) The University of Washington will not allow the following items to be purchased on Confirming orders: facility maintenance and repair, furnishings, hazardous materials, copy machines, printing and copy duplicating, book binding, photocopying, printing, telephone equipment and services including cellular and portable phones and radio pagers, and vehicles.
When you are ready to make a purchase, obtain a "Purchase Request Worksheet" from the office of Ocean Purchasing (April 3-5089 or Chanthavy 3-4357), or print out a copy of the form below; get a purchase order number (also called requisition number) either by phone, in person, or via the clipboard on the halfdoor in the hallway outside our office. You need to give us the budget number you are using, your name and phone number, a brief description of what you are ordering, the vendor's name, and a close approximation of the cost.
Purchase Request Worksheet to Go In Here
Next, call your vendor, identify yourself and your department, state that you wish to obtain price and availability/delivery for the vendor's products, note the name of the vendor's salesperson and verify the full and exact company name and address for making payment. If they have what you need then place your order and give the vendor the purchase order number. Finally, completely fill out and sign the Purchase Request Worksheet and return it to our office within three days. The worksheet gives the department's delivery address as well as the address where the vendor should send their invoice (bill).
If there are any changes in price or quantity, or if any items are added or deleted, let Ocean Purchasing know immediately. Please remember that the revised order total may not exceed $3,000.
If items are exchanged or returned for any reason, fill out and submit a "Returned Goods Memorandum" (RGM). These are available from Ocean Purchasing. The top 2 copies go with you returned goods and the bottom 2 copies come to the Ocean Purchasing office.
Goods are delivered to Room G of the Marine Sciences Building, or to Ocean Teaching Building, Room 104. We notify you of arrival by a note placed in your mailbox, or a phone call.
Once you have unpacked your items and checked them over, please give us the packing list. If there is any problem with the order (damage, missing or wrong items) please contact Ocean Purchasing for resolution.
These are orders for goods costing more than $3,000 (or any foreign vendor order as discussed above) which you may not place yourself. By state law, Purchasing on upper campus must solicit quotes and/or bids from several vendors for anything exceeding $3,000. For these orders you need to provide any one or more of the following: 1) the name/ address/phone number of a second vendor who can meet your needs written on the Purchase Request Worksheet; 2) any quotes that you may get from the vendor or vendors that carry the product you want; or 3) a Sole Source Statement.
When you require any item that exceeds $3,000 in cost, and you feel it is only available from one vendor, you must provide a written statement called a Sole Source Statement. This is defined as a situation in the marketplace where there is clearly and legitimately a single source of supply to meet your requirements.
By "requirement", it is meant that it is something that you need (not to be confused with something you want). In the purchasing process, "requirement" means to a pertinent need which can be explained by looking at how the product or service will be used in your operation or setting.
By "single source", it is meant making the determination that there is a single source of supply. This is a two step process:
Step 1 - The first step is to determine whether there is only one brand which can meet your requirements. Using your list of requirements, you must examine competing products available in the marketplace to determine how many can meet your pertinent needs. After examining products available on the market, you may conclude there is only one brand which can meet your requirements. If this is the case, you'll need to go on to Step #2.
Step 2 - The second step is to determine if this brand can only be acquired from a single source of supply. Can the same brand of item be acquired from more than one vendor? You have not determined there is a sole source meeting your requirement until you have addressed both the issue of sole brand and whether that brand is available from only one source of supply. It if frequently useful to give the buyer a call and work through the information you have.
You may find you do not wish to survey the market to ascertain there is a single brand and/or single source to meet your needs. This is fine. Supply your buyer with a list of requirements and they can perform the search for you. But if you are certain there is truly only one source of supply, by all means let the buyer know by writing a Sole Source Statement. This saves everyone's time and avoids a pointless and costly search of the marketplace.
--Compatibility/Continuity
There are times when there is a bona fide need to continue buying a brand of product which you purchased previously. One such time, is when you clearly need to have a product which is compatible with a product you already own, and when no other source of supply can supply you with a compatible product.
The Sole Source Statement should describe what you currently own (referring to the requisition number on which the product was purchased is a great help) and should discuss that you have no other way to acquire compatible accessories, etc., except to go directly to the vendor who originally sold you the product (usually the manufacturer).
There may be occasions when you need to buy a product identical to one you have purchased in the past due to the need for continuity in (or replication of) a research project. You need to explain that your situation dictates you can not vary the product, because it is a variable you need to control. Once again, giving a requisition number on which the product was previously purchased helps to document your Sole Source Statement.
--Economic Justification
There are situations when there is an economic reason for purchasing a product from a single source of supply. An example of an economic justification is the following: your department already owns a centrifuge, including $15,000 worth of rotors. You require a new centrifuge to handle additional workload volume. Since the rotors can not be interchanged between brands, if you purchase a different brand of centrifuge you'll have to purchase approximately $15,000 worth of rotors you would not need to purchase if you purchase the same brand as you currently have. Since the purchase price of the centrifuge is $30,000 it is almost inconceivable that you could purchase an estimated $45,000 worth of goods from a competing vendor for $30,000. Furthermore, you would incur additional training costs by changing brands.
The above example illustrates an economic justification. It is important to note that price alone does not constitute an economic justification--there must be a technical element (such as rotor compatibility) as well.
Express mail service is available from least two different carriers. They are: FedEx and UPS (air only). All airbills and envelopes are available on shelves in the hallway outside the Ocean Purchasing office. FedEx must be called for a pickup. Those numbers are: domestic shipments 800/463-3339 and international shipments 800/247-4747. UPS stops by automatically each day around 3:30 p.m. For small packages, fill out the airbill including your budget number and leave the package on the shelf to the right of the postal scale in the hallway outside the Ocean Purchasing office. Oversize packages need to be left outside the Receiving Cage (Room G) in the Marine Sciences Building. See Chanthavy and request that she call the carrier and advise them of an additional pickup point for that day.
UPS ground shipping can be done two different ways. If your package is under 20 pounds, put a University of Washington address label on it, in appropriate boxes write "UPS" and add your bar coded sticky label for your budget number, then put it in the Mail Room.
If your package is over 20 pounds and is being shipped via ground to an address within the U.S., see April or Chanthavy. We will enter the package into UPS' system via their web site.
Before you ship equipment out of the country (for instance items to be used on a research cruise), review the shipping invoice form below. Follow the instructions at the top of the form and take a copy of the final, typed invoice to April or Chanthavy. We will make arrangements with the University's customs broker to pickup your shipment and get it to its destination. You do not have to figure out carrier or customs clearance issues. This is all taken care of for you by the broker.
The department has a petty cash fund which may be used to purchase supplies, non-personal services, and travel and transportation necessary to conduct official business. Travel and transportation payments are limited to ferry and bridge tolls, mileage within the state of Washington, parking fees, and registration fees (payment of per diem not authorized). All travel expenses reimbursed through petty cash except registration fees or purchase of ferry ticket books, must be accounted for on a Travel Expense Voucher (TEV). Purchases may not exceed $500 per individual item, receipt, single TEV, registration fee, exclusive of sales tax or handing fees.
Unauthorized purchases include the following:
1) Personal choice, convenience, or decorative items (e.g. pens, clocks, picture frames, flowers, drapes, desk sets, briefcases, watches) unless the budget to be charged is a discretionary fund.
2) Food or beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and related items (e.g. banquet permits, glasses, paper cups and plates, mixers, ice) unless the budget is a food-approved budget.
3) Personal services or honorariums.
4) Services rendered by University employees.
5) Items on a state of Washington contract.
6) Items purchased from a University of Washington department. These items should be charged to the budget via a Cost Transfer Invoice (CTI).