Purchasing Procedures

State Purpose, IFR and Dormitory Funds

  • No competition (i.e., quotes, bidding) need be shown for state contract items or items purchased from New York State Preferred Sources.  New York State Finance Law ยง169 allows form, function and utility requirements to be considered for preferred source procurements. If a preferred source is to be rejected, that source must be given prior written notice with an explanation and an opportunity to respond.
  • Multiple purchases of similar non-contract items made by one office or unit within twelve consecutive months beginning on the date of the first purchase are considered a single purchase in determining total dollar amount and appropriate purchasing procedure (Office of the New York State Comptroller Web Guide).
  • Membership and Subscriptions should not exceed one year. All materials and benefits received from the membership or subscription are the property of Binghamton University and should be made available to all employees. (Office of the New York State Comptroller Web Guide).
  • All State-owned equipment and software with an original unit cost of $5,000 or more and with a life expectancy of greater than one year is required to be recorded in SUNY's Real Asset Management system.  Subobject codes between 7200-7399 should be utilized when purchasing qualifying equipment and the campus Asset Manager should be notified upon receipt of such equipment to ensure assets are tagged and entered into campus inventory in a timely manner.
  • "A state employee who directs a vendor to start providing goods or services without an approved contract may be personally liable for any indebtedness that is ultimately held to be owed to the contractor" (Office of the New York State Comptroller Web Guide).
  • When state funds and non-state funds are combined to make one purchase, state procedures apply to the total procurement amount. Even if only one dollar of the purchase is state funded, the state procedure applies.
  • When a procurement spans multiple years (e.g., software licenses, maintenance agreements, etc.), state procedures apply to the total procurement amount over the entire term. For example, a three year maintenance contract at $20,000 per year requires advertising since the total procurement is $60,000.
  • When vendors submit contracts to campus personnel for procurements  such contracts, including terms and conditions, must be reviewed by University Counsel prior to signature.
  • When vendors submit contracts to campus personnel for procurements exceeding $2,500 such contracts (and amendments) must be signed by one of the University's authorized signatories.
  • A vendor providing services on campus may be asked to provide a Certificate of Insurance naming State University of New York, SUNY Binghamton and State of New York as additional insureds. For liability limits contact Purchasing.

Up To $2,500

  • Requester may choose vendor without obtaining quotes from competition.
  • Preferred method of procurement for allowable expenses is the Procurement Card (P-Card).

$2,500.01 To  $50,000

  • Award is based upon reasonableness of price or comparative quotations. Written documentation of reasonableness of price or written quotations are required with requisition submission. Send requisition quotes, with the printed approved requisition or the approved requisition number written on the quotes, to Purchasing. If there is no competition available, send a sole source justification or reasonableness justification with requisition or requisition number written on it to Purchasing.
  • Note: $20,000 and up construction and construction  related contracts must advertise in the New York State Contract Reporter.
  • Reasonableness of Price can be determined by (but not limited to):
    • Comparing the quoted price with the price for the same or similar item or services within the last six months
    • Comparing the quoted price with prices in various wholesale/retail publications
    • Reviewing the commodity and/or service that was previously accepted by the University at a similar price
    • Comparing the price as offered with the current market value of the same product.
  • Please note any procurement over $15,000 requires the vendor to complete a New York State Finance 139 J & K form.
  • Please note any procurement over $25,000 requires the vendor be provided Exhibit A and Exhibit A1 for their reference of Binghamton University's Terms and Conditions.

$25,000 & Up

  • MWBE participation goals apply for all procurements over $25,000. This includes NYS OGS procurements.

$50,000.01 To  $125,000.00

  • Must be advertised in the NYS Contract Reporter as a notification of the opportunity.  Although a formal bid is not required, it is still recommended to solicit at least three potential bidders.  Ultimately, the University can use its discretion to choose the vendor of choice but not without following procedures described in previous section. 

$50,000.01 To  $200,000 Certified Minority Women Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Procurement 

  • Must be advertised in the NYS Contract Reporter as a notification of the opportunity with competition limited to NYS Small Businesses and businesses certified pursuant to Article 15-A of the New York State Executive Law.

$250,000.01 + ** (Services ONLY)

  • Formal Bid Required with Approval by Office of the State Comptroller required. Must advertise in New York State Contract Reporter.  Allow 10-13 weeks turnaround.

* Transactions exceeding $100,000 require vendor's certification of responsibility Office of the New York State Comptroller Web Guide.

**Certain exceptions, such as bids that have been protested, require OSC approval at over $125,000.

Information Technology Acquisitions

Purchases of hosted solutions (over the internet) or software, whether installed or accessed from on-premise or in the cloud, can put sensitive university data at risk, may not meet the needs of the campus population with disabilities or may require integration with enterprise level applications or university systems.

Any information technology acquisitions must be reviewed by ITS  prior to the purchase occurring to ensure the applications are compatible with university policies, state and federal guidelines.  The review performed by ITS will be a part of the University contract workflow system.  A pre-planning worksheet will need to be completed with all technology contracts.

Tax Exemption

Bid Protest Procedure