Sole Source Procurement  |  Proprietary Purchase

The Office of Procurement Services is responsible for the purchasing of all goods and services. Departments have been delegated authority to perform purchases up to a single transaction value of $5,000. The procurement staff will manage purchasing transactions exceeding $5,000 that require competitive solicitation.

Solicitations may be made by:

• QuickQuote, an informal bid process generally used for procurements with a projected value up to $100,000;
• Invitation for Bids (IFB), used when the commodity or service can be clearly defined and price is the determining factor in the award;
• Request for Proposals (RFP), used when the commodity or services cannot be clearly defined and/or when factors other than the price have a greater value in the outcome and negotiations are necessary (RFP is not normally used in the procurement of goods); and
• Best Value Acquisition (BVA), a process similar to RFP in allowing negotiations and multiple evaluation criteria and is effective in consideration of useful life or ongoing maintenance costs that may not be readily visible in the initial purchase price.

Sole Source Procurement

A sole source procurement is authorized when there is only one source practicably available for the goods or services required. Competition is not available in a sole source procurement (see proprietary specification below). Sole source goods or services are provided or manufactured by a specific manufacturer and are only sold directly to the University without distributors. However, a manufacturer may have one designated territorial or authorized distributor set up to sell that manufacturer's goods or services.

When the requesting department believes that only one source exists for a specific item or service, a completed Sole Source document (MS Word)  must be submitted to and approved by the Office of Procurement Services prior to the placement of the order for the sole source goods or services. Sole source justification based solely on a single vendor's capability to deliver in the least amount of time is not considered a valid basis for determining a sole source procurement. In your statement, you must address the following items:

• Explain why this is the only product or service that can meet the needs of the Purchasing Agency.
• Explain why this vendor is the only practicably available source from which to obtain this product or service.
• Explain why the price is considered reasonable.
• Describe the efforts that were made to conduct a non-competitive negotiation to get the best possible price for the taxpayers.

The Director of Materiel Management has approval authority for sole source procurements up to $50,000. Sole source procurements greater than $50,000 are reviewed by the Director of Materiel Management and, if recommended for approval, are forwarded to the Chief of Staff and then the Department of General Services (DGS) for final approval. All sole source procurements will be posted on eVA in the VBO buyer section.

back to top

A proprietary purchase occurs when the product required is restricted to the manufacturer(s) stipulation but is sold through several distributors by competitive bidding. A proprietary specification is normally used only when the product or services must be compatible with existing products or services. Some examples include prequalification of products necessary to support specific needs of a program because the use of any other similar piece of equipment would require considerable reorientation and training. A proprietary specification restricts the acceptable products to those of one or more specified manufacturers. Upon solicitation, every effort must be made to obtain full competition among the distributors who carry the manufacturer's product.

back to top

The Commonwealth of Virginia has set the requirement to purchase certain commodities from mandatory sources.  If you desire to purchase these items through another source, you must first obtain a release in writing from the mandatory source supplier prior to the placement of the order.

VCE - Virginia Correctional Enterprises
VCE is the mandatory source for office furniture, seating, binders, printing, embroidery, clothing, textiles and shoes. Contact VCE for a complete list of goods and services. All orders must be placed directly to VCE through eVA by the requesting department. Business card orders can only be placed by the Office of Procurement Services, do not contact VCE for business card orders.

VIB - Virginia Industries for the Blind
VIB is the mandatory source for writing instruments, pillows, mattresses, gloves (exam, latex, vinyl, nitrile, high risk EMS), mop heads and handles, spices, tea, contract office services (not including temporary employment services) and mailing services. Contact VIB for a complete list of goods and services.

VDC - Virginia Distribution Center
VDC carries a wide variety of staple goods, frozen/canned food products, janitorial supplies and paper products. A convenient punchout catalog is available through eVA. Contact VDC for a complete list of goods and services.

University Contracts
Contact our office for a list of these contracts.

CNU Business Cards
Business cards are to be ordered through the Office of Procurement Services.

Technology Related Equipment: Computers, Printers, Hardware, Software, Peripherals
All technology-related equipment is to be bought by each department, with prior approval from IT. Please see VITA's website for a complete list of contracts.

Copiers
All copiers are to be rented, purchased, or leased per VITA state contracts by the requesting department. IT must be contacted for recommended models to meet your departments needs.

State Contracts
State contracts carry a variety of items that you can search at the eVA website. Some contracts are mandatory, some optional. Simply search for your commodity under "description" if you are unsure if a state contract exists for the desired good or service. If you make a purchase using a state contract, be sure to reference the contract number in the comment field in eVA.

If you are unsure about mandatory source and any item you wish to purchase, feel free to contact our office for further assistance.

back to top

The Small Purchase Card is used in conjunction with eVA (electronic Virginia ) and DMBE Certified-Small vendors who accept the Purchasing Card which:

• substantially reduces costs
• maximizes the State/University’s purchasing power.

Overview

• Card usage is dictated by the Department of Accounts CAPPS Manual Topic 20355
• Full time and part-time classified employees can be issued cards
• Cards are issued with your name and your agency’s name on them
• Employee must sign an employee agreement form
• Monthly statements are sent to you from Bank of America or can be accessed online at Bank of America Works. Bank of America customer service can be reached at 1-888-589-3473 opt 4.

Policies and Procedures

• Dollar limits and restrictions are assigned by supervisor
  • A single transaction is not to exceed $4,999
  • Monthly limit is set by department supervisor, but can not exceed $50,000
• Use card for Commonwealth of VA/CNU purchases ONLY
• Personal purchases are not allowed
• Charge card orders are placed in eVA with the exception of:
  • “over-the-counter” purchases
    • Cardholder must be present at the vendor's business location at the time of purchase.
    • Cardholder may not phone in credit card information prior to receiving goods or services.
    • “over-the-counter” purchases occur the same day pricing is obtained.
  • Travel
  • Conferences with prior approval
• Notify warehouse of items being shipped by sending them a copy of the PCO (or DO)
• Purchases are tax exempt (except food and hotels)
• Invoices that are past due should not be paid using the charge card
• Card Security
  • Never put your full credit card number in a fax, email or email attachment. If needed, you may include the last 4 digits of your card number.
  • Never allow another person to use your card.
• Never split a purchase in order to circumvent established spending limits.

Have your supervisor contact the Program Administrator to:

• Make changes – increase or decrease card limits
• Temporarily remove restrictions (fraud, travel, car rental, gas/oil, restaurant/food, accommodations)
• Cancel cards upon termination of employment or suspected fraudulent use

This Policy outlines the authority and responsibilities of university administrative personnel with regard to executing and reviewing contracts. As contracts may originate from a vendor or from a department within the University, this policy establishes the guidelines for establishing a contract on behalf of the university.

Generally, individual employees of the University have no authority to execute a contract on behalf of the University. If an individual employee executes a contract on behalf of the University without express written authorization, the individual employee will be held personally liable.

The Materiel Management Policy Guide is established under the authority of the Department of General Services (DGS), Division of Purchases and Supply (DPS), section 2.2-1111 of The Code of Virginia, Agency Procurement and Surplus Property Manual (APSPM) and University policy and procedures as approved by the President of Christopher Newport University.

The Mission of the Materiel Management Department is to support University departments / activities through the procurement of high quality goods, printing and services at a reasonable price and in a manner that is fair, open and impartial to Contractors desiring to do business at the University. The Department, which includes the Central Warehouse, and Mailroom is also responsible for contract administration, contract compliance and evaluation, receiving, shipping, central stores and the acquisition and disposal of state and federal surplus property.

Comments, suggestions, and questions of interpretation are always welcomed and should be addressed to the department.