Purchasing Policy

WELCOME

The Procurement Services Department aims to support the mission of the College by:

• Procuring goods and services in the most efficient and cost effective manner, including strategically sourcing through all available means.
• Providing the highest quality of customer service to all the faculty and staff of the College.
• Ensuring that all purchases are in compliance with the College’s purchasing policy and the State of New Jersey’s procurement laws, including the State College Contracts Law (N.J.S.A. 18A:64-52 et seq.)
• Ensuring that all vendors comply with the Division of Revenue Business Registration requirements.
• Executing the bidding process in its entirety, creating purchase orders, processing change orders, and maintaining the vendor database.
• Reviewing and executing College contracts.

Purchasing Process:

• NEW –  Multi-year contracts must be procured based on the cumulative total. If the cumulative total exceeds the bid threshold, a publicly advertised bid or Board Waiver must be completed.
• A requisition must be entered in Oracle Cloud before any purchase of goods or services.
• Payments for professional services need to be processed in iContract before a requisition can be entered.
• Required documentation for all purchases must be attached to the requisition.
• Requesters must select the appropriate TCNJ Reference when entering a requisition.
• The Department Chair/Director/Budget Manager is responsible for authorizing all purchases.
• Vendors must comply with the College’s terms and conditions available on the Purchasing website.
• After the goods and services are received, the requester must receive the order in Oracle Cloud and submit the invoice to apinvoice@tcnj.edu for payment.

GOODS AND SERVICES:

Purchases under $5,000

• Price competition is recommended but not required for all purchase under $5,000. Purchases for goods can be made using department Procurement Card (P-Card) but purchases for services should go through the iContract process prior to engagement (see above for Purchasing Process). Although the Purchasing Department is not responsible for the informal bidding process, departments must make every effort to obtain the best price for the best value.

Purchase over $5,000 and under $17,500

• Price competition is required for all purchases or purchases of goods or services over $5,000 and under $17,500. Although the Purchasing Department is not responsible for the informal bidding process, departments must make every effort to obtain the best price for the best value.
• Departments procuring the goods or services must solicit a minimum of three (3) quotations. The lowest quote must be accepted unless there is compelling enough evidence to justify selecting a higher quotation document otherwise.
• If price competition is not feasible, departments are responsible for providing justification as a sole source purchase via memorandum or using the Sole Source Justification Form. Subscriptions, memberships and the like do not need sole source justification at this threshold. Independent contractors that are hired for specific knowledge or ability, do not require the sole source justification form but their qualifications should be detailed on the Professional Services Contract.
• Departments must obtain a New Jersey Business Registration Certificate from the vendor (individual or company) for purchase of goods or services over $17,970. Individuals should download the form and mail it to the NJ Division of Revenue, Corporations, LLC or LLP must complete the form online. There are two (2) filings to complete in order to obtain a NJ Business Registration, the certificate of formation/authorization and the tax/employer registration form (NJ-Reg). The threshold is the cumulative value of all purchases (goods or services) in a given fiscal year. To learn more, go to https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/gettingregistered.shtml

Purchases over $17,500 and under $119,800

• The purchasing department must procure goods and services over $17,500 unless the purchase is made using a NJ State, GSA or Cooperative Purchasing Contract.
• Departments requiring the goods or services must submit the necessary information (specifications, suggested vendors, etc. – See “Best Practices” for guidance) to the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Department will solicit unsealed written quotations.
• If price competition is not feasible, departments are responsible for providing justification as a sole source purchase via memorandum or using the Sole Source Justification Form.
• The purchasing department will obtain necessary state paperwork before executing the contract.
• At $17,500 and above vendors must comply with Chapter 51 and Executive Order 117.
• At $50,000 and above vendors must comply with Equal Employment Opportunity N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 and N.J.A.C. 17:27.

Purchases over $119,800

• The State College Contracts Law establishes purchasing policy for all purchases over the bid threshold.
• The purchasing department procures all goods and services over the bid threshold through open competitive advertised bidding unless the purchase is made using a NJ State, GSA or Cooperative Purchasing Contract.
• Price competition is required for purchases of goods or services over the bid threshold.
• Departments requiring the goods or services must submit the necessary information (specifications, suggested vendors, etc. – See “Best Practices” for guidance) to the Purchasing Department.

CONSTRUCTION AND PREVAILING WAGE SERVICES:

Purchases under $5,000

• Price competition is recommended but not required to procure construction and prevailing wage services under $5,000. Although the Purchasing Department is not responsible for the informal bidding process, departments must make every effort to obtain the best price for the best value.
• Projects that exceed $2,000 must be priced at applicable prevailing wage rates and certified payroll is required with each invoice. All contractors that are performing prevailing wage work must be registered with the Department of Labor and hold a Public Works Contractor Certification.

Purchase over $5,000 and under $17,500

• Price competition must be obtained to procure construction and prevailing wage services over $5,000 and under $17,500. Although the Purchasing Department is not responsible for the informal bidding process, departments must make every effort to obtain the best price for the best value.
• Departments procuring the goods or services must solicit a minimum of three (3) quotations. The lowest quote must be accepted unless there is enough evidence to document otherwise.
• If price competition is not feasible, departments are responsible for providing justification as a sole source purchase via memorandum or using the Sole Source Justification Form.
• Departments must obtain a New Jersey Business Registration Certificate from the vendor (individual or company) for purchase of goods or services over $6,390. Individuals should download the form and mail it to the NJ Division of Revenue, Corporations, LLC or LLP must complete the form online. There are two (2) filings to complete in order to obtain a NJ Business Registration, the certificate of formation/authorization and the tax/employer registration form (NJ-Reg). The threshold is the cumulative value of all purchases (goods or services) in a given fiscal year. To learn more, go to https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/gettingregistered.shtml

Purchases over $17,500 and under $42,600

• The purchasing department must procure construction and prevailing wage services over $17,500 unless the purchase is made using a NJ State, GSA or Cooperative Purchasing Contract
• Departments requiring the goods or services must submit the necessary information (specifications, suggested vendors, etc. – See “Best Practices” for guidance) to the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Department will solicit unsealed written quotations.
• If price competition is not feasible, departments are responsible for providing justification as a sole source purchase via memorandum or using the Sole Source Justification Form.
• At $17,500 and above vendors must comply with Chapter 51 and Executive Order 117.

Purchases over $42,600

• The State College Contracts Law establishes purchasing policy for all construction and prevailing wage services over the bid threshold, currently set at $42,600.
• The purchasing department procures construction and prevailing wage services over the bid threshold through open competitive advertised bidding unless the purchase is made using a NJ State, GSA or Cooperative Purchasing Contract.
• Price competition is required to procure construction and prevailing wage services over the bid threshold.
• Departments requiring the goods or services must submit the necessary information (specifications, suggested vendors, etc. – See “Best Practices” for guidance) to the Purchasing Department.
• At $50,000 and above vendors must comply with Equal Employment Opportunity N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 and N.J.A.C. 17:27.

PURCHASES AUTHORIZED BY RESOLUTION AT A PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES (BOARD WAIVER)

• Under the State College Contracts Law (N.J.S.A. 18A:64-56) the Board of Trustees may authorize procurement of contracts for which the dollar amount exceeds the bid threshold outside the publicly advertised bidding process ($119,800 for Goods & Services, $42,600 for Construction & Prevailing Wage Services).
• There are 35 categories of exceptions that can be utilized by the campus community to request a board waiver.
• Purchases that qualify for a board waiver from publicly advertised bids remain subject to all other procurement requirements. For example, such purchases require competitive proposals for cost comparisons and require submission of a detailed explanation as to how the waiver of advertising will be of benefit to the College. Departments requiring the goods or services must submit the necessary information (specifications, suggested vendors, etc. – See “Best Practices” for guidance) to the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Department will issue Requests for Proposals to qualified firms.

Board of Trustees’ Waiver Requests (in memorandum format) should be addressed to the Treasurer from the appropriate Cabinet Officer justifying the circumstance of the waiver request. The justification should include the following:

1. Description of service or item being purchased
2. Rationale for waiver of public advertisement
3. Number of vendors contacted (at least three if possible) including name and amount of quote (if sole source, please identify). If price competition is not feasible, departments are responsible for providing justification as a sole source purchase. Archived Board waivers are available on the Board of Trustees’ website at http://trustees.intrasun.tcnj.edu/

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STATE AND FEDERAL CONTRACTS

Departments are authorized to purchase goods/services under contract awarded by the State of NJ or Federal government per the terms and conditions of those contracts:

State Contracts:

NJ Start (New) Browse By Category – Contract & Bid (Blanket) Search

The Federal Supply Schedules of the General Services Administration

http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/ElibHome

Nationally-recognized and accepted cooperative purchasing agreements

Departments are authorized to purchases goods/services through the use of a nationally-recognized and accepted cooperative purchasing agreement that has been developed utilizing a competitive bidding process by another contracting unit within the State of New Jersey, or within any other state, when available. Cooperative Purchasing is a collaborative effort to obtain benefits in pricing, product quality and contract process efficiencies. Please ensure NJ is eligible to use the contract; the contract is awarded by a lead public agency.

The College is now a member of several Nationally recognized Co-op’s; below is the up to date list:

E&I Cooperative Services (Membership ID# 881396)

Educational Services Commission of NJ (ESCNJ Co-op# 65 MCESCCPS)

Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission

National Association of State Procurement Officers (NASPO ValuePoint)

National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance

National IPA (ID#187134)

National Joint Power Alliance – Sourcewell (ID# 87456)

NJEdge – EdgeMarket Cooperative Pricing System by NJEdge

OMNIA Partners (includes contracts from National IPA & US Communities)

PEPPM National Cooperative (Reference PO “As Per PEPPM”)

US Communities (Account# SU-70000625)

The following documents are required from the vendor:

• Vendor Qualification form
• W-9
• New Jersey Business Registration Certificate
• Certificate of insurance
• Quote from the vendor must reference cooperative contract number
• New Jersey Chapter 51/EO117 Approval (at $17,500 and above)
• AA / Certificate of Employment Information Report (at $50,000 and above)
• The College of New Jersey’s Terms & Conditions signed by the supplier