Purchasing

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

PURCHASING

The Purchasing Office is responsible for facilitating and supporting the college community in the procurement of goods and services in compliance with policies, procedures, and guidelines of the City University of New York (University), State of New York and the City of New York. Its efforts are on obtaining the best value available in the marketplace by optimizing each procurement in terms of price, quality and product support. Additionally, establishing Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOB) participation goals on procurements as required by law and University policy. We are committed to providing outstanding customer service at all times.

Office Phone (718) 368-5034

Office Fax (718) 368-5611

Purchasing Team:	Email Address
Kiesha Stewart, Director	kiesha.stewart@kbcc.cuny.edu
Robin Sutherland, Purchasing Agent	robin.sutherland@kbcc.cuny.edu
Julie Cardinali, Purchasing Agent	julie.cardinali@kbcc.cuny.edu
Olga Zaky, Purchasing Agent	olga.zaky@kbcc.cuny.edu
April Leventhal, CUNY Office Assistant	april.leventhal@kbcc.cuny.edu

I. GENERAL PURCHASING PROCEDURES & POLICIES

The procurement process originates when an approved Requisition is submitted into the CUNYfirst System. Senior administrators are responsible for approving requisitions for the purchase of supplies, equipment and services necessary to support academic and administrative operations. Only the Purchasing Office is authorized to issue purchase orders and enter into contracts and agreements with prospective vendors. To receive guidance and support, please contact purchasing@kbcc.cuny.edu, or alternatively by phone at (718) 368-5034 or by fax at (718) 368-5611.

Confirming orders are a violation of the University's procurement policy. A confirming order is an order placed by an end user (Requester) without following the standard procurement cycle which begins with the creation and submission of a CUNYfirst Requisition and the issuance of Purchase Order by the Purchasing Office.

In the case of an emergency, please contact the Purchasing Office immediately. An emergency procurement is one in which an urgent or unexpected situation occurs where health and public safety or the conservation of public resources is at risk. Pre-approval from the University is required to streamline this procurement cycle. Casual planning for the procurement of goods/services does not constitute an emergency.

A. Advance Approvals
Before preparing your requisition, please contact the appropriate offices below to receive technical guidance and approval for the proposed purchase to move forward.
DESCRIPTION	OFFICE	EXTENSION
Audio Visual	Asif Hussain AVP/CIO	6674
Catering Services (incl. Room Rentals)	Events Management	5040
Computer Equipment/Software	Asif Hussain AVP/CIO	6674
Door Locks	Buildings & Grounds	5124
Fax Machines, Handheld Devices	Asif Hussain AVP/CIO	6674
Heavy/Large Equipment	Buildings & Grounds	5124
Mailings	Mail Room	5098
Photocopiers	Asif Hussain AVP/CIO	6674
Printing (i.e., Promotional, Logo)	Communications & Marketing	6760
Renovations/Furniture	Campus Planning & Design	5099

B. General Dollar Thresholds and Requirements

Purchase Dollar Threshold Requirements

The Purchasing Office will determine whether the goods or service can be obtained through a Preferred Source (i.e., NYS Preferred Source Program for People Who Are Blind (NYSPSP), NYS Industries for the Disabled (NYSID), NYS Department of Correctional Services Division of Industries (CORCRAFT) or an existing governmental contract (i.e., NYS Office of General Services (OGS), NYC Department of Administrative Services (DCAS), Federal General Services Administration (GSA), and/or Department of Education (DOE) before exercising a below competitive solicitation process.

Dollar Range	Requirements
Up to - $19,999	Informal Purchase: Telephone Quotations will be emailed to at least five (5) prospective bidders, who must submit their quote via email or fax to the Purchasing Office by a specified date and time.
$20,000 - $100,000	Informal Purchase: Request for Quotation (RFQ) for purchases of good/services or combination of goods/services. Also, may be used as a method of procurement for purchases from State-certified Minority/Women-Owned Businesses (MWBE) that have a value up to $200,000. RFQ's will be emailed to a minimum of five (5) prospective bidders who must submit their authorized quote via mail, hand delivery email or fax by the RFQ Response Deadline. Advertisement (min. 15 business days) is required for purchases/services $50,000 in NYS Contract Reporter and the City Record. Review and approval may also be required by CUNY's OGC.
$100,000 & Above	Formal Purchase: Invitation for Bids (IFB) or Request for Proposal (RFP). Advertisement in NYS Contract Reporter and the City Record is required. Review and approval is required by CUNY's OGC. Moreover, purchases/services of $500,000 require submission of a Board Resolution for approval by the CUNY Board of Trustees, and NYC Office of the Comptroller.

For the purchase of specific types of goods/services, please see below.

C. HONORARIA

Honoraria are paid for speaking engagements. Payments for services other than a speaking fee may require an Independent Contractor Agreement. Tax levy funds cannot be used to process honorarium payments to individuals who are currently employed, or have been employed within the past two years, by CUNY, SUNY, New York State and/or New York City.

To begin the process for honoraria, please create a Purchase Requisition in CUNYfirst entering a "Dummy Vendor" consisting of "9999999999" as the vendor/payee if the vendor/payee is not already in CUNYfirst. Complete the Honorarium Payment Request Form and upload it to the requisition as an attachment. If the services will be performed as part of an event, please attach an event program, flier, or agenda describing the purpose of the event, and a sign-in sheet. Please provide (in the comments section of the requisition):

Full Name
Street Address
Phone Number
E-mail Address

A description of the specific services to be provided, including duration of service(s), dates of service(s) will be provided, and pricing structure.

Please indicate whether or not the vendor/payee is currently a student/employee.

Upon receipt of this information, the College will contact the guest speaker (or representative/agency) to begin the Vendor Payee Registration process which is required to issue a purchase order. The registration process can take up to two (2) weeks provided that all required forms are completed correctly. Please note that this registration must be completed prior to the rendering of services.
Once the Purchase Order has been issued and the event has taken place, create a receipt in CUNYfirst and submit the following documentation to the Office of Accounts Payable.

Original, signed Honorarium Payment Request Form
Acopy of the CUNYfirst receipt confirmation page
An event program, flier, or agenda describing the purpose of the event, and a sign-in sheet

The vendor/payee will receive a check at the same address filed with the Payee Information Portal (PIP) in the Financial Management System (FMS)during the vendor registration process. If the payee wishes to change this address in FMS, contact the Office of Accounts Payable.

D. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AGREEMENTS (ICA)

Engaging a consultant is handled just like other purchases of services; Purchasing is required to follow all procurement procedures for the procurement of consultant services. End Users must provide substantive reasons why a specific consultant is being identified for certain services, and the Purchasing Office must determine from the information it receives from the end user that a single source or sole source procurement method is appropriate in the given circumstance. In addition, reasonableness of prices is always a consideration. Tax levy funds cannot be used to process Independent Contractor Agreements to individuals who are currently employed, or have been employed within the past two years, by CUNY, SUNY, New York State and/or New York City.

To begin the Independent Contractor Agreement process, please create a Requisition in CUNYfirst entering a "Dummy Vendor" as the vendor/payee if the vendor/payee is not already in CUNYfirst. If the services will be performed as part of an event, please attach an event program, flier, or agenda describing the purpose of the event, and a sign-in sheet. Please provide (in the comments section of the requisition):

Full Name
Street Address
Phone Number
E-mail Address

A description of the specific services to be provided, including duration of service(s), dates of service(s) will be provided, and pricing structure.

Please indicate whether the or not the vendor/payee is currently a student/employee.
Upon receipt of this information, the College will contact the vendor to begin the Vendor Payee Registration process which is required to issue a purchase order. The registration process may take up to two (2) weeks provided that all required forms are completed correctly. Please note that this registration must be completed prior to the rendering of services.

Following registration process, two (2)copies of the Independent Contractor Agreement shall be sent to the vendor/payee for completion and notarization.

A Purchase Order is created once the Independent Contractor Agreement has been completed by the vendor/payee and returned to the Purchasing Office. An executed copy of the Independent
Contractor Agreement will be sent to the vendor/payee along with a copy of the Purchase Order and instructions for beginning the payment process.

Once the service has been completed, create a receipt in CUNYfirst and submit the following documentation to the Office of Accounts Payable.

Original Claim for Payment (PDF) (page 11 of Independent Contractor Agreement) from the vendor/payee
Original invoice from the vendor/payee
Acopy of the CUNYfirst receipt confirmation page

The vendor/payee will receive a check at the same address filed with the Payee Information Portal (PIP) in the Financial Management System (FMS) during the vendor registration process. If the payee wishes to change this address in FMS, contact the Office of Accounts Payable.

E. Procurement Record (Justification) for Single Source and Sole Source Purchases

A "sole source" procurement, as defined by New York State law, is one in which only one vendor can supply the product or service required.
A "single source" purchase, as defined by New York State law, is one in which although two or more vendors/resellers can supply a required product or service, but there are material and substantial reasons to prefer one vendor over the others, such as the need to upgrade current equipment with parts or to obtain software from the original manufacturer or to select a consultant for a particular expertise.
It is the Purchasing Department's responsibility to review and approve of all sole source and single source purchases and to ensure that the procurement record includes "material and substantial reasons" for the single source or sole source purchase.

End users must provide a memo to the Purchasing Office that includes:

a description of the commodity and/or service being sought;
a statement that explains the specific elements that differentiate the selected vendor/product that the College requires from all other vendors/products available (why this one vendor/product represents the best possible source/product when considering characteristics, technical capabilities, availability of resources, facilities, expertise);
identification of the other vendors/products considered and, if single source procurement, a description of how the vendor was selected from the pool of potential vendors who also provide the product/service;
the specific reasons for selecting this vendor instead of the others -- describe how the product/service uniquely meets the College's needs and how selecting this vendor is in the best interests of the College and why competitive solicitation is not warranted;
if applicable, a description of the previous similar purchases, future requirements, and long-range objectives, including what efforts are being made to ensure future competition;
the overall (long-term) estimated costs of the product/service;
what would happen if this vendor/product were not selected (as a single/sole source)?;
the basis upon which the College determined that the vendor's price is fair and reasonable (as required for all purchases).

NOTE: A letter from the vendor declaring that it is the sole source for a product is not sufficient justification for a purchase to be made on a single source or sole source basis; the Purchasing Office will conduct its own due diligence to determine whether that vendor is the exclusive source for the required goods and/or services.

II. CUNYfirst PROCUREMENT MODULE

The College utilizes University's CUNYfirst web-based System to process all Tax Levy, Technology Fee, Material Fee, and some KCC Association transactions.

Please see CUNY's Financials link Procurement (State) for how to Create Requisitions-Goods and Services, Manage Requisitions, Approve Requisitions, Select an Alternate User to Approve Requisitions, Budget Check Requisition, Cancel Requisition, Run Queries and Desktop Receiving Goods and Services: Create a Receipt, Inspect Receipt, and Cancel Receipt. Also, available is Requisition and Receipts FAQ.
http://cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/CIS/CUNYfirst/training/administrativestaff/financials.html

For your reference, please utilize the KCC Category Code Crosswalk listing and/or CUNY's GL Chart of Accounts-Operating Expenses including Budget Codes (detailed description for category codes) to accurately record the purchase of goods/services in NYC budget accounts.

III. How to Make Non-Tax Levy Purchases

Complete a Requisition in CUNY's web-based e-Procurement System (EPS), including the vendor name, vendor address, federal identification number, item numbers, description of items, quantities, prices, the total dollar amount for each item and the total dollar amount of the entire order.
Submit the purchase requisition form along with vendor quotes and supporting documentation.
Upon receiving goods or an invoice from the vendor, a payment request form must be completed and all pertinent back-up must be sent to the KCC Association to initiate payment to the vendor. For more information, view the User Manual after logging in in the upper left corner of first screen.

https://ebusiness.cuny.edu/EPS/procurement2.nsf/LookupAttachments/EPSUserGuide/$File/EPS+User+Guide+5-72008.pdf?OpenElement

MINORITY- and WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS

The University-wide Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Program of the City University of New York strives to assure that MWBE firms around New York State and New York City are given equal opportunities to have business with all CUNY campuses in various fields including construction, commodities and consultant/services.
In terms of statutory requirements, the University-wide MWBE Program of the City University of New York is responsible for ensuring CUNY's compliance with the Executive Law Article 15-A which mandates state agencies to establish business for minorities and women on solicitations.
Also, it is the policy of the City University of New York (University) to take affirmative action to ensure that New York State certified minority and women owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) are given the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to provide the University with commodities and services at competitive prices

The University-wide MWBE program has been dedicated to improving MWBE utilization by each CUNY campus through re-organizing and streamlining the procurement process. The program makes every effort to increase the participation and utilization of qualified MWBE firms through means such as setting MWBE goal amounts for each campus and each contract type, finding perspective vendors for campus projects, sending out bidding opportunities to vendors and coordinating fairs for vendors and contractors. The program also requires each campus to report MWBE utilization in each quarter to monitor compliance. The program is required to meet the Governor's MWBE participation goal of 30%.

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