A Guide For Doing Business With Western State College
WELCOME! Thank you for considering Western State College as a market for your goods and/or services. This guide is prepared to assist businesses understand our organization and our procedures for processing purchases. Our goal is to develop and maintain successful business relationships. We are committed to promote our mutual business interests openly and fairly. Please contact us in the WSC Purchasing Office to share your product/service information, if you need assistance, or have any questions about our purchasing processes.
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- VENDOR CONTACT
- OVERVIEW
- PURCHASING OBJECTIVES
- PURCHASING AUTHORITY
- BIDDING PROCESS
- BIDS
- STATE COMMODITY & SERVICE AGREEMENTS
- INVOICE PROCESSING
- CODE OF ETHICS
- Purchase Order Terms & Conditions (pdf document)
- How To Do Business with the State of Colorado (link to State's web site)
VENDOR CONTACT
Vendors' representatives are welcome to visit the WSC Purchasing Office to keep us current and informed about commodities and services offered. When faculty and staff are contacted directly, we ask that you also contact the Purchasing Office to open and maintain communication and share information and catalogs, etc. Making appointments is appreciated whenever possible, but you are welcome anytime.
The WSC Purchasing Office is located in 211D & 211E on the second floor of Taylor Hall, the College's administration building, and is staffed by one purchasing agent and an assistant:
Benay Muckleroy, Director of Purchasing
(970) 943-2057
bmuckleroy@western.eduSue Oberly, Purchasing Assistant
(970) 943-7022
soberly@western.edu
OVERVIEW
Western State College is an undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with an enrollment of approximately 2200 students, and approximately 265 full- and part-time faculty and staff. The College's facilities consist of approximately 30 buildings, 17 of which are residence halls or apartments, and 9 are academic, administrative, or recreational. Approximately 1100 students are housed in our residence facilities.
As an agency of the State of Colorado, Western State College operates a fully delegated purchasing agency and adheres to the State of Colorado Revised Statutes 24-101 et seq., C.R.S. (1998) as amended, (Procurement Code) and the 1997 revision of the Procurement Rules, established by the State Purchasing Office to implement the Procurement Code. Purchases are made by the College to support the academic, student life, facilities, administrative and related activities of the College.
PURCHASING OBJECTIVES
The WSC Purchasing Office is a service arm of the College and exists to ensure that the purchase of materials, supplies, equipment, and services for the College is economical, timely, and fair to vendors. We strive to accommodate and expedite the needs of the College within the parameters and guidelines established by the State and according to the College's policies and procedures. Whenever possible we attempt to consolidate purchases and establish monthly and annual blanket purchase orders for repetitive purchases to expedite placement of orders and to minimize purchase order processing.
PURCHASING AUTHORITY
Only authorized agents of Western State College's purchasing agency have the authority to issue purchase orders and obligate the College. All purchases must be authorized prior to the placement of any order for goods or services. The Procurement Code provides that any person who purchases for the College without authorization "shall be personally liable for the costs thereof." Vendors who supply goods or services to Western State College without the authorization of a purchase order or contract do so at their own risk.
BIDDING PROCESS
Any purchase estimated to cost $5000 or more is subject to the bidding process. The solicitation documents, i.e., Documented Quote, Invitation For Bid or Request For Proposal, are prepared in the WSC Purchasing Office upon receipt of an approved requisition from the requesting College department. These documents contain all product, performance, delivery and service requirements, technical specifications, and general and special legal requirements. Sealed bids or proposals are publicly opened at the time and place designated in the solicitation notice. Bids are then evaluated by the College's Purchasing Agent and the requesting department representative(s). The Purchasing Agent awards a purchase order or contract to the most responsible and responsive vendor(s) whose bid or proposal meets or exceeds the bid specifications and offers the lowest competitive price.
- Informal Bid or Documented Quote
Orders above $5,000 and below $25,000 are competitively bid informally by obtaining firm quotations by phone or fax. While competitive documented quotations may be obtained for purchases below $5,000, they are not required.
- Formal Bid
Purchases of $25,000 or more are competitively bid using a written sealed bid process.
- Purchase Awards
Awards are based on a combination of factors which are most advantageous to Western State College, such as, lowest competitive price quotations on specific commodities and services, best possible deliveries, adherence to specifications, and quality and performance consistent with bid requirements. On more complex purchases factors such as, past technical and professional experience, years in business, customer references, responsiveness to program requirements, life-cycle costing, cost and price analysis are considered.
- Contract
- A purchase award, in the form of a Purchase Order or Contract is issued upon acceptance of a vendor's offer, and creates a binding contract between the vendor and Western State College. The Purchase Order/Contract, all bid solicitation documents, and the vendor's bid or proposal serve as integral parts of the vendor's contract with the College.
BIDS
The Bid Information and Distribution System (BIDS) is a centralized, web-based system through which all state agencies are required to post all bid solicitation documents (i.e., Invitation For Bids, Documented Quotes, Requests For Proposals, Requests For Information, Sole Source Notices, etc.) and bid award notices made under solicitations. Using BIDS, all vendors may view all bid notices on the State's web site and BIDS registered vendors access complete solicitation documents.
To receive Western State College's solicitation documents, vendors must be registered in BIDS. Vendors are required to be registered in BIDS to respond to any state agency's solicitation. Registration and viewing of all state agencies' solicitation notices is accomplished at Colorado BIDS for Goods & Services at the State Purchasing Office's web site at www.gssa.state.co.us. The BIDS Help Desk = 303-894-2039.
STATE COMMODITY & SERVICE AGREEMENTS - MANDATORY AND PERMISSIVE
The State Purchasing Office establishes price agreements with a multitude of vendors from which state agencies purchase goods and services. The College is required to purchase from these price agreements providing that the products or services under a price agreement are in substantial conformity to the needs of the institution. The College must buy from the "mandatory" price agreements to the exclusion of all others. The College must buy from the "permissive" price agreements if better prices are not available elsewhere. No dollar limit for purchases exists on orders from state price agreement vendors and these purchases are not subject to an additional bidding process.
INVOICE PROCESSING
After purchase order/contracts have been fulfilled by the vendor, the College requires from the vendor a complete descriptive invoice to make payment for goods and services. Mailed or delivered invoices to Accounts Payable, 211 Taylor Hall, Western State College, Gunnison, CO 81231, phone 970-943-7028. Invoices not mailed or delivered to Accounts Payable may not be processed promptly. The College's Accounting Office processes invoices promptly and is happy to answer any questions and resolve any payment issues as expeditiously as possible.
CODE OF ETHICS
The persons employed by the State of Colorado who purchase goods and services, or are involved in the purchasing process for the State are bound by the State of Colorado Procurement Code of Ethics. Western State College holds institutional memberships in the National Association of Educational Buyers and the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing. The College's purchasing agent adheres to the Codes of Ethics of these professional organizations.