John, it's not clear what institution you're from or in what capacity but
in my opinion your purchasing department (and institution for allowing,
unless you fall under some State procurement requirements) have set up an
impossible procurement process.  The federal circulars require that you
maintain a procurement process for sponsored projects thats consistently
utilized; it doesn't have to be the same as your institutions.  To bid at
this day and age at a $500 threshold (when feds define equipment in most
instances as over $5000) is in my opinion excessive oversight.  I'm
surprised any research can get completed.    Paul

>I have two questions related to purchasing.
>1. Is anyone working at an institution which has special provisions for
>purchases made under grants and contracts?
>2.  We have a $500 threshold on single purchases if they are to be
>exempt from the bidding process.  The problem arises with respect to the
>definition of what constitutes a single purchase.  Our purchasing
>department's position is that if they receive two requisitions from the
>same department or grant, each of which is under $500, if there is any
>possible way to construe the as a single purchase, they will combine
>them and put them out on bid.  For example, a PI submits a requisition
>for laboratory glassware and a seperate requisition for chemical
>reagents.  The purchasing agent combines these reqisitions using the
>justification that both requisitions are for "laboratory supplies".
>Consequently, the $500 threshold is exceeded(by $29) and they go through
>the bidding process.  The PI gets upset--and you know the rest.  Does
>anyone having any advise on dealing with kind of situation?

Paul C. Parker, Director
Sponsored Funds Administration
State University of New York
Binghamton NY  13902-6000
ph (607-777-6752)  fax (607-777-4354)
internet:  xxxxxx@binghamton.edu