Comments:
At 12:25 PM 9/24/97 -0500, you wrote:
>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?

Over the years I've had experiences wher a specialist was assigned to
handle procurements from sponsored programs.  The rationalle is to put a
competent, motivated, skilled person as special support for projects
because their needs are often unusually urgent, different from the
institutional norm, and support of the P.I.s is considered a priority by
the institution.

>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?

I see this as bureaucratic obstructionism.  There is no reason to combime
these orders. Purchasing's choice of this approach appears to me to be poor
management, in that they are adding a major time roadblock to the
researchers' life.  A couple of suggestions: Get a major executive to tell
Purchasing to develop helpful attitudes and systems; it looks to me as if
they cost much more in obstructionism than they save in getting lower
prices from bids.  Have Purchasing get annual contracts for everything in
the catalogue of a couple of routine scientific supply houses, so the
bidding has been done, and all P.I.'s can phone in orders at the contracted
price.

Chuck

Herbert B. Chermside, CRA
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Virginia Commonwealth University
PO BOX 980568
Richmond, VA  23298-0568
Express Delivery:
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  11th & Marshall Sts.
  Richmond, VA  23219
Phone:    804-828-6772
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