Procurement

Before you make any purchase on behalf of the University, there are several guidelines you should review and questions to ask.

Is the Purchase Appropriate?
University credit, purchasing power, and facilities have been granted to you to make purchases for official business use only. Always ask yourself:

• Is this purchase necessary?
• Is this purchase appropriate for the need?
• Are there existing supplies that would meet the need without this purchase?

The purchase of personal items with University funds is never appropriate. The purchase should support one of the University purposes:

• Teaching
• Research
• Public Service

Will the Purchase Support Sustainability?
When making a purchase, it is important to consider the effects on the environment. Ask yourself:

• Can the purchase be avoided by using existing items?
• Can a similar item be purchased from UC Merced surplus?

When making a purchase, look for recycled content, energy-efficiency, and the most environmentally sensitive type of packaging that makes sense for this purchase. Learn morevia our “Buy Green!” document.

Are There Funding Source Restrictions?
There may be restrictions on what can or cannot be purchased on certain types of accounts (i.e., federal, agency-funded). As a rule-of-thumb, if an account has more restrictive policies than the University, the more restrictive policy applies.
When in doubt about policy/process interpretation, contact the federal awarding agency; because if/when an audit might occur, approval of the chosen approach must be shown to have been documented in writing from the appropriate federal granting agency.

Also, some funding sources may require that purchases are made fromCertified Small Businesses or Certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises.See our information onSelecting a Supplierpage for more on these programs.
Non-compliance with funding restrictions can result in:

• Negative audit findings
• Bad press – with suppliers and/or the broader community
• Loss of funding

Is the Item Available in BobcatBuy+?
BobcatBuy+ provides items at thelowest overall cost, utilizing UC agreements.
The lowest overall cost is more than just the price of the item - it includes the cost of time spent issuing the order, shipping, handling, traveling to get the item, processing invoice(s) for payment, etc.

Is an Agreement Available?
University agreements have been competitively bid with outside suppliers, and generally offer favorable pricing and terms. Using Bobcat Buy ensures yougetUniversity agreement pricing.
Conversely, there may be situations where your department purchases a particular good or service not covered under an existing University agreement.
In many of these situations, a blanket purchasing agreement may be set up for your department for those purchases. Blanket agreements are generally established for long-term procurement of goods and services for a year or longer.
The establishment of a blanket agreement can often save departments money, as they can protect against fluctuating prices.

Selecting a Supplier
If you can't find what you are looking for from a UC Merced source or from one of the suppliers with which we have an agreement, you may need to choose an alternate supplier.More on selecting a supplier.
Are There Insurance Requirements?
Any service to be physically provided on the UC Merced campus or at the DCC requires the supplier to have appropriate insurance. If this applies to your transaction, it pays to be prepared. Learn more.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
UC Merced is committed to complying with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).With every purchase, it is important to consider options that would accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities. For example, visual aids for classroom instruction that provide closed captioning for the deaf or hearing impaired should be purchased over those that do not have this option.