Frequently Asked Questions

 

When should I submit a "Sole Source" Request?

Sole sources purchases are purchases made without competitive bidding because circumstances exist that preclude competition. Generally a sole source situation occurs when the procurement of a certain good or service is offered by only one supplier or if a particular brand name is required. Since a sole source purchase is not competitive, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston carefully regulates these transactions and requires that they be clearly identified and documented within the purchasing process.

When a requisition is entered for a value over $5,000 and should be considered as a sole source purchase, the manager of the requesting department must submit a signed justification that addresses the three essential elements of sole source. The department completes Section 1 and Section 2. Section 2 is a "Conflict of Interest" statement that must be signed by the individual who has determined that there is no other source of supply of the good or service.

Purchasing will complete Section 3 & 4. If the request is approved by Purchasing, they will process the purchase order for dispatch to the supplier.

 

What is my purchasing limit?

Up to $5,000

Departments can purchase goods and services up to $5,000 per transaction. Actual orders of amounts greater than $5,000 cannot be split in to multiple orders to avoid this limitation. Splitting of orders can subject an individual to disciplinary action or the loss of BuyCard privileges.

Over $5,000 to $25,000

The approval and issuance of purchase orders in this amount range are the responsibility of the Purchasing Department. Informal bids can be used for determining the award of a purchase order. Informal bids can be from telephone, fax, email or other written sources. An attempt must be made to include HUB vendors in the informal bidding process. If the department has obtained informal bids on its own, it may forward those bids to the Purchasing Department for consideration in awarding the purchase order.

Greater than $25,000

The approval and issuance of purchase orders in this amount range are the responsibility of the Purchasing Department. Formal bidding processes are used to solicit bids for the procurement of goods and services in this range. Purchasing generally uses Request for Proposal (RFP) and Invitation to Bid (ITB) as the formal method of bid solicitation. Formal bids must also be publicly posted on the Procurement Services web site. Purchases with an expected value of $100,000 or more require suppliers to formally submit a written HUB Plan. Purchases with an expected value of $1,000,000 or more must be approved by both the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and the University of Texas Board of Regents.

 

Who is responsible for entering a receiver against a purchase order?

Most goods or services ordered by employees are delivered directly to the department. The department manager is responsible for assuring that a receiver is entered for all items received. As payment cannot be processed until the receiver is entered, it is important that the department process the receiving transaction as soon as possible after the physical receipt of the good or service.

Some goods are routed to Central Receiving in MSB due to the size or nature of the item. Central Receiving will process the receiver and subsequently arrange to deliver the item to the correct location.

While it is not a requirement to process a receiver on a BuyCard transaction, it is recommended to document the receipt using this method as well.

 

How do I open an account to use the UT Supply Mall?

Download and print out the UT Supply Mall Security Access Request form. Fill out the form and get the necessary approvals from your department's administrative manager. Fax the completed form to Enrique (Rick) Navarro at 713-500-5962. Access requests are generally processed within 48 hours.

 

What is the average time to pay a non-PO voucher?

We attempt to pay all suppliers on all invoices within 30 days in accordance with the prompt pay law. Invoices for transactions not on purchase orders tend to be initially sent to people who do not have access to the financial system to process a voucher. Department staff should be periodically reminded to get invoices routed to the appropriate individual in the department for entry of a voucher. From the time the voucher is entered into the financial system until a check is issued to a vendor is generally less than 10 days on average. Actual processing results are posted in our Performance Metrics section of the website.