Purchasing
Any college department having a budget allocation may request purchases be made against that allocation by following a specific procedure:

A purchase order must be completed and signed by the person requesting the purchase and by his/her supervisors before the order is sent tothe campus President. After the campus President indicates his/her approval of the purchase, the purchase order is sent to the district Business Office for approval.

Business office personnel evaluate the purchase order according to specific criteria:

  1. The proposed expenditure is in accordance with the purpose of the account from which it will be made;
  2. The amount of the expenditure is within the approved budget allocation;
  3. The expenditure is for goods or services that are appropriate to theneeds of the institution; and
  4. The purchase order includes the signatures of appropriate approving authorities.
  5. After the purchase order has been processed by business office personnel, the purchase order is submitted to the Vice Chancellor of Fiscal Affairs and the college Chancellor, or his/her designee, for final approval.

Employees who purchase goods and/or services before proper authorizationhas been obtained assume complete responsibility for the purchase. The district Business Office is not authorized to make payment in such cases unless instructed to do so by the Chancellor or his/her designee.

Payment of Purchase Orders

When the goods or services listed on the purchase order are received bythe college, the person initiating the request is responsible for verifying that the goods or services actually received meet the conditions and requirements of the purchase order. When the person responsible for the purchase receives the invoice for the goods or services listed on the purchase order, he or she approves the invoice for payment and promptly forwards the invoice to the district Business Office for payment. If the invoice total differs from the original purchase order total, the originator of the purchase order must be able to justify and explain the price difference. After comparing the invoice against the purchase order and any subsequent adjustments, the district Business Office personnel will process the invoice for payment.

Campus Bookstore Purchases

Effective November 1, 2000, Purchase Orders will be replaced with a Departmental Supply Invoice that will be generated at the Campus Bookstores at the time of purchase. The invoice will be printed at the register at the time of purchase. Information required for the invoice will be the originating department name, phone extension, account numberto be charged, name of person authorizing the purchase, and campus.

Printed on the invoice will be the quantity, description, price and total amount of the items being purchased. Eligible items will be marked for the Bookstore Discount at the time of sale. Questions regarding the discount must be resolved with the bookstore cashier or manager at the time of sale. The campus bookstore will retain the invoice and the purchaser will be given a receipt of the transaction. On a monthly basis, the total of all charges for the department will be charged to the "Other Charges" area of the departmental budget, similar to printing, mailing, long distance telephone, and E-Z tags. The District Bookstore Staff (Ext. 1233) will answer any reconciliation questions. All returned items, excluding defects, must be returned within ten (10) calendar days of purchase. Credits will be applied in the month of settlement. Departments are required to keep copies of their receipts and credits.

The originating department is responsible for arranging delivery through maintenance for bulk items, i.e. chairs, cases of paper, etc.

The Bookstore has printed a Supply Special Orders Form. The Supply Special Orders Form will be available from either the Campus Bookstores or Campus Business Offices. The purpose of this form is to place an order for an item not on hand at the bookstore. This will allow the bookstore to order from a third party vendor. When the item arrives at the Bookstore, the originating department will be notified for pickup. At time of pickup, the Departmental Supply Invoice and procedures will be utilized.

The Bookstore has also printed a District Supply Order Form to be used by departments in the District Office Building and the Annex. The procedures are the same as the Supply Special Order Form above except this form will be used for items on hand at the Bookstores. As an alternative, the District Office Building and Annex departments may pickup supplies directly at the bookstore through the use of the Departmental Supply Invoice.

(Re: Policy V-B; Board of Trustees Policy Manual)