Introduction
The guide has been prepared to assist you in your contacts with Delta State University and
the Purchasing Department. We believe this information will help you understand our organization and our procedures for processing purchases. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us. It is in our mutual interest to strive to improve our business relationships.
New and existing vendors are to comply with Internal Revenue Service regulations by completing a current W-9 form. Please return the completed W-9 form and the Vendor Information Form to the Delta State University Procurement Office or mail to 1003 W. Sunflower Road, Kent Wyatt Hall 221, Cleveland, MS 38733.
Location and Office Hours
The Procurement Department is located in Kent Wyatt Hall 221. Our regular office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding IHL approved holidays.
Basic Guidelines
- Please call ahead for appointments whenever possible.
- Make each visit a profitable one. Bring us a new idea, approach, or product. Help us keep up to date.
- Please accept only an authorized purchase order from the Procurement Department or Purchasing Card.
- Please do not accept promises from other University departments that you will be given an order. A purchase order can be obtained only after proper purchasing laws and procedures have been followed.
- Please quote realistic dates so we can base our planning on good firm information.
- If you are discussing a requirement with one of the University departments, make sure Purchasing Department is aware of it. We need good communication.
- Please conduct your business openly and frankly. As a state institution, all of our business transactions are a matter of public record.
- We will expect you to honor all pricing, delivery, and service agreements.
- We value you as our supplier. If you have any questions or if we do anything that you do not understand, please contact us.
- Please do not offer any gifts or gratuities to any University employee.
How We Buy
As a public institution, we must follow state purchasing laws and regulations. The Mississippi Constitution places the management and control of Institutions of Higher Learning under the governance of the Board of Trustees. State law establishes guidelines and agencies to supervise the procurement functions. The Office of Purchasing and Travel, which is under the Department of Finance and Administration, was established to coordinate and promote economy in the purchases made by state agencies. The Office of Purchasing and Travel has the authority to prescribe rules and regulations to enter contracts for commodities and to issue regulation on how commodities can be purchased under the contract. State law
established a Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) to centralize and regulate the procurement of data processing and telecommunication equipment. A brief statement of our regulations may be found is as follows:
Laws relative to the Office of Purchasing and Travel and the procurement process in general may be found in Chapter 7 of the Mississippi Code beginning with Section 31-7-1.
MS State Bid and Quote Requirements
31-7-13. All agencies and governing authorities shall purchase their commodities and printing; contract for fire insurance, automobile insurance, casualty insurance (other than workers’ compensation) and liability insurance; contract for garbage collection or disposal; contract for solid waste collection or disposal; contract for sewage collection or disposal; and contract for public construction as herein provided.
A. Purchases which do not involve an expenditure of more than Five thousand Dollars ($5,000.00),
exclusive of freight or shipping charges, may be made without advertising or otherwise requesting
competitive bids. Provided, however, that nothing contained in this paragraph shall be construed to
prohibit any agency or governing authority from establishing procedures which require competitive bids on purchases of Five thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or less.
B. Purchases which involve an expenditure of more than Five thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) but not more than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), exclusive of freight and shipping charges, may be made from the lowest and best bidder without publishing or posting advertisement for bids, provided at least two (2) competitive written bids have been obtained. The term “competitive written bid” shall mean a bid submitted on a bid form furnished by the buying agency or governing authority and signed by authorized personnel representing the vendor, or a bid submitted on a vendor’s letterhead or identifiable bid form and
signed by authorized personnel representing the vendor.
C. Purchases which involve an expenditure of more than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), exclusive of freight and shipping charges, may be made from the lowest and best bidder after advertising for competitive sealed bids once each week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a regular newspaper published in the county or municipality in which such agency or governing authority is located. The date as published for the bid opening shall not be less than seven (7) working days after the last published notice; however, if the purchase involves a construction project in which the estimated cost is in excess of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), such bids shall not be opened in less than fifteen (15) working days after the last notice is published and the notice for the purchase of such construction shall be published once each week for two (2) consecutive week. The notice of intention to let contracts or purchase equipment shall state the time and place at which bids shall be received, list the contracts to be made or type of equipment or supplies to be purchased, and, if all plans and/or specifications are not published, refer to the plans and/or specifications on file. Specifications pertinent to such bidding shall be written so as not to exclude comparable equipment of domestic manufacture.
D. Purchases may be made from the lowest and best bidder. In determining the lowest and best bid, freight and shipping charges shall be included. No agency or governing authority shall accept a bid based on items not included in the specifications.
E. No contract or purchase as herein authorized shall be made for the purpose of circumventing the
provisions of this section requiring competitive bids, nor shall it be lawful for any person or concern to submit individual invoices for amounts within those authorized for a contract or purchase where the actual value of the contract or commodity purchased exceeds the authorized amount and the invoices therefore are split so as to appear to be authorized as purchases for which competitive bids are not required.
Submission of such invoices shall constitute a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment for thirty (30) days in the county jail, or both such fine and imprisonment. In addition, the claim or claims submitted shall be forfeited.
F. For the purposes of this section, the term “purchase” shall mean the total amount of money encumbered by a single purchase order.
Orders on State Contract
If an item is covered by a competitive bid state contract, we must buy from a particular vendor. If an item is covered by a negotiated contract, we can purchase that item from a vendor not on state contract if the price is lower than state contract price.
Billing Instructions
Billing information is shown on each purchase order, and all invoices are processed by the Purchasing Department. Because the University attempts to ensure prompt processing of vendor invoices, we require an original invoice which must reference the purchase order number.
Shipping Instructions
Most deliveries will be made to our Physical Plant/Receiving Station located at 1417 Maple Street. The “ship to location” will be indicated on the purchase order.
General Credit References
For references contact the Purchasing Department at (662) 846-4046 or fax (662) 846-4049
