Procurement Procedures

In accordance with the Procurement Policies and Procedures established by the University System of Maryland and implemented by UMBC, if a department has a requirement for a small dollar procurement of $25,000 or less, the following procedures apply. It is prohibited to intentionally split orders to avoid following the appropriate procurement procedures.

• Competition is not required but is encouraged.
• If the cost is less than $5,000, the VISA Purchasing Card (“P-Card”) must be used wherever possible in accordance with the Policies & Procedures governing the use of the P-Card. Confirming requisitions should be avoided.
• If the P-Card is not used, the request must be submitted to Procurement using a requisition for processing. Orders of this size will be processed within 24 hours of receipt in Procurement, unless there are terms and conditions to be reviewed and negotiated.
• Good business practices should be used at all times and include to compare pricing. Departments and/or Procurement may attempt to do so by doing the following:
  

  • Contact a minimum of two vendors via telephone, fax or internet.
  • Document for the record the pricing obtained (have the vendors fax quotation, print internet information, etc.).
  • Make a note of additional pricing or attach documentation to requisition and forward to Procurement.

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Competitive Sealed Bids – one step bid process in which bids are generally sent to an adequate number of bidders to ensure competition. Specifications are developed working with the department and permit a bid based on lowest bid from a bidder who is both responsive and responsible and meets the specifications set forth in the bid documents. Time for processing will depend on dollar value and complexity of procurement and location of vendors. Bids may be obtained in any manner that best meets the needs of the solicitation and the using department including through a formal written bid process, via telephone, fax, internet, etc. Bids are typically processed in 10 – 30 days. To the extent practicable, solicitations must be published in a manner that best meets the needs of the solicitation, preferably for a minimum period of three days. Publication may be accomplished by posting the solicitation on the Procurement bid board, on the eMaryland Marketplace website, trade journals, UMBC’s electronic bid board, etc.

Competitive Request for Proposals (“RFP”) – two step process in which there is a separately received, evaluated and scored technical proposal and financial proposal. Generally used where the requirements of the procurement are difficult to quantify and award will be based on factors other than cost. Due to the complexity of the RFP documents and the evaluation process, this process typically takes 30 – 90 days. To the extent practicable, solicitations must be published in a manner that best meets the needs of the solicitation for a minimum period of five days. Publication may be accomplished by posting the solicitation on the Procurement bid board, on the eMaryland Marketplace website, trade journals, UMBC’s electronic bid board, etc. Procurement will work closely with requesting department to establish the specifications and criteria for the RFP.

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Sole Source Procurement may be used if appropriate and justified by the using department with concurrence by Procurement. Department must complete the Sole Source form stating the following:

1. 1. 1. Need for the service or commodity
      2. Uniqueness of the vendor’s qualifications, experience, commodity
      3. Attempts to find other sources or basis for the sole source
      4. Impact if this vendor was not selected. Procurement will obtain a written confirmation of pricing and negotiate to obtain the best prices and terms for the University.

Emergency Procurement – An emergency is a sudden and unexpected occurrence or condition which the University reasonably could not have foreseen that requires an action to avoid or to mitigate serious damage to public health, safety or welfare. An emergency is not a situation which arises as a result of poor planning or lack of funds. Generally, time constraints in resolving the emergency situation may require immediate action that precludes the use of any formal procurement process, where time permits, the University should attempt to seek as much competition as possible. Contact Procurement on ext. 52273 as soon as an emergency arises to see how best to proceed.  The Emergency Procurement Form can be completed here.

Cooperative purchasing agreements with other institutions, agencies, governments, etc. – The Department of Procurement may from time to time combine procurement requirements with the needs of other institutions, agencies or governments to achieve the maximum efficiency and economies in making purchases. These contracts would be available for use by the campus as the need arises.