MCC Daily Tribune

Purchasing Department Role at MCC

We are on the same team - even though occasionally it seems we're pulling in different directions! We are all here to do our part to contribute to the success of our students. To play our part, the Purchasing Department has two primary goals:

to support the teaching and learning environment at the College and ensure that all departments have the necessary goods and services to serve our students
to procure the highest quality goods and services at the lowest possible cost to the College

While we strive to fulfill those goals, we have the responsibility of confirming that the College complies with a myriad of laws and regulations that govern the purchase of goods and services with public funds including:

New York State General Municipal Law; principally sections 103 and 104:
- Section 103 governs the process of public bidding, including when it is required and how it is administered
- Section 104 governs the process for procurement of goods and services that fall outside of the public bid requirement
New York State Finance Law
SUNY Guidelines
State Education Department Guidelines
Office of the Governor Executive Orders

As a result of these laws and regulations, the process to obtain the goods or services requested by faculty and staff to serve our students may not run as smoothly as you would hope. Here are some of the steps we follow once we receive your completed and approved purchase requisition:

The Director of Purchasing (or his/her designee) reviews requisitions and distributes them to department Buyers. Once the Buyer has your requisition, the detailed work to determine the best method of acquisition begins.
The Buyer first looks to determine if items are on a State Contract issued by:
- New York State Office of General Services (OGS), or
- County of Monroe Contract issued by the Monroe County Office of Purchasing and Central Services, or
- On a contract awarded by another municipal or government organization as a result of a competitive process that was open to all vendors and allows other public entities to also use the contract (referred to as 'piggybacking').
- The Buyer is free to use any of the above contract options depending on which offers the most favorable terms and conditions for the College and issues a Purchase Order using the vendor(s) holding the awarded contract.
If items are not available on an existing contract, the Buyer will need to seek competitive price quotes from various vendors as appropriate. The type and extent of the competition required depends on the dollar amount of the purchase:
- The Purchasing Department will need to administer a competitive process open to all vendors if the cost of a single item (or groups of similar items) exceeds $20,000 in cost.
- Public bids must be held for public projects (those consisting primarily of labor) that exceed $35,000 in cost.

We would be remiss if we did not mention orders for services that involve specialized skills, training, knowledge, expertise, technical skills and the use of professional judgment. These are considered "professional service" orders and are excluded from the competitive bidding requirements of the General Municipal Law. These are services that are not acquired solely based upon price, since the cost of services, although a factor, will not ensure that the College obtains the best services for the best value.

Some examples of professional services are contracts with attorneys, surveyors, engineers, architects, insurance brokers, and consultants with specialized expertise.

The process of obtaining a professional service will depend on several factors including the monetary value of the contract, nature of the work, term of the contract, and the College's previous experience with similar contracts. Professional services may be secured through negotiation or through solicitation of proposals, generally known as a Request for Proposal (RFP).

The benefit of the RFP process is that it allows the College to explore the market of potential providers for creative approaches, specialized experience, quality of service, and cost differentials.

For more detail on MCC's Purchasing Policy and Procedures, please see Policy 2.19 on MCC Policies webpage (https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/policy/).

As always, the Purchasing Department is only a phone call away at extension 2080 should you ever need guidance or assistance understanding why we do what we do!

Hezekiah Simmons
Administrative Services
08/09/2019