Purchasing via PO

Purchases must follow  TUC Purchasing Policy (Policies & Procedures)

The Purchase Order Form  is located on the Forms & Guides page.

Applications

Purchase Orders are used for the following activities:

  • Ordering of goods & services* from an external vendor
  • Maintenance Agreements
  • Service Calls

* Exceptions: Independent Contractor 

Services from individuals are ordered through Independent Contractor Request Form

For purchases less than or equal to $10,000* a Purchase Order is optional.

Purchases greater than $10,000* require a Purchase Order. 

* including freight, shipping and handling fees, and taxes

(see code of Federal Regulations: Methods of Procurement ).

Purchases that change thresholds:

  • A PO is required if continued use of a vendor on a project means the purchase will increase over $10,000. 
  • A PO can be opened pre-emptively for ongoing purchases from a vendor or if it is believed a purchase under the threshold now will later go over $10,000.

Thresholds & Required Quotes/Bids or Sole Source Justifications

Purchases are separated by Federal Threshold (Micro-purchases, Small purchases, Purchases which exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold), Procurement amount, and either IT Goods/Services or non-IT related Goods/Services.  See table below for guidelines and thresholds for quotes/bids or sole source documentation depending on the amount of the Purchase Order:

 

Federal Threshold

Procurement for:

Goods/Services (Not IT)

 

Micro-Purchase

<=$10,000

Competition not required; informal solicitation recommended

 

Small Purchase*

$10,001-$49,999

At least Two (2) informal quotes

 

 

$50,000-$100,000

At least Three (3) informal quotes

 

 

$100,001-$250,000

Formal Solicitation

 

>Simplified Acquisition Threshold*

>$250,000

Formal Solicitation

 

 

Federal Threshold

Procurement for:

IT Resources Goods/Services

Micro-Purchase

<=$10,000

Competition not required; informal solicitation recommended

Small Purchase*

$10,001-$49,999

At least Two (2) informal quotes

 

$50,000-$250,000

At least Three (3) informal quotes

>Simplified Acquisition Threshold*

>$250,000

Formal Solicitation

*Sole Source Purchases Greater than $10,000 will require written justification and approval.

Small Business/Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Option can be selected for purchases less than $250,000.

Asset Tracking

Certain purchases require asset tracking, please ensure your PO follows the guidelines:  Asset Management

Purchase Order Form

Review/follow the TUC Purchasing Policy. Complete the Purchase Order Form with all detailed information, sign with authorized signature on file at TUC, and attach any required supporting documentation including quotes/bids or sole source justification if applicable. 

By submitting the Purchase Order Form, the Requestor certifies:

  • Vendor subscribes to the anti-discriminatory provisions of Title IX, Education Amendment of 1972.
  • Vendor complies with the provisions of Section 2.030 of the Sub Recipient Handbook which requires a Drug-Free Workplace Certification (STD. 21)  Drug Free Workplace
  • Neither the organization nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in the transaction by any federal department or agency.   
  • Under Goods/Services Ordered,  identify Hazardous Materials and/or Gene Sequencing materials purchases with a check in the checkbox.  Follow Campus Policy for Hazardous Materials and/or Gene Sequencing materials purchases.

Additionally, the PI has determined pricing was fair and reasonable from comparing prices techniques such as catalog or market prices, price comparisons, historical pricing and controlled pricing. (Purchases greater than $50,000 have additional requirements see Purchasing Policy)      

Vendor Debarment and Suspension 

Per 2 CFR 200, § 200.214 Suspension and debarment in Uniform Guidance, TUC is subject to the non-procurement debarment and suspension regulations, which restricts awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in federal assistance programs and activities. Vendors/contractors or their principals must be eligible to participate in federal awards via the federal System for Award Management (SAM).  Sam.gov provides a single comprehensive list of individuals and entities excluded from receiving federal contracts or federally approved subcontracts and from certain types of federal financial and nonfinancial assistance and benefits.   

Processing

  • Budget time for the review and approval process.  Submit the complete documentation (including Quotes/Bids or a Sole Source Justification) to TUC at least 2 weeks ahead of when it is needed.
  • If a sales/use tax that needed to be charged was not included in the Purchase Order/Check Request, TUC will calculate and include the amount.
  • TUC will assign each Purchase Order with a 7-digit Purchase Order Number (TUC-XXXXXXX)
  • All Purchase Orders will be encumbered, this means a preliminary charge is made to the project, committing project funds and making them unavailable for other purchases.
  • Once the process is complete, TUC emails the Purchase Order to the vendor.

 

Adjustments to the Purchase Order

Once a Purchase Order is submitted to TUC and encumbered in the project changes/adjustments can be made as follows:

Adjustments to PO’s

Action

Change does not affect expenditures - OR - 

Vendor invoice will be lower than PO - OR - 

Vendor invoice will exceed PO by <$1,000 and stays within the same approval threshold

Email TUC
Vendor invoice will exceed PO by ≥ $1,000 and PO stays within the same approval threshold Email TUC & Provide an amendment PO for the difference amount, referencing the original PO

Vendor invoice will exceed PO by ≥ $1,000 and/or

PO changes to a different approval threshold

Email TUC & Provide an amendment PO for the difference amount, referencing the original PO & Provide additional support such as quote/bid or sole source if required by approval threshold

Note: The new total amount of the PO determines if a Quote/Bid or Sole Source Justification is required.

See approval thresholds in the Federal Threshold table above.  The signature authority can vary based on approval threshold.  It is important to notify TUC of changes to the PO that affect the threshold to prevent delays in processing.

If an email is used to amend the PO, the email will be uploaded to OnBase as supporting documentation.

Maintenance of Purchase Orders

Maintaining, updating and closing out incorrect encumbrances results in a more accurate picture of the financial standing of the project and frees up committed funds for other uses. It is therefore necessary to periodically review all outstanding encumbrances and notify TUC of any open PO’s that can be closed. 

Residual Amounts of Purchase Orders

Once goods and services ordered in the Purchase Order have been delivered and the vendor invoice has been paid in full, the Purchase Order is automatically closed out. However, residual amounts of open Purchase Orders will remain encumbered until the Principal Investigator notifies TUC to close them out.  This could happen for a number of reasons, such as if the final amount invoiced by the vendor is smaller than the Purchase Order or products or services are partially or completely unavailable. Required Action:  PI will send an email to TUC closing out the Purchase Order.  Additionally, purchase orders related to projects should be resolved before projects are closed. 

Procedure Information
Date of Last Revision: 2/3/26
 

Contact information:
TUC Accounting
Accounts Payable Department
Email: aptuc@csun.edu

Phone: Main: (818) 677-5298