Frequently Asked Purchasing Questions

1. How do I buy the goods and services I need to perform my job at UTSA?
2. What is "best value" and how is it determined?
3. Can I cancel a purchase order?
4. I cannot make a correction to a purchase order. What do I do?
5. I cannot make a correction to a purchase order because it says the order is incomplete?
6. Do I have to get competitive bids for everything I buy?
7. What else requires competitive bids besides printing jobs?
8. I do not know what I need. I know what I want, but do not know how to do it.

1. How do I buy the goods and services I need to perform my job at UTSA?

The University of Texas at San Antonio purchases goods and services by determining the products and the suppliers that will afford the university the "best value." Back to top

2. What is "best value" and how is it determined?

Recent legislative changes in the purchasing statutes for higher education have made "best value" procurement possible. Best value means the optimum combination of economy and quality to achieve the objectives of the end user and the university. To determine this optimum combination, decisions must be made on some pre-purchase evaluation criteria pertaining to specific purchases. There are different guidelines for purchasing goods and services as well as special services like consulting or professional services from architects. These criteria might involve some or all of the following examples: price, quality, service after the sale, reputation of the vendor, delivery time, cost for training or installation and even trade-in or surplus value when you are through using the item. The list can go on to include as many specific criteria for your purchase that is needed to make the evaluation. Back to top

3. Can I cancel a purchase order?

No, only purchasing can cancel purchase orders. Email your buyer with the purchase order number and reason for cancellation. Back to top

4. I cannot make a correction to a purchase order. What do I do?

Make sure the purchase order has been discarded out of the creators inbox and then a correction can be performed. Back to top

5. Can I have both a purchase order and a written contract?

Generally speaking, you should never have a purchase order and a written contractual agreement for the same purchase. It would be almost impossible for both to have the same language and not have some conflicting terms or conditions, since there are standard terms and conditions for each type of document. If there are multiple contracts (a purchase order is a type of contract) with conflicting terms or conditions, who decides which is the valid legal document? Usually the courts. Typically the earliest dated document rules; however the court may decide that there is no valid contract.It is best to have only one type of contractual document - the type that best suits the purchase. The written contractual agreement contains all the legal conditions pertaining to that specific agreement. Once it is signed by both parties as agreed upon, if something was left out and it is not contained within the "four corners" of that document, it isn't in the contract, regardless of who said what to whom. Back to top

6. Do I have to get competitive bids for everything I buy?

No, you do not. In fact your departmental purchasing representative can buy most items up to $5,000 without taking competitive bids. Of course, comparing prices and "shopping around" is always a good practice. You should also keep in mind purchasing from Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) when possible to meet the university's HUB goals. Also keep in mind, buying recycled products when practical helps to conserve our natural resources.

There is one particular exception to the dollar limits for bidding: Any printing job, no matter how small, is required by Article XVI of the Texas Constitution to be competitively bid. This is an old Texas state law concerning the commodity of printing. Please note:  you are NOT required to obtain competitive bids if printing is done by a University facility such as University Printing or UT Copy Centers. Back to top 

7. What else requires competitive bids besides printing jobs?

Even though higher education is now almost entirely exempt from state purchasing rules, The Texas Legislature requires that we support the state's efforts to gainfully employ persons with disabilities. We must give first consideration to goods and services provided by persons with disabilities. Products and services offered by the Texas Industries for the Blind and Handicapped (TIBH) are listed on the TIBH Online Catalog. TIBH offers these products and services through State of Texas contracts. We must check their pricing and availability. However if these goods do not meet your best value criteria, that failure is justification to buy the products from the commercial marketplace. For purchases over $5,000, your department purchasing representative can take telephone quotes or receive fax quotes on orders up to $25,000. We call this "informal bidding." "Formal bidding" is where purchasing handles the bidding and vendors must send in sealed envelopes containing their offers by a certain date and time in order to be considered. "Informal bidding" requires that your departmental purchasing representative takes at least three (3) quotes to determine the best value purchase source. One quote must be from an ethnic HUB and at least one quote from a woman-owned HUB. The third quote can be from any viable source. Your department representative should obtain a written quote for the departmental file from the awarded vendor on purchases over $1,000. Back to top

8. I do not know what I need. I know what I want to do, but don't know how to do it.

Purchasing also finds problem-solvers, headhunters, consultants, and professional services personnel including (but not limited to) engineers, architects, actuaries, lawyers, appraisers, and surveyors.If you need this type of assistance, the state has a whole different set of rules we have to play by, which can get complicated. In a nutshell, if you think you need any of the following, please call Purchasing first:

• Professional Services: These are all the professions that are actually certified by their peer groups, associations or state boards; they must continue to take training to maintain their certifications. Some examples are architects, accountants, lawyers, and engineers. If in doubt, check with Purchasing. We have to follow the official state of Texas definition of who is what for these types of services.
• Consultants: Everybody calls themselves consultants, but the State of Texas has its own definition and determination of who a consultant is and what consulting is. Please do not guess; call Purchasing at the first inkling that you may need a consultant. Above all do not sign anything! Back to top