Policy 2106 delegates purchasing authority for dollar amounts less than $5,000 to certain employees at the department level. Use the searchable Can I Purchase….? table to learn about allowable and unallowable purchases and methods of procurement.
- Review the list of Mandatory and Specialized Purchases. For one-time purchases that are not already under contract, departments are to attempt to use Micro SWaM/SWaM (small, women, and minority-owned businesses) vendors. Departments may locate Micro/SWaM vendors at the following link: https://www.sbsd.virginia.gov/directory/.
- The $5,000 departmental threshold must not be circumvented by “splitting orders”. “Splitting orders” is defined as awarding multiple orders within a short time period to the same vendor that would exceed the delegated signature authority and prevent appropriate competition. Purchases that are $5,000 or less, but are expected to regularly recur, should be bundled and sent to the Purchasing Department for execution.
- Departments are authorized to sign contracts of $5,000 or less; however, there may be terms and conditions that we, as a state agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, cannot agree to. The Contract Addendum form should be attached to these contracts to “cancel out” or invalidate the prohibitive terms and conditions. Refer to the Contract Addendum Instructions for additional assistance.
The P-Card is the recommended payment method for purchases under $5,000. Units must obtain at least 1 quote. The P-Card can be presented for on-site purchases, utilized on a vendor’s website, or processed over the phone. P-Card information may not be transmitted on paper, fax or email. The receipt and supporting documentation must be attached to the P-Card transaction in the Mason Finance Gateway.
Purchases may be also be made through eVA. Instructions for starting an eVA order are available on the Getting Started Guide. Items that are exempt from eVA are noted on the eVA Exemption guide.