Understand the Procurement Methods

Individuals with organizational responsibility may purchase goods and services using several procurement methods:

Virginia’s electronic ordering system (eVA). Use eVA to initiate purchases. These purchases may be charged to the Purchasing Charge Card (in eVA) or billed to the University (purchase order) and paid by invoice through Accounts Payable. For items that are exempt from eVA and/or eVA fees, please review the eVA Exemption Guide.
The Purchasing Charge Card (P-Card). Use the P-card for purchases of $5,000 or less.
The Payment Request Form – Use the Payment Request System for certain payments and reimbursements.

Click here to review the Purchasing Snapshot (Purchasing Guidelines). Additional information is available by clicking the links below.

Exceptions to Competitive Requirements

The university may enter into contracts without competition for the following goods and/or services at the specified dollar amount(s). (§37 of the Governing Rules)

Any Dollar Amount

The purchase of good or services at ANY dollar amount that is produced/performed by or related to:

Persons, in schools or workshops, under the supervision of the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired
Nonprofit sheltered workshops or other nonprofit organizations that offer transitional or supported employment services serving the handicapped
Private educational institutions
Other public educational institutions
Speakers and performing artists
Memberships and Association dues
Sponsored research grant sub-awards and contract sub-awards, not to include the purchase of goods or services by Mason
Group travel in foreign countries (including residencies)
Conference facilities and services
Participation in intercollegiate athletic tournaments and events including team travel and lodging, registration and tournament fees
Royalties
The purchase of legal services, provided that the Office of the Attorney General has been consulted, or expert witnesses or other services associated with litigation or regulatory proceedings
Postage

Value not to exceed $200,000

Normally, competition is either not practicable or available for purchase of the following goods or services at a value not to exceed $200,000:

Accreditation fees and academic testing services
Advertisements/Advertising directly with source (TV, radio, newspaper, etc.). DOES NOT INCLUDE MARKETING SERVICES FROM 3RD PARTIES.
Athletic officials appointed by the NCAA
Books, printed materials, reprints and subscriptions (e.g., print or electronic)
Videocassettes and slide presentations when only available from the publisher/producer
Booth space at conferences, exhibits, fairs and product shows
Conference fees, course fees, seminars, training sessions, tuition, and other registration fees when attended by university employee
Court reporters
Currency exchange services
Facility Rentals
Federal mentor-protégé projects
Film rentals when only available from the producer or protected distributors
Library books and other items for the library’s collection as per applicable Library acquisition procedures
Lodging services
Maintenance contracts for high-cost, sophisticated, scientific equipment where there is no known competitor and service must be purchased from the manufacturer of the equipment
Maintenance contracts for service of mainframe and supercomputers for which there is no competitive source available to service the equipment
Pass through procurements (examples include contracting for alumni functions for which the institution is reimbursed by the alumni and materials purchased for students by a faculty member using state funds and for which the students fully reimburse the institution).
Proprietary database subscriptions
Purchases from the federal government, other states and their agencies or institutions, and public bodies as long as the price is judged to be fair and reasonable
Other purchases, not to exceed $200,000, when determined in writing by the Purchasing Department.
Referees, officials, and umpires for intercollegiate athletic events
Specialized software that is not available through ITS (when approved by ASC)
Software maintenance contracts for software already purchased and in use at the university
Software site licenses
Software upgrades
Student workshops (i.e., SOM-MBA programs, OCPE, etc.)
Surplus property from the State or Federal government
Testing or evaluation services
Translation Services
Used equipment (including vehicles)
Utilities – Electricity, Natural Gas, Water, etc. at any dollar level of Note: If purchasing from a governmental source (i.e. Fairfax County) sole source is not required however reference should be made to COV §2.2-4301

Greater than $100,000 but not to exceed $200,000

Other purchases that are greater than $100,000 but do not exceed $200,000, shall utilize informal competition, which includes either obtaining 3 quotes (2 SWaM where practicable) or just 2 SWaMs.

Catering services
Consulting services
Education services, training courses, classes for students
Facilitators/Mediators
Training sessions/workshops for employees

Sole Source Procurement

Sole source procurement is made when there is only one source practicably available for the goods or services required; therefore, competition is not available.

Sole Source Purchases

In some instances, it may be necessary to conduct a market analysis to determine if a similar product or service exists.

All Sole source procurements are reviewed by the Chief Procurement Officer or his delegate. The sole source must be supported with factual data that there is only one source practicably available. Sole Source Procurements may not be made as a matter of general preference for one specific source. All sole source procurements must be marked with PO Category S01 on the eVA requisition.

Sole Source Procedure

The subject matter expert in the department must complete a Sole Source Procurement Approval Request.
The Sole Source Procurement Approval Request should be attached to an eVA requisition (REQ) with the appropriate supporting documentation for the purchase.
The Purchasing Department (specifically the buyer assigned the REQ) will negotiate a contract that is in the best interest of George Mason University and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The price must be determined to be fair and reasonable if competition is not available.
When negotiating price, consideration should be given to obtaining such items:
- Best price that can be offered to an educational customer.
- Extended warranty.
- Additional training.
- Discounts.
- Delivery, etc.

Grant Sole Sources

If the vendor is explicitly named in the grant proposal or budget submitted with the grant proposal that was approved by the sponsoring agency, no Sole Source Procurement Approval Request is required. A copy of the page or budget document from the grant proposal denoting the vendor specified must be attached to the eVA REQ.
The sole presentation of an excel sheet showing the vendor’s name and budget by department is not sufficient to establish approval by the sponsor.

Emergency Purchases

In the case of an emergency, a contract may be awarded by the Purchasing Department without competitive soliciting or competitive negotiation; however, such procurement shall be made with as much competition as is practicable under the circumstances.

Required Process

For emergency purchase required to protect life or property, the unit head or their designee should be directed to finding a source and directing the contractor to proceed.
Once the emergency situation has been stabilized, the departmental representative requesting the purchase must submit a written determination establishing the basis for the emergency.
The Purchasing Department shall prepare a confirming contract or purchase order, as soon as practicable, detailing any agreements, including price.

Computer Equipment and Software

Please refer to the Computer Purchase Guide for purchasing instructions and vendor contacts. For information on Computer Equipment purchases, including a list of ITS-Approved Computer Hardware Standards for Faculty & Staff, please visit https://its.gmu.edu/knowledge-base/its-approved-computer-hardware-standards-for-faculty-and-staff/.

ASRB Requirements: Prior to purchasing software or hardware that will impact data management, storage, dissemination, security, involve controlled unclassified, protected, or sensitive data, or impact user experience, and in order to comply with Mason’s procurement policy, the ASRB process should be initiated via a TeamDynamix request. You can go to the ASRB webpage for further information around these requirements here: https://its.gmu.edu/service/architectural-standards-review-board-asrb/

Once your ASRB request has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email with an assigned ticket number. The ticket number is used to identify your request across all review groups and organizations. Please note that significant architectural changes to software, such as moving the software to a cloud-based solution may require ASRB review. For questions or concerns, please contact the ASRB via email at asrb@gmu.edu.

Please note that for any new software/system purchases or any other purchases that may qualify for an ASRB review, Purchasing will not complete your purchase request or issue a Purchase Order to a vendor until an ASRB review has been completed and your system/software has been approved for use. Purchasing does not have the authority or ability to waive or bypass this requirement. Departments are responsible for ensuring that their purchases meet all of these requirements prior to purchase.

eVA Orders Submitted to Purchasing

To best communicate requirements, departments should submit accurate and complete information on the eVA REQ. The following information is necessary to process purchase requests:

A quote, estimate, proposal, or contract that includes a description of the goods or services to be procured.
Specific delivery requirements, the required completion date, or period of performance.
Fund, Org, or Cost Center code to be charged. An Account code is required on every REQ.
Suggested vendor selected on the eVA REQ.
Estimated total purchase cost.
Special delivery location instructions.

NOTE:

When buyers from the Purchasing Office have questions about a requisition, they will routinely contact the eVA Requestor. If buyers should contact another faculty or staff member regarding order specifics, that contact information with name and both telephone number and email address should be provided in the “Internal Comments” area of the eVA REQ.