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Steps in IPFW's purchasing process

Departments may make incidental purchases by using a Purdue University MasterCard or through reimbursement. When these methods are not appropriate, the following steps outline the process to be used for the procurement.

Departments with Staff Trained in OnePurdue SRM System:

  1. Department follows their internal record keeping process. The requisitioner for that department initiates the shopping cart in the OnePurdue system.
  2. For orders that fall under the bid policy (See Purchasing Steps section below for details), departments can call the Purchasing department to discuss this purchase with the appropriate buyer, or department can complete a purchase requisition, and send to the Purchasing Department.

Departments without Staff Trained in OnePurdue SRM System:

  1. Initiate a request for particular goods or services by completing a purchase requisition and sending it to Purchasing.
  2. The Purchasing staff will review and process the order, or contact the department if there are any questions or problems.

Purchasing Steps in the Request for Quote (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) Process

  1. Purchasing buyer for the commodity involved verifies the specifications.
  2. Buyer determines if the purchase requires a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP). Most IPFW purchases do not require the solicitation of bids. In these cases vendor selection is based on the department's preference, existing vendor contracts, and the Purchasing staff's knowledge and experience.
  3. Purchasing will issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) if any of these apply:
      * Order totals $10,000 or more
      * Falls under the State public works statutes (any project for which contractual labor is used on site to construct, alter, repair or improve facilities owned or leased by the university). Public works projects should involve Physical Plant.
      * Department and buyer believe it to be the best business practice
  4. The RFQ/RFP is issued to a pool of registered, qualified vendors chosen by the buyer and the requestor.
  5. Responses are reviewed and vendor(s) chosen based on price, delivery terms, availability, and other specifications stated in the RFQ/RFP.
  6. A purchase order or a Purdue University MasterCard are the only methods used to award orders.

Please allow time for the purchasing staff to complete all steps necessary for a purchase. The amount of time needed varies greatly but is affected by the nature of the items being purchased, the dollar amount of the purchase, whether an RFQ is necessary, and the Purchasing department's workload. Do not expect Purchasing to place an order on the same day that the requisition form is received.