"Sole Source" means that the goods and/or services can only be obtained from one particular vendor (i.e. that vendor is the sole source from which the goods and/or services can be obtained).

Sole Sources accompanied with the purchase requisition and any additional terms and conditions must be sent to the General Counsel's office for review after signature by the respective department's dean / associate or assistant dean / director / associate director.

A sole source must state two facts:

     1. The named product(s) and/or service(s) is/are the only product(s) and/or service(s) that meets the specifications required in writing by requester.

      2.  The named vendor is the only vendor that can make the named product(s) and/or service(s) available.

SOLE SOURCE CERTIFICATION FORM

Sole Source Certification forms are not required below $50,000, but other bid and quote limit rules pertain, they are:

      1.  $10,000 and below:  Additional quotes are not required.  Competition is encouraged.

       2.   $10,001 - $25,000:  Two or more informal price quotes are required.  These quotes can be obtained by telephone and simply written on the purchase requisition or submitted as an attachment to the requisition.  Obtain and forward as much information on the commodity/service as possible from each vendor (make, model, prices, delivery info, discount, etc.) to help properly compare the quotes to determine the most reasonable cost.

      3.  $25,001 - $50,000: Three or more written quotes from the company are required.  These must be submitted with the purchase requisition on the company's stationary/fax cover, etc., and signed by a company's authorized representative.

     4.  $50,001 and above:  A formal Request for Bid/Proposal is required unless the goods or services will be acquired from an existing contract, or are exempt from competition (sole source, emergency, etc.).

• Purchasing reserves the right to bid any requirement under $50,000 when it is determined that better pricing could be obtained.

• Waiver of Competition:  As stated above, quotes are required between $10,001 and $50,000, but we are aware that sometimes the required number of quotes cannot be found.  In those instances, Purchasing's management can waive the need for competition if the request to waive additional quotes is properly justified.  The request to waive quoting must accompany the requisition (can be written in the comments section or as an attachment).

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Purchasing Department at 407-823-2661.