Purchasing

Please see the policy website for full details of the Purchasing Policy.

The Purchasing Department is set up to aid in appropriate purchases and prudent use of tuition funds. All purchases should go through the centralized system, which brings the following benefits to our institution:

  • Ensures vendors are aware of our tax-exempt status, thereby eliminating the time consuming process of removing sales tax charges from invoices.
  • Ability to negotiate volume discounts, favorable return policy and/or waiving of shipping and handling fees.
  • Demonstrates to our surrounding community, Daemen’s commitment to support the local economy through the use of local vendors, creating reciprocal relationships.
  • Ensures compliance with approved departmental budget constraints.
  • Fulfills control requirements and documentation expectations for our annual institutional audit.

Group buying power is available through a partner program with E&I Cooperative please review their website for vendors you use. Purchasers can connect with all vendors directly and get cooperative pricing quotes by telling them we are a partner with E&I Cooperative Services.

All purchases require a purchase requisition (found in Forms). Requisitions must:

  • Be created and approved prior to purchase
  • Be within the remaining approved budget for department expense line
  • Be for legitimate and appropriate university purposes as noted or explained on requisition
  • Include approvals as follows:
    $0 – $2499.99 Department manager/chair (by signature, not signature stamp or typed name), plus Grants Administration Manager for all grant spending. These requisitions under $2,500 can then be sent directly to Purchasing without going to the Business Office first.
    $2,500 – $9,999.99 Department Manager/chair, plus Grants Administration Manager for all grant spending, plus Controller.
    $10,000 – $25,000 Department Manager/chair, plus Grants Administration Manager for all grant spending, plus Controller, plus Vice President for Business Affairs.
    Over $25,000 Department Manager/chair, plus Grants Administration Manager for all grant spending, plus Controller, plus Vice President for Business Affairs, plus President.
  • When costs are shared between departments, all department heads must sign the purchase requisition.
  • The Competitive Bidding Policy must be followed whenever appropriate.
  • Online orders will be placed by the purchasing department within 2 business days of receiving a requisition. If an order is urgent, please contact the purchasing coordinator directly or indicate the date needed on the requisition.
  • Packing slips must be returned to the purchasing department upon receipt of the order.
  • Invoices should be mailed to Daemen University Office of Business Affairs in DS106. Invoices sent by email should be sent to business@daemen.edu
  • Advances and reimbursements are requested through the Office of Business Affairs using an approved purchase requisition, with receipts if appropriate. The purchase requisition must contain a business purpose for the expense, all pertinent dates, and names of all parties present at meals/events.
  • Daemen encourages seeking out and utilizing local and minority and women owned (MWBE) vendors when possible and appropriate. These vendors should be included in any bid process as much as possible.
  • Travel arrangements should be booked through the purchasing department as much as possible, using the Travel Requisition. Employees should not use their personal credit cards for travel reservations to avoid billing problems if credits later need to be processed. When the employees return from travel they should send a copy of the university credit card charges to purchasing.
    • Travel requisitions of less than $2,500 and within the department’s travel budget can go directly to purchasing with required signatures.
    • A separate requisition for each part of travel: air, hotel, conference fees should be submitted.
    • Confidential information shared with the purchasing department for the purpose of booking travel arrangements will be kept secure.

Contracts
All contracts must be approved before signing according to the Contract Approval Policy. As part of the process, a contract approval form is completed and submitted to the business office with a copy of the contract. The requester will be notified when the contract is approved to be signed.

Office Supply Contracts:

Daemen has negotiated corporate contracts with several vendors for office supplies. Office supply orders through Amazon Business, Eaton Office Supply, or W.B. Mason can be made by contacting purchasing@daemen.edu for instructions and account set up.

New Vendor Request
When using a vendor for the first time, a new vendor request form must be submitted in order for a new vendor to be created in Ellucian/Self Service. Please allow at least one business day for a response. Even when a vendor ID is created, payment may be held until the business office receives all necessary tax documentation from the vendor.

Technology Related Acquisitions

According to the Technology Procurement and Acquisition policy, please take note that any vendor demos and acquisitions of technology related equipment (see list of examples below) should be vetted through the Office of Information Technology prior to scheduling or purchasing. ALL such purchases, once approved by IT, should go through the purchasing department. They should NOT be placed using a Daemen credit card, which is issued for travel related to university business.

  • Computers
  • Monitors
  • Audio equipment
  • Video equipment
  • Printers
  • Software
  • Software Subscriptions
  • Cloud-hosted Services (example: Dropbox)
  • Video Conferencing Services

Information technology will ensure that the items to be purchased are compatible with current operating systems, programs and overall infrastructure. Information technology will also verify the usage of the equipment and ensure that it is in compliance with the privacy and data protection policies for individuals (employees and students) and the university as a whole. Information technology may also be privy to discounts and multiple vendors to acquire the most up-to-date equipment at higher education/discounted pricing.

To ensure compliance with this process, all you need to do is attach an email reply from tech-purchase@daemen.edu to your purchase requisition indicating information technology approval.

Marketing and Advertising:

Any department seeking to engage print or electronic advertising must consult with the marketing department first. To ensure compliance with this process, please attach an email showing that the marketing department is aware of your efforts.

Daemen Dining:

On campus catering is available from Daemen Dining (provided by Hallmark Food Service). All catering orders for Daemen Dining must be placed through the Conference Services Department. A signed purchase requisition must be submitted to the business office immediately upon confirmation of the order to authorize payment to Daemen Dining from a departmental budget. The same approval process as other purchase requisitions is to be followed. The purchase requisition must have the following items shown on the form:

  • Daemen Dining listed as vendor
  • Account number(s) to be charged and the exact amount for each account
  • Event number, date and name of event or brief description
  • Total cost as quoted by Daemen Dining
  • Appropriate signatures for all accounts to be charged

Daemen Dining sends invoices to the business office weekly to be matched with the purchase requisitions received for orders. If the amount on the invoice is significantly different from what was quoted, the business office will contact the department for updated approval.

Cancelled or updated orders/events should be reported to the business office by email at business@daemen.edu.

Questions regarding charges should be directed to Daemen Dining (Hallmark Management Inc).

Bookstore:

Departments and offices may purchase items in the university bookstore and request them to be charged directly to their department/office budget. Using the in-house charge system ensures receiving tax exemption and any discounts offered by the bookstore.

  • University-issued credit cards are not to be used for bookstore purchases
  • General office supplies should not be purchased from the bookstore. Please follow purchasing guidelines to order these supplies with greater savings through the purchasing department
  • Itemized receipt must be obtained from the bookstore. This should be signed by the department chair or manager, noted with the business purpose, and submitted to the Office of Business Affairs within 2 days of purchase.
  • If receipt is lost or damaged, submit a purchase requisition including date, purpose, and amount of purchase and appropriate signatures within 2 days of purchase (use Daemen Bookstore as vendor)
  • Any gift card purchased will require a gift card distribution form to be submitted along with the receipt. If the card is to be distributed at a later date, please indicate the date and purpose and submit the signed form to the business office after distribution of the gift card.
  • As an alternative, Amazon gift cards can be ordered through the purchasing department – no fees and received next day.

Questions regarding charges should be directed to the bookstore.

Gift Cards Policy (effective 4.26.13)

Any requests for reimbursement or purchase of gift cards must include the purpose of the gift card(s) as defined below. The Gift Card or Prize Distribution Form will be used as proof of recipients receiving gift cards and must be submitted to the business office within 2 days of distribution of gift cards.

Gift cards may only be used for the following purposes:
-Prizes, recognition awards, or tokens of appreciation for students
-Prizes for employees
-Compensation for study subjects in approved studies