Emergency Purchase

Table of Contents

What is an emergency?

  • There is an adverse impact to the University and/or it’s programs.
  • There is a need to preserve or protect University property.
  • The health or safety of any person(s) or animals(s) is adversely impacted.

What is not an emergency?

  • Procurements that need to be rushed because of an avoidable failure to plan ahead.
  • End of fiscal year procurements.
  • End of a grant/contract procurement.

Who determines an emergency?

  • Procurement Director or Designee
  • President
  • Vice President for University Operations
  • Associate Vice President of Facilities
  • Chief of Police
  • Director of Environmental Health Services, or other responsible University official who is managing the emergency condition may declare an emergency, provided that, whenever practicable, approval by the Procurement Director or designee shall be obtained prior to the procurement.

What documentation is needed?

As soon as practicable after an emergency procurement decision, the responsible University department shall initiate a requisition and attach a written justification to be approved by the Procurement Director or designee, which sets forth the justification for the emergency procurement.

The justification shall include the following:

  • Basis for the emergency procurement including the date the emergency first became known
  • Listing of the goods and/or services procured
  • Description of the efforts made to ensure that proposals or offers were received from as many potential vendors as possible under the circumstances
  • Basis of selection of the awarded vendor

What are the emergency procurement procudures?

  • Contact Procurement Services Director or designee as soon as possible for guidance.
  • The procedure used shall be selected to assure that the required goods or services are procured in time to meet the emergency. Given this constraint, such competition as is practicable shall be obtained. Any acceptable form of solicitation (e.g., written, faxed, electronically transmitted, phoned, etc.) may be used to obtain quotes for an emergency procurement.

What are the limits of an emergency procurement?

The emergency procurement shall be limited to the procurement of only the types of items and quantities or time period sufficient to meet the immediate threat and shall not be used to meet long-term requirements.