2. Requisition (REQ)

Table of Contents
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    Things To Consider

    CSU and CSU-PUEBLO Purchase Order Terms and Conditions

    Emergency Purchases

    Unauthorized Purchases

    Dollar Thresholds

    Purchasing Agent Directory

    I. Purpose

    A purchase requisition (REQ) is an internal source document submitted to Procurement Services to initiate an order for goods or services and to authorize a specific account(s) to be charged for the purchase. A purchase requisition is not a purchase order.

    II. Policies

    A. Departments use a REQ to request Procurement Services to obtain goods and services that are not authorized for acquisition by APO, DV, PCard, or Internal Order.

    B. Departments shall not request vendors to order goods or perform services prior to receipt of an authorized purchase order or University contract unless an emergency exists and procedures described below are followed. Departments or individuals who fail to comply with emergency procedures may be in violation of state and University rules and regulation even though a “confirming” REQ may be submitted later. All persons involved in the making of an unauthorized commitment of University funds may be held personally liable for the amount of the obligation, and CSU and the state are not responsible for such payments.

    C. Procurement Services prepares and issues the purchase order to a vendor based on price, quality, available delivery, etc.

    D. All written agreements requiring the University’s signature MUST be processed by either Procurement Services or Contracting Services, regardless of dollar amount.

    E. Requisitions for current fiscal year appropriated funds should be submitted to Procurement Services in sufficient time to ensure receipt of goods and services on or before June 30 (current fiscal year-end). The last day on which Procurement Services will accept a REQ that requires a procurement solicitation to be conducted pursuant to the CSU Procurement Rules for issuance of a commitment voucher within the current fiscal year is typically April 1. Where no solicitation is required (Purchasing Agent discretionary range, previously established award, or approved sole source), the deadline is typically May 1.

    F. Requisitions for renewals for the next fiscal year, typically open POs or service/maintenance agreements, should be submitted to Procurement Services in sufficient time to ensure the commitment voucher, either a PO or contract, is in place on or before July 1 (the beginning of the next fiscal year).  The last day on which Procurement Services will accept a REQ for issuance of a commitment voucher for the next fiscal year is typically April 15.

    G. Departments are responsible for requesting a purchase order amendment when a cancellation or a change in quantity, specification, etc. of an item or service is desired after the purchase order has been issued. 

    H. Departments are responsible for completing a General Error Correction for all account number and object code changes. Please refer to CSU Financial Rules.

    III. Procedures

    Departments should submit a REQ to Procurement Services to purchase goods and services when an APO, PCard, IO or DV are not authorized. All requisitions are created and submitted in the Kuali Financial System (KFS) and any/all pertinent backup documentation, including any vendor-supplied agreement or quotation that is to be considered, must be attached as an electronic file to the requisition document.

    Requisitions initiate all purchases made by Procurement Services; however, purchases may require certain data entry, annotations, approvals outside of KFS workflow, documentation and certifications.  Procedures for obtaining various goods and services are outlined in the paragraphs below.


    A. Goods

    Complete a requisition in KFS for all purchases greater than $10,000. Exception: purchases for goods up to $50,000 made from certain contracted suppliers in KFS Shop Catalogs.


    B. Copiers

    Departments desiring to rent, lease or purchase a copier should proceed as follows:

        1. Contact Ram Copy for an evaluation of needs and specifications appropriate for the intended use of the copier. Ram Copy will recommend the proper equipment under their Ram Copy Program, if available, or may refer the department to Procurement Services for copier proposals from authorized vendors on recommended machines.

          a) Requests for copiers that exceed 80 pages per minute will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by Ram Copy. Most departments require this type of equipment only on a few occasions and it is more economical for FastPrint to provide the copying service rather than for the department to acquire high output equipment.

        2. Authorized vendors will give copier demonstrations upon request.
        3. The department will complete the Copier Proposal Evaluation based on the Copier Proposal’s information and demonstrations. In addition, the department will complete a memo stating why the Ram Copy program is not a viable option for their needs. Contact Purchasing Agent for instructions.
        4. The department prepares and submits a REQ along with the Copier Evaluation and any proposed vendor agreement, if the machine is to be purchased.

    C. Equipment purchases from Fund 2-1XXXX

    Departments must complete and attach an approved Equipment Acquisition Request form (EAR) to REQ for equipment funded from account prefix 2-1XXXX. See Financial Policy and Procedure Instruction Manual (FPIs).


    D. Controlled Substances

    Departments requiring purchase of narcotics and controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 must file an approved project application with Environmental Health Services.

    Use a requisition for all purchases; PCard and Disbursement Voucher ARE NOT ALLOWED and may result in immediate revocation of PCard and purchasing privileges as well as other penalties.

    The DEA number must be documented for each use to maintain a campus-wide inventory as required by law.

    Use a REQ for all purchases; PCard and DV ARE NOT ALLOWED and may result in immediate revocation of PCard and purchasing privileges as well as other penalties.

    Departments requiring purchase of narcotics and controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 must file an approved project application with Environmental Health Services.

    The DEA number must be documented for each use to maintain a campus-wide inventory as required by law.


    E. Maintenance

    Departments should submit a REQ for maintenance agreements. If the vendor does not require a written contract, an APO or PCARD may be used within established dollar limits. Contact Procurement Services for more information.

    Note: If there is a written vendor agreement, DO NOT SIGN IT, but return it to Procurement Services attached to your REQ. Procurement Services will initiate a contract review and approval with Contracting Services.E


    F. Repair of equipment

    Use a REQ if the cost will exceed APO or PCard limits. If possible, obtain estimates for repair costs from potential vendors and submit the estimates along with the REQ to Procurement Services. If the invoiced amount differs from the PO amount, the PO can be adjusted by Amendment, either up or down, prior to payment.


    G. Services

    Use a REQ for services greater than $10,000, or for service agreements which are more advantageously handled on a central basis via consolidation or competitive bid.


    H. Equipment lease and rentals

    Use a REQ for rentals that exceed APO or PCard limits, or where a rental agreement exists (departments ARE NOT AUTHORIZED to sign rental agreements). In general, rentals should be less than three months in duration and non-recurring.  Leases and lease purchase must be processed by Procurement Services, regardless of dollar amount.


    I. Advance payment

    Advance payments are generally prohibited; however, waivers may be granted by the Vice President of University Operations or University Controller per CSU System Fiscal Rules Section 2.5. 


    J. Sole source purchase

    Sole source purchase is permitted only when fully justified by the requester and approved by Procurement Services. Competitors’ deficiencies shall also be documented. All requests for sole source purchase must have a statement addressing “conflict of interest”. Departments requesting a sole source purchase should visit the Procurement Services website for instructions and documentation format. Sole source purchase requests may be posted on the University’s Electronic Solicitation Notification System (ESNS) website as a Notice of Proposed to Sole Source for a minimum of three (3) business days. The mere mention of a particular brand name or vendor name in a grant proposal is not a sufficient basis for a sole source; the granting agency must clearly direct the University to use restricted funds for that product or service, or the purchase will be competed.


    K. Trade-in

     A department should coordinate with Procurement Services if it desires to trade-in an item on the purchase of a new item.  If the trade-in is agreed upon, the requisition should fully identify the item to be traded and must be accompanied with an “Asset Retirement/Disposal Form” form which includes a full description, manufacturer serial number and University decal number, if applicable, of the item to be traded.  The Asset Retirement/Disposal Form must route to CSU Surplus Property (in Central Receiving) and CSU Property Management (in Business & Financial Services) for their authorization of  Trade-in prior to submitting the REQ to Procurement Services.  The form is available online under Property Management.

    IV. Purchase Order


    A. General

    Procurement Services will evaluate all possible ways of satisfying the stated requirement for goods and services, to include the use of surplus materials.  The Surplus Property Manager (in Central Receiving) will advise the Purchasing Agent of surplus items that are available for reissue or possible sale.  If none of these sources can provide the goods and services requested, Procurement Services will issue a PO only after all source selection requirements have been met.


    B. PO review by department

    After the PO has been prepared and approved by an authorized Purchasing Agent, the department should check the PO against the REQ and contact Procurement Services regarding any errors. The ordering department is ultimately responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all specifications and requirements.


    C. Emergency purchase

    An emergency PO should be used only when an emergency condition (as defined in CSU Procurement Rule V.T.1) prevents the use of a competitive procurement method. The University may authorize an emergency purchase only when an official who is authorized to declare an emergency has done so. Emergency procurements may be negotiated on a sole source or limited competition basis as dictated by the circumstances surrounding the emergency, in the discretion of the Director of Procurement Services or designee. Only the goods or services needed to meet the emergency conditions will be procured without competition. For more details on emergency purchases, consult the Colorado State University Procurement Rules, Section V.T.

    Procurement Services will provide expeditious handling of emergency requisitions.


    D. Purchase Order Amendment

    Requirement

     A Purchase Order Amendment is required when the quantity or description of an item(s) is changed, when there is a major change in price, when items are deleted or added, or if department requirements change or no longer exist.

    Procurement Services will prepare and approve the Purchase Order Amendment.  The ordering department is responsible for initiating the Amendment request by written communication to the Purchasing Agent.