Everett Community College

Purchasing Procedures

Authority:

Purchasing is a centralized function at the College. The Purchasing Department consists of a Purchasing Manager and a Buyer. The Purchasing Manager and Buyer report to the Assistant Administrative Officer under the Vice President of Administration, who is the Contracting Officer for the College and has delegated to the Purchasing Manager authority to contract for all purchases of goods and services. Other than petty cash purchases, no purchases may be made without approval from the Purchasing Manager. However, the Purchasing Manager may in turn re-delegate limited purchasing authority to a budget authority. Any authority so delegated must be in writing and be approved by the Vice President of Administration. The Purchasing Manager cannot enter into a contract unless a purchase requisition has been received in the Purchasing Department. The College's authority to purchase instructional materials and purchase for resale is contained in RCW 43.19. All other purchase authorities are delegated to the College by other state agencies such as: state purchasing, the data processing authority (including the Washington State Community College Computing Consortium), and the state printers. As with any delegation, there are numerous conditions that must be met in order to retain the delegated authority. One of the functions of a centralized purchasing office is to ensure these conditions are met and simplify the coordination with the agencies delegating purchasing authority to the College.

Used Equipment:

Normally, the purchase of used equipment is not in the best interest of the College, since the purchase price the College can obtain on new equipment makes the purchase of used equipment unattractive. If you feel in a particular case that the purchase of used equipment is appropriate, attach a memo to your purchase requisition documenting your reasons. Independent appraisals may be required of the used equipment. It is the policy of the College not to purchase used equipment from its employees regardless of the fact that it may appear to be a "good deal."

Purchase Requisition:

The purchase requisition form performs several functions. Its primary purpose is to give the Purchasing Department the authority to make a purchase. The Purchasing Department cannot order any goods or services without a purchase requisition approved by a budget authority. The form also provides information such as a description of the goods or service required and the budget to be charged. Please submit Purchase Requistions to the Purchasing Office.