1. Governing Regulations
Texas A&M Forest Service purchasing is performed in accordance with A&M System Regulation 25.07.03 Acquisition of Goods and/or Services.
2. Delegations
2.1 The Agency Director has assigned the overall responsibility for purchasing to the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Department Head is designated as the agency’s primary procurement officer and has been delegated full authority to solicit and award all purchase orders for goods and services. This authority covers all procurements that are administered through the formal competitive bid process conducted by the agency, State or any third party competitive bidding cooperatives (BuyBoard, GSA, Purchasing Solutions Alliance, etc.) In accordance with the agency’s contracting delegations, this authority is not subject to dollar limits or requirements for additional approvals.
2.2 The Purchasing Department Head has assigned the authority to sign purchase orders for $100,000 or less to the buyer and the contracts officer in the Purchasing Department, contingent on those positions obtaining and maintaining the states purchasing certification.
2.3 The Purchasing Department Head has delegated the authority to departments to make purchases of goods and services for $10,000 or less. Exceptions to this delegation are identified in Administrative Procedure 40.05 Purchasing Procedures and Guidelines.
3. Purchasing Department Responsibilities
3.1 Employees of the Purchasing Department adhere to the ethical standards of A&M System Policy 07.01 Ethics and the code of ethics developed by the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP). The NAEP Code of Ethics is as follows:
- Give first consideration to the objectives and policies of the institution.
- Strive to obtain the maximum value for each dollar of expenditure.
- Decline personal gifts or gratuities.
- Grant all competitive suppliers equal consideration insofar as state or federal statute and institutional policy permit.
- Conduct business with potential and current suppliers in an atmosphere of good faith, devoid of intentional misrepresentation.
- Demand honesty in sales representation whether offered through the medium of a verbal or written statement, an advertisement, or a sample of the product.
- Receive consent of originator of proprietary ideas and designs before using them for competitive purchasing purposes.
- Make every reasonable effort to negotiate an equitable and mutually agreeable settlement of any controversy with a supplier; and/or be willing to submit any major controversies to arbitration or other third party review, insofar as the established policies of the institution permit.
- Accord a prompt and courteous reception insofar as conditions permit to all who call on legitimate business missions.
- Cooperate with trade, industrial, and professional associations, and with governmental and private agencies for the purposes of promoting and developing sound business methods
- Foster fair, ethical, and legal trade practices.
- Counsel and cooperate with other NAEP members and promote a spirit of unity and a keen interest in the professional growth within the organization.
3.2 The Purchasing Department
- Reviews departmental requisitions for accuracy, and determines the best purchasing method to achieve the best value for the agency.
- Solicits and evaluates bids and proposals, and makes purchase awards for goods and services based on best value decisions.
- Encourages the utilization of and participation by Historically Underutilized Businesses in all procurement decisions.
- Maintains an accurate file of all purchasing transactions and related correspondence.
- Develops and maintains accurate and up-to-date information on sources of materials, services and equipment in the form of catalogs, price lists, etc.
- Develops and maintains purchasing procedures and guidelines.
- Provides assistance to departments.
- Develops and provides training on procurement-related issues to all departments.
4. Department Responsibilities
4.1 Departments are responsible for adhering to Administrative Procedure 40.05 Purchasing Procedures and Guidelines.
4.2 Employees to whom purchasing authority has been delegated must maintain a standard of conduct in accordance with A&M System Policy 07.01 Ethics.