Vendor Handbook

Contents

Introduction and General Information
Order Types
Source Selection
Public Bid Openings
Awards
Protests, Disputes, Resolutions
Loaner/Demonstration Equipment
Public Information Request
Tax Status
Delivery of Materials
Invoice
Expediting
Purchasing Ethics

Introduction and General Information

Location
The Purchasing Office is located in the Central Receiving Building. Visitor parking is available.

2200 Comal Street
Austin, Texas 78722-2596
Phone: (512)471-4266.

Business Hours
Normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Appointments are recommended. We request that sales calls be limited to twenty (20) minutes.

Responsibilities
The Purchasing Office is responsible for the procurement of all supplies, materials, equipment, and services for The University of Texas at Austin. The University assumes no liability for payments of obligations except those incurred in accordance with current purchasing regulations. To provide the best possible service to The University, Purchasing Office professional personnel assignments are made by department rather than commodity.

Liabilities
Provisions of the Board of Regents' Rules and Regulations, the State Purchasing Act of 1979, and The University's Purchasing Procedures govern the purchasing policies of The University. Purchases are made on a competitive bid basis whenever possible. All employees of The University are prohibited from receiving any gift or gratuity in connection with any purchasing activity.

Purchase Orders
An official purchase order contains an authorized purchase order number and signature. It is the only recognized method for the purchase of goods or materials obligating The University for payment.

Order Types

Texas Procurement and Support Services: Term Contracts
Term contracts are issued by the Texas Procurement and Support Services for use by all state agencies.

UT Purchasing Office
Requests are processed by the Purchasing Office for the purchase of goods, materials, and services to be paid from both state appropriated and non-state appropriated funds.

Telephone (informal) bids may be solicited by individual departments when the request is for $25,000 or less. Written (formal) bids are solicited by the Purchasing Office when the request exceeds $25,000. Only the Purchasing Office may solicit written (formal) bids by bid invitation. Telephone (informal) bids are not acceptable in response to written (formal) invitations to bid.

Source Selection

The University of Texas at Austin uses the Comptroller of Public Accounts and Support Services' Central Master Bidders List as our bid list.

Vendors may request a Bidders List Application from Texas Procurement and Support Services

Mailing Address

Texas Procurement and Support Services
P.O. Box 13186
1711 San Jacinto
Austin, Texas 78711

Phone

CMBL Help Desk: 512-463-3459
Procurement Customer Service: 512-463-3034

The bidders file is continually updated. New prospective bidders are added whenever possible in order to maximize competition in the marketplace.

The Purchasing Office may solicit bids from all suppliers in any particular category, or select those whom it believes are best qualified to provide the selected supplies, materials, equipment or services. Current University bid invitations are available for review by the public at the Purchasing Office. Copies of specific bid invitations may be requested verbally or in writing at any time prior to bid opening. Bids are also available on Bidweb.

Bids may be returned by mail or fax or hand-delivered to the reception desk of the Purchasing Office. The bid must be received in the Purchasing Office prior to the specified time and date (usually 2:30 p.m. on the Bid Opening Date). There are NO exceptions to this rule.

It is the policy of The University of Texas to maximize the opportunities for Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) firms to provide materials, supplies, equipment, and services needed to support The University. The University of Texas is committed to a good faith effort to increase the number and value of business transactions with HUB firms consistent with the state's functional goal to build a solid foundation for social and economic prosperity.

Public Bid Openings

All UT Purchasing Office bid openings are conducted at 2:30 PM and are open to the public. Interested bidders may request that a specific bid be read aloud by appearing in person at the bid opening site when bids are scheduled to open.

Awards

Award of a purchase order will be made to the bidder who submits the bid and represents the best value to the University which conforms to specifications, terms, and conditions of the invitation to bid.

Protests, Disputes, Resolutions

In the case of a protest or dispute of an action taken by the Purchasing Office, any vendor may write a letter to the the Director of Purchasing, 2200 Comal Street, Austin, Texas 78722-2596,outlining any concerns. The Director of Purchasing will review the letter and respond within 10 days.

(a) Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror or proposer who is aggrieved in connection with the solicitation, evaluation, or award of a contract may formally protest to the Purchasing Director. Such protests must be in writing and received in the Purchasing Director’s office within 10 working days after such aggrieved person knows, or should have known, of the occurrence of the action protested. Formal protests must conform to the requirements of this section and section (c), and shall be resolved in accordance with the procedure set forth.

(b) In the event of a timely protest or appeal under this section, the University shall not proceed further with the solicitation or with the award of the contract unless the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, after consultation with the using department and the Purchasing Director, makes a written determination that the award of the contract without delay is necessary to protect the best interests of the university.

(c) A formal protest must contain:

(1) a specific identification of the statutory or regulatory provision(s) that the action complained of is alleged to have violated;

(2) a specific description of each act alleged to have violated the statutory or regulatory provision(s) identified in paragraph (1) of this subsection;

(3) a precise statement of the relevant facts;

(4) an identification of the issue or issues to be resolved; and

(5) arguments and authorities in support of the protest.

(d) The Purchasing Director shall have the authority, prior to appeal to the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the University, to settle and resolve the dispute concerning the solicitation or award of a contract.

(e) If the protest is not resolved by mutual agreement, the director will issue a written determination on the protest.

(1) If the Purchasing Director determines that no violation of rules or statutes has occurred, he shall so inform the protesting party and the using department by letter setting forth the reasons for the determination.

(2) If the Purchasing Director determines that a violation of the rules or statutes has occurred in a case where a contract has not been awarded, he shall so inform the protesting party and the using department by letter which sets forth the reasons for the determination and the appropriate remedial action.

(3) If the Purchasing Director determines that a violation of the rules or statutes has occurred in a case where a contract has been awarded, he shall so inform the protesting party and the using department by letter which sets forth the reasons for the determination and the appropriate remedial action, which may include ordering the contract void.

(f) The Purchasing Director’s determination on a protest may be appealed by the protesting party to the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the University. An appeal of the Purchasing Director’s determination must be in writing and must be received in the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer’s office, PO Box 8179, Austin, TX 78713, no later than 10 working days after the date of the purchasing director’s determination. The appeal shall be limited to review of the purchasing director’s determination. Unless good cause for delay is shown or the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer determines that a protest or appeal raises issues significant to procurement practices or procedures, a protest or appeal that is not filed timely will not be considered.

(g) A decision in writing by the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer shall be final.

Loaner and/or Demonstration Equipment

Vendors' representatives may provide demonstrator or loaner equipment for purposes of exploration/examination. This is done entirely at the option of the vendor and with no commitment by The University.NOTE: Items left on campus on a "sold" or "hold" basis do not constitute a valid sale.

Public Information Requests

Bids which have opened and purchase orders which indicate the price of supplies, materials, equipment, or services are available under the Texas Public Information Act by making a written request to the Purchasing Office. Requests must specify Purchase Order Number or Bid Invitation Number. Purchasing employees are not required or encouraged to provide bid tabulations by telephone. RFP information is available only after an award is made or a contract is signed.

Tax Status

The University of Texas at Austin claims an exemption from taxes under Chapter 20, Title 122A, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, for the purchase of tangible personal property, as this property is being secured for the exclusive use of The State of Texas. Each purchase order contains the tax exempt certificate. The University's Federal I.D. number is 74-6000203.

Delivery of Materials

UT Central Receiving, 2200 Comal Street, Austin, Texas 78722-2596, accepts delivery of most goods ordered by The University. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Any questions regarding delivery to this location should be directed to Central Receiving at (512)471-4581.

Certain items, some of which are listed below, must be delivered directly to the ordering department rather than to Central Receiving. The purchase order will specify the appropriate delivery address. Such items include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Live animals
• Bottled gas
• Gasoline (bulk deliveries)
• Concrete
• Food for human consumption
• Any other items at the discretion of the departmental supervisor

Substitutions of items specified in a purchase order are not permitted without Purchasing's prior written approval.

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Invoices

Invoices for material delivered to UT Central Receiving should be submitted in quintuplicate (one marked original) to:

UT Accounts Payable
P.O. Box AA
Austin TX 78713.

Any questions concerning invoices sent to this address should be directed to Accounts Payable at (512)471-1816.

Expediting

The Central Receiving Department's expediting staff expedites purchase orders according to the promised delivery date. Information or questions concerning the status of delivery of orders should be directed to Expediting at (512) 471-9733.

Purchasing Ethics

• First consideration shall be given to the objectives and policies of the System and its component institutions.
• Every effort shall be made to obtain the maximum ultimate value for each dollar of expenditure.
• Honesty in sales representation shall be demanded, whether offered through the medium of oral or written statement, an advertisement, or a sample of the product.
• Purchasing agents and their staffs and others authorized by or under these regulations to make purchases shall not accept personal gifts or gratuities that might in any way result in an obligation to individuals or firms seeking business.
• All qualified, reputable bidders shall be given equal opportunity to submit bids on a uniform basis when competition is possible.
• No bidder shall receive special consideration or be allowed to revise a bid after the time set for opening bids.
• Any violations of these purchasing ethics shall be reported promptly by the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer to the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs.