The authority to enter into purchasing contracts stems from the UC Regents and is delegated through the ranks of the UC President, UCLA Chancellor and UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor of Corporate Financial Services to UCLA Campus Purchasing buyers. With this authority, Campus Purchasing buyers must comply with all applicable federal, state, and University policies and procedures.
On behalf of the University, a Campus Purchasing buyer can purchase goods and services that:
- Require the signature of a contract.
- Exceed the Low-Value Order (LVO) threshold of $5,000.
- Require specialized expertise.
- Are restricted commodities, including inventorial equipment.
- Require administrative review for legal, insurance, risk management and other special issues.
A Campus Purchasing buyer's responsibilities include:
- Issuing purchase orders to buy goods and services.
- Establishing and managing contracts with suppliers.
- Obtaining quotes and conducting negotiations.
- Handling all consulting agreements.
- Resolving disputes between suppliers and campus customers.
- Protecting the University by applying appropriate terms and conditions.
- Advising departments about their purchases, UC policy and applicable law(s).
- Seeking advice from Campus Counsel and General Counsel as needed.
- Soliciting competitive bids through Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Quotations (RFQs) and Requests for Information (RFIs).
- Maintaining a suitable and diverse pool of suppliers.
- Providing effective business advice to the campus.
