Purpose:   The purpose of this notice is to inform Principal Investigators (PI’s) of the steps required for procuring equipment on sponsored projects.

Background:  The University maintains a formal procurement system to satisfy requirements for how goods and services are acquired on Sponsored Programs. The GW Policy and procedures have been revised to provide guidance to PI’s when the intent is to procure equipment* on a sponsored project. These changes regarding procurement purchases of goods align GW with current federal practices.

Materials and Supplies  <$2,500

Refer to P-card handbook: http://www.gwu.edu/~supchn/PCardManual.pdf, or guidelines at http://www.gwu.edu/~research/resadmintip2.htm Quotations not required.

Equipment Purchases $2,500 - $25,000

Equipment must be listed in proposal budget and approved by the sponsor.
If equipment was not originally proposed or budgeted to sponsor, contact your RSC who can provide guidance if re-budgeting can occur or sponsor approval is required.  If sponsor approval is required, PI’s must draft correspondence requesting the equipment purchase and send to the RSC who will then send to sponsor.
Determine what and from whom you’re buying equipment items.  The PI or the PI’s designee must obtain access to the Oracle Purchasing System through the Enterprise Accounting System to generate a Purchase Requisition.
Equipment can be purchased from preferred suppliers found in EAS/Oracle or at the following link http://www.gwu.edu/~supchn/prefvend.htm .  If preferred suppliers are used, no quotations are required.
If equipment item(s) cannot be obtained from a Preferred Supplier listed in Oracle or on the link referenced above, then the PI should obtain three written quotes or provide appropriate sole/single source justification and forward as separate attachment to the Research Service Coordinator (RSC) for review http://www.gwu.edu/~supchn/SelectionofSourceForm.pdf.  Upon Final Approval, RSC will forward to the Supply Chain Office (SCO).  The quotations or the single/sole source justification form should be forwarded to the RSC at the time a purchase requisition is generated/begins.

Purchases >$25,000

Same procedures above for purchases between $2,500 and $25,000 apply with the exception that additional approval is required from the Sponsored Research Procurement Officer (RPO).  The RSC will contact the RPO for additional approval.  Please allow extra time to obtain approval.

Equipment Purchases >$100,000

The option to formally request offers through the issuance of an RFQ or RFP can also be requested by PI or his/her designee. Sponsored Research Procurement Officer (RPO) within the OCRO and Supply Chain  http://www.gwu.edu/~supchn/Who_responsible.htm can assist.
If using the formal offer process, allow extra time for the information to be disseminated, plan early.

For an overview of the procurement process described here, please log on to Blackboard http://blackboard.gwu.edu/ using your NetID (GW) mail username and password. Once logged in, click the title, “Fiscal Responsibility in Sponsored Research”. Next click “Modules>Research Administration Tips, Equipment Procurement” for additional information.  A flowchart has been created to provide guidance on the purchase requisition method of procuring equipment through EAS/Oracle.

This new process will be implemented beginning March 10, 2006.

*Equipment means an article of nonexpendable, tangible personal property having a useful life of two years and an acquisition cost of $2,500.