Restricted Procurements

Prohibited or Controlled Purchases

The following commodities require special procedures and/or approvals.  Departments having need of the following should contact the Procurement and Logistical Services Department for further details.

Prohibited: (only ordered through Procurement Office)

• Ethyl Alcohol
• Purchases of Government Surplus Materials
• Vehicle Purchases/Donations
• Purchases involving trade-ins
• 2 Way Radios
• Real Estate rentals
• Hazardous materials, chemicals and biological agents
• Used Equipment/Antiques

Controlled: (may be ordered at department level after required approvals and within DPA)

• Electrical equipment – compatibility issues
• Purchases requiring a written agreement/contract
• Professional Services
• Computer and other technology associated purchases
• Communications equipment/services
• Alarm and Security Systems
• Equipment repair
• Consulting Agreements
• Food purchases using E&G funds

• Ethyl Alcohol:  The University has designed one official appointed to sign or issue all applications and other required documents pertaining to the purchase, storage and use of ethyl alcohol.  If anticipating buying this commodity, please check with the Purchasing Office. A permit has been granted to the University under the following conditions of use:  “For purely scientific research, instructional and medical use as a solvent, reagent, cleaner, chemical extract, fuel and pharmaceutical in the classes, laboratories, hospitals, infirmaries and departments.”

• Purchases of government surplus materials:  All purchases of State and Federal government surplus should be done through Procurement and Logistical Services.  The department acquiring such equipment is responsible for complying with utilization and disposal restrictions which may apply.

• Vehicle Purchases/Donations:  Purchases of all roadworthy vehicles are covered by a continuing statewide moratorium.  All requests for vehicle purchases must indicate if the purchase is for a new or replacement vehicle.  All purchases must be justified.  With few exceptions, only vehicles having 150,000 miles or greater or having documentation of being beyond economical repair will be approved.  Vehicle approval requests must be submitted by Purchasing via the Vehicle Tracking and Logistics (VITAL) system to the Office of Fleet Management and Office of Planning and Budget.  Most vehicle types are covered by mandatory statewide contracts which normally run from Nov 15^th to April 15^th.  Every effort should be made to purchase vehicles during these times due to the significant savings.  Vehicle donations must also be approved in much the same manner as purchases.  Further, the Vice President for Business and Finance must approve all vehicle donations prior to approval being requested from OPB.

• Purchases involving trade-ins:  Purchases using University equipment as trade-in must be dealt with on a case by case basis.  Departments contemplating such purchases should contact the Purchasing Office for assistance.  Information required on a requisition must include a description and decal number, if applicable, of the item being considered as a trade-in.  Permission must be obtained by Property Control from State Surplus Property Division before an item may be made available as a trade in.

• 2-Way Radios:  All requests for 2-Way Radios and Radio devices must be submitted to Enterprise Infrastructure Services for approval prior to submission to the Procurement Office. Procurement personnel will request approval from the GTA.

• Real Estate Rentals:  All rentals of real estate which, under some circumstances, can include leasing storage space must be approved and signed by the Board of Regents.  All contracts for off campus storage should be routed to Procurement for review prior to signing.

• Hazardous materials, chemical and biological agents: There are a number of chemicals and biological agents which the University is not allowed to procure.  Others require special environmental reporting.  These items must be purchased through the Purchasing office via a requisition.  Departments may not procure these items on their Procurement cards.  A listing of these chemicals and biological agents are contained elsewhere on our web page.

• Used Equipment.  The Georgia Procurement Manual does allow for the purchase of used equipment/goods.  As antiques are not separately covered, they are covered as used goods.  In order to purchase used goods, the goods must be examined by “qualified personnel who will furnish a written certification as to the condition and value to the agency.  This certification should include good working condition for intended use and price comparisons to comparable used equipment.”

• Electrical Equipment:  When writing specifications for electrical equipment, care should be taken to consult with Physical Plant if the equipment exceeds 115V, single phase, 60 Hz.  This is to ensure that there is adequate power available within the building. Indicating on the requisition that Physical Plant has been contacted will greatly speed up the procurement process.

• Purchases requiring a written agreement/contract:  The University has a policy named Negotiation and Execution of Contracts Policy. This policy defines and dictates the review of contracts by either the Office of Legal Affairs or the Procurement and Logistical Services Office for contracts of goods and services.  Many written agreements or contracts contain objectionable clauses which, under some circumstances, could void the contract leaving the individual signing the agreement personally liable to the vendor.

• Professional Services:  Requests for professional services are often subject to special approvals including the Board of Regents.  A professional service contract is defined as any contract or commitment that engages a business firm to perform professional services for a fee.  Such professional services must involve a highly skilled judgment or training, artistic taste or other similar attribute which is dependent for its quality upon the characteristics and knowledge of an individual and cannot therefore be standardized and competitively bid.  Examples include:

1. Accounting services by a CPA firm
2. Architects services
3. Chiropractic
4. Engineering
5. Land Surveying
6. Legal Services
7. Medical Services (Doctors, Dentists, Veterinarians)
8. Optometry
9. Psychology

Professional Services do not include the following:

• Advertising and advertisements
• Chemical Analysis
• Consulting
• Drafting
• Insurance
• Interior Decorating
• Licenses

• Computer and other technology purchases  Effective March 2013 all IT related purchases must be approved by University IT Services.  If using P-card, cardholders must seek approval by email to ITPurchasing@georgiasouthern.edu.  A copy of the approval must be attached to cardholder’s activity log. If using eProcurement, the automated workflow will route IT related purchases to IT Services.

• Communications equipment/services: All requests for communications services and/or devices such as telephones and cellular phones must be ordered through Enterprise Infrastructure Services.

• Alarm Systems/services:  All requests for alarm systems must be submitted to Enterprise Infrastructure Services for approval prior to submission to the Procurement Office.

• Equipment Repair:  Equipment repair for equipment valued at $3,000 or greater should be forwarded to the Purchasing Office.  Arrangement will be made to ship the equipment out via Central Receiving.  This affords continuity in the chain of custody especially when dealing with tagged assets.

• Consulting Agreements:  Consulting agreements are handled in Procurement and Logistical Services.  These agreements are not considered by the State to be a professional service and are therefore subject to the Georgia Procurement Code meaning that agreements of $25,000 or greater must be competitively bid.

• Food purchases using E&G funds:   Educational and General funds (those speedcharts beginning with 10XXX) may not be used to purchase food, drinks and other refreshments for staff and faculty consumption.  Some exceptions apply. Please refer to the USG Business Procedures Manual sections 19.7 and 19.8. The Purchasing Office should be consulted.

Last updated: 6/5/2023