Requirements for Bids
Research Foundation procurement policy requires transactions be conducted in a manner as to provide, to the maximum extent practical, open and free competition.
| Total Purchase Amount |
Requirement for Solicitations of Bids or Proposals |
| up to $50,000 |
No requirement for solicitations of bids or proposals. When the same suppliers are used repeatedly or on an ongoing basis for various procurements within this range, pricing and quality of the goods and services must be reviewed periodically and the results maintained in a supplier procurement file. |
| $50,000 to $250,000 |
Solicitation of bids or proposals required, and procurement requires selection from a minimum of two written or verbal quotes. |
| over $250,000 |
Solicitation of written bids or proposals required, and procurement requires selection from a minimum of three written bids or proposals. |
When Bids and Proposals are not Required
- When item(s) are valued at $50,000 or more and are to be purchased on state contract, it is not necessary to follow the bidding process regardless of the funding source. Simply indicate the state contract number on the purchase order.
- Purchases up to $200,000 from certified small, minority, or women-owned (MWBE) businesses do not require three written quotes but do require reasonableness of price.
- When working with Sole Source/Single Source vendor (see below for additional requirements).
Types of Bids
The three different types of bids or proposals involved in the solicitation process are verbal, written, and sealed.
- A verbal bid or proposal is a supplier's oral statement of price and any other information requested, made in person, on-line or on the telephone, in response to a solicitation for a bid or proposal.
- A written bid or proposal is a supplier's written statement of price and any other information requested, in response to a solicitation for a bid or proposal.
- A sealed bid or proposal is a supplier's written statement of a price and any other information requested, in response to a solicitation for a bid or proposal, which is received in a sealed envelope, then opened and evaluated in a meeting.
Sole Source or Single Source Procurements
Whenever a sole source or single source vendor is utilized, the Principal Investigator must complete the Single/Sole Source Form to certify the conditions by which the procurement meets the criteria to forgo the bidding process.
- Sole Source Supplier is a term used to designate a vendor who is the only contractor capable of furnishing a particular item or service.
- Single Source Supplier is a term used to designate a supplier who is chosen without soliciting the minimum number of bids or proposals, despite the fact competition exists, because of limiting circumstances (e.g., experience of service of the supplier or product quality).
For additional information regarding the RF Procurement guidelines, please refer to https://www.rfsuny.org/media/rfsuny/policies/procurement_policy_pol.pdf
