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WVC Purchasing Guidelines

How to Buy - Getting Started

Buying Limits
Responsible Purchasing

 

Buying Limits

State of Washington and Federal purchasing rules require that purchases over the Direct Buy Limit be competitively solicited in the absence of a contract, funding source mandate, or a sole source justification. Procurement Services contracting professionals are responsible for issuing competitive solicitations.

The direct buy limit does not apply to catalog orders but does apply to non-catalog, BPO, and non-po invoice even when using a contract.

The solicitation process is determined by the dollar amount of the purchase including shipping & handling, and excludes tax, and the commodity type.

For goods and services:

$29,999 and under

Direct Buy Limit

Departments may place orders with third-party suppliers without prior approval of Procurement Services Contracting Team.

Note: This is a Level 1 limit. If the purchase is made from a small business as defined by RCW 39.26.010(22); or from a certified veteran-owned business, the limit is $40,000, and is defined as Level 2.

These new limits are in effect until March 2025.

Between $30,000 and $99,999

Informal Competition


The Purchasing Department will work with departments to issue an informal solicitation to qualified suppliers. Responses may be provided by telephone or in writing (email, fax, or US mail), depending on instructions from the WVC buyer. If the solicitation is not advertised via Washington Electronic Business Solutions (WEBS), (Note - save the file that comes up in this link, or internal links in the file will not work). WVC Purchasing Department must include at least one minority and one woman owned business certified by the State Office of Minority and Woman Business Enterprise (OMWBE) in the solicitation process. (RCW 28B.10.029(c)(iii)

Over $100,000

Formal Competition

The Procurement Services Contracting Team will issue a written solicitation and advertise via Washington Electronic Business Solutions (WEBS)  (Note - save the file that comes up in this link, or internal links in the file will not work). Formal receipt process is required.

Contact a Procurement Services buyer for assistance.

Contract Review and Approval Flow

 

Purchasing Options:

  • Competitive Solicitation: The process of seeking proposals, quotations or information from suppliers that bid competitively.
  • Sole Source: Requires justification.
  • Blanket Purchase Order
  • PCard: Small dollar purchases, one-time purchases
  • Grant funded supplier selection: If the purchase is funded by a grant (federal or non-federal) and your supplier is specifically named in that grant.
  • Check WVC Surplus for previously used items that are available at considerable savings.

Important: If you have questions or need assistance regarding an upcoming purchase, contact the Purchasing Department and get them involved early - purchasing@wvc.edu.

Additional Information: Capital Assets and Inventory Control Policy

  • Please notify Facilities of any purchases over $5,000 for capital asset tracking
  • All technology purchases must be verified with IT prior to purchasing; please contact Shea Morgan in IT.
  • All goods and services must be purchased and delivered to Wenatchee Valley College for receiving.

Contracts

Department of Enterprise Services - Current Contracts:

Master Contracts | Department of Enterprise Services (wa.gov)

Department of Enterprise Services - Technology Master Contracts:

Technology Master Contracts | Department of Enterprise Services (wa.gov)

NASPO ValuePoint:

Participant Results - NASPO ValuePoint

SourceWell Contracts:
 
Omnia Cooperative Purchasing for Higher Education:

Higher Education Procurement | OMNIA Partners

SBCTC Wiphe: Washington Institutions of Public Higher Education:

WIPHE - Home (sbctc.edu)

Responsible Purchasing

Ethics

As employees of the state of Washington, faculty and staff of the WVC must follow all of the state statutes and regulations regarding ethics and conflicts of interest.

State law is found primarily in RCW 42.52, and sets out a strong statement of ethical principles and values for state officers and employees. In part, that statement provides:

  • State officers and employees of government hold a public trust which obligates them, in a special way, to honesty and integrity in fulfilling the responsibilities to which they are elected and appointed.
  • Paramount in that trust is the principle that public office--whether elected or appointed--may not be used for personal gain or private advantage. (RCW 42.52.900)
Supplier Diversity

Purchasing Services is committed to ensuring that minority-owned, women-owned, small, disadvantaged, HUB Zone, veteran-owned and service-disabled-veteran owned businesses have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in purchasing and contracting at Wenatchee Valley College. We strive to increase the depth and diversity of our supplier pool by promoting fair and open access to the business community.

Green Procurement

Procurement Services promotes environmentally preferred purchasing (EPP) as defined by the National Associate of Educational Procurement-meaning that environmental and social considerations are “taken with equal weight to the price, availability and performance criteria that colleges and universities use to make purchasing decisions." The college buying staff leverage current supplier relationships to raise awareness of the purchasing considerations necessary to reduce our environmental impact and to maximize resource efficiency.

Please contact the College’s Purchasing Team (purchasing@wvc.edu) if you become aware of new environmentally friendly products or have questions about our program.

Direct Buy Limit:

The dollar limitation set by state law under which purchases may be made without securing competitive pricing (Current Enterprise Procurement Policies | Department of Enterprise Services (wa.gov), RCW 39.26.125).  Departments may place orders with suppliers of choice within the direct buy limit without prior approval of Purchasing Services. When the ultimate aggregate cost to the department for a service or the purchase of a product over a 12 month period will exceed the direct buy limit, contact Procurement Services for guidance. Effective January 1, 2013 the direct buy limit is set at $10,000 excluding sales tax. NOTE: Orders must not be split to avoid competition. For example, if a department intends to purchase 20 each of the same item valued at $2,000 each, the total will exceed the direct buy limit, and unless the department is utilizing a College-approved contract, Procurement Services should be consulted regarding the appropriate buying method. Some exceptions may apply to the purchase of certain items and by order method.