Office of Business Affairs
Purchasing Guidelines

For Orders Under $500

Use of a Procurement Card account is preferred when:

• Accepted by the vendor
• The purchase falls within program guidelines

If not:

• Do not place the order
• Submit a requisition to Procurement & Payment Services with the intended item(s)/service(s) required (allow for adequate processing times)
• Our office will process the purchase according to purchasing rules/regulations

For Orders Between $500 and $2,500

Use a Procurement Card when:

• Accepted by the vendor,
• Purchase falls within program guidelines,
• You've determined price reasonableness, and
• There are no credit card transaction fees included (ESF does not pay for credit transaction fees)

The transaction is recorded in your P-Card log and properly certified at the end of the month of purchase. 

Note: Although the department may obtain written quotes from vendors for intended purchases, NYS Finance Law does not allow unauthorized personnel to obligate funds without the prior knowledge of Procurement & Payment Services (i.e., confirming orders are not permissible). Any written quotes should be forwarded to our office with the requisition.

For Orders that Exceed $2,500

• Do not place the order
• Submit a requisition to Procurement and Payment Services with any/all documentation (e.g., quotes, contracts, product/service information, etc.) prior to the intended purchase (allow for adequate processing times)
• If a new vendor, we will need a Sub W-9 completed by new vendor to be paid
• Our office will process the purchase according to purchasing rules/regulations

All purchase requests should be submitted using ESF's new online purchase request form. Please direct any questions to Purchasing@esf.edu. Please do not submit any purchase requisitions to Purchasing@esf.edu, it is important and required that you use the new on-line Purchase Request Form to submit a purchase requisition.