Procurement Office

Purchasing

Dollar Thresholds, Guidelines, & Policies

How to Buy at Stony Brook University

Purchasing Guidelines for Employees

This page is your go‑to guide for buying goods and services at Stony Brook University. It breaks down how to buy and which processes to use, all in one place, so employees can move fast, stay compliant, and avoid purchasing pitfalls while following University, SUNY, and New York State requirements.

 

Estimated Cost & Requirements
  • 0.00 - 49,999.00
    • No competition required for purchases less than $2,500, but should ensure that prices are reasonable.
    • Orders above $2,500.00 require the solicitation of three (3) Quotes or Statement of Reasonableness of Price  (See "State Purchasing Guidelines" tab).
    • Estimated order time: 1- 10 business days; excludes software.
    • All software, cloud-based/on-prem applications, kiosks, drones, and web development require an Accessibility and Cyber Risk Review before initiating a requisition in WolfMart. Please note that these reviews may take up to thirty days to finalize. The outcomes of these reviews should be carefully considered when selecting vendors and solutions in alignment with SUNY and SBU Accessibility policies and procedures and InfoSec policies and procedures.
  • 50,000.00 - 74,999.00
    • Advertisement in NYS Contract Reporter for 15 business days or OSC approval of Contract Reporter Exemption Request if the purchase is a Single or Sole Source.
    • Solicitation of 3 Quotes or Price Justification (See "State Purchasing Guidelines" tab.
    • Estimated order time: 15 to 120 business days for Services, 15 - 120 business days for Commodities.
  • 75,000.00 and above
    • Advertisement in NYS Contract Reporter or Contract Reporter Exemption Request if the purchase is a Single or Sole Source.
    • Attorney General and OSC approval required.
    • Estimated order time: 60 to 180 business days.
    • Orders between $75,000 and $124,999 require the solicitation of a minimum of three (3) quotes.
    • Orders of $125,000.00 or more require the solicitation of a minimum of 5 formal sealed bids or proposals.
  • OGS Contracts in excess of $200,000.00
    • Subject to Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) review and approval.
    • Estimated order time: 15 to 75 business days.

Statement of Reasonableness of Price
  • Price justification can include, but is not limited to:
    • The Supplier's published price list.
    • Redacted invoices from the Supplier to other consumers.
    • Invoices or cost sheets from prior State contracts.
    • Comparisons to other Suppliers' prices for similar products/services.
    • Comparisons to similar purchases made by other campuses.
    • Historical cost or price comparison.

Blanket Order Request
  • State-funded Blanket Order requests must be estimated for an entire fiscal year and must be submitted  using the Blanket Request Form in WolfMart. When State-funded Blanket Order requests exceed $2,500.00, all appropriate SUNY Procurement procedures must be followed.
    • Blanket Order requests should be for annual expenditures with a specific Supplier, not for one-time purchases.
    • Blanket Order requests should not be made for Hosted or PunchOut Suppliers in the WolfMart Showcase.
    • Blanket Order requests for Services must utilize the Service Request Form, not the Blanket Request Form.
    • All Blanket Order requests will require end users to enter a Cost Receipt to confirm that goods have been received.
    • All State-funded Blanket Orders will be fully disencumbered on June 30th.
    • Supporting documentation (i.e. quotes, justifications, etc.) must be attached to each Blanket Request Form.

Purchase Approvals
  • In addition to departmental authorized signatures, the following approvals must be obtained prior to the submission of a purchase request to the Procurement Office:
    • Door Locks: Locksmith and Building Manager
    • Radioactive, Biological Select Agents and Toxins (BSAT): Environmental Health & Safety, 2-6410
    • Live Animals for Research must be purchased through the Division of Laboratory Animal Research (DLAR) approved by: Director of DLAR
    • Electronic Security Equipment: Public Safety
    • Space Heaters/Air Conditioners/Electric Fans: Campus Operation and Maintenance
    • Rehab or Repairs to Buildings and Facilities and Site Work Done by Outside Contractors: Assistant Vice President of Campus Planning, Design and Construction
    • Communication equipment (modems, walkie-talkies etc.): Police Department, Lawrence Zacarese 2-6540
    • Security Systems: Don Coleman, Access Control Department
    • All vehicle purchases must be reviewed and approved by: Kendra Violet, Executive Director of MAPS
    • All software, cloud-based/on-prem applications, kiosks, drones, and web development purchases must be reviewed and approved by both the InfoSec team (Shajada Mamun & Sanjay Kapur) and OEA/Accessibility team (Glenn Dausch & Daniel Gutz) by completing the required TeamDynamix intake form listed here: Accessibility and Cyber Risk Review
  • Requests covering the procurement of security systems and related items/services now require the approval of Campus Operation & Maintenance, and Access Control, prior to purchase and include all items related to the installation and operation of security systems. The definition of security-related items includes the following:
    •  CCTV Systems (or parts or service thereof)
    • Card Access door hardware, wire, card readers, cards (prox, Mg stripe or smart cards), access software, etc.
    • Intrusion alarm systems components and replacement parts
    • Any request for electrified door access systems (even if they are for individual doors and not part of the campus-wide system)
    • Requests for biometric ID systems used for security control
    • Interior security systems that track people or property
    • Computer alarm systems such as fiber optic systems controlling several computers

Lobbying Law
  • Effective January 1, 2006, The New York State Finance Law was amended to regulate efforts to influence the procurement process. All State facilities must abide by strict procedural requirements relating to the award of any contract/purchase order for goods or services estimated to be in excess of $15,000.00.

    All "contact" relating to potential awards in excess of $15,000.00 including in-person meetings and video conferences between Suppliers or their representatives and the awarding State entity is now regulated. Only designated Agency personnel may have contact with the Suppliers or their representatives or lobbyists. In the case of Stony Brook University, the only designated contact person(s) are Procurement Office Staff. It is strictly prohibited for anyone else to have contact with the Suppliers during the procurement "restricted period."

    The restricted period starts when the end-user's department submits their State requisition to the Procurement Office and ends when an award (Purchase Order/Contract) is officially forwarded to the Supplier. During this restricted period, all inquiries must be referred to the designated Procurement Office contact.

Preferred Sources
  • The New York State Finance Laws require us to purchase available goods and services that meet our form, function, and utility requirements from certain New York State "Preferred Sources" (NYS Department of Corrections Services, NYS Industries for the Blind, NYS Industries for the Disabled, Office of Mental Health and Veterans Industries) up to any dollar amount without competition. For more information, please visit the Office of General Services Preferred Sources webpage.

Single & Sole Source Purchases
  • When competitive bidding is required but is not feasible because a commodity or service is available from only one Supplier (Sole Source), from a limited number of Suppliers (Single Source), or due to an emergency, the campus must fully justify and document why that Supplier was selected and why the price is reasonable.

    Under State Finance Law, exceptions to competitive selection are permitted only in unusual circumstances, and the campus must include written justification in the Procurement Record supporting any Sole Source, Single Source, or emergency determination.

    For a Single Source procurement, justification may include documentation showing that only a limited number of Suppliers exist and that the selected Supplier has substantial prior experience or provides products or services tailored to the SUNY environment.

    For a Sole Source procurement, justification must demonstrate the unique nature of the requirement, explain how it was determined that only one Supplier can meet the need, and show that the price is reasonable. One way to support a Sole Source determination is to advertise in the NYS Contract Reporter and receive only one response.

    Any Sole or Single Source purchase over $50,000.00 requires submission of a Contract Reporter Exemption Request to the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC).
 
Current State Commodity and Service Contracts (P-Contracts)
  • The NYS Office of General Services (Albany) awards Statewide centralized term contracts for many commodities and services at reasonable prices. Departments should take advantage of these whenever possible. For most items, an unlimited dollar amount can be purchased without the need for further competition or approvals. State contracts are available to view at the following link here.

Methods of Procurement when using Federal or Federal Flow Through Funds:
  • Up to $50,000.00: 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 goods and services must be reviewed periodically and the results maintained in a Supplier procurement file.
  • $50,000.00 - $250,000.00: Solicitation of bids or proposals required, and Procurement requires selection from a minimum of two (2) written or verbal quotes.
  • Above $250,000.00: Solicitation of written bids or proposals required and Procurement requires selection from a minimum of three (3) written bids or proposals. Also, requires a cost or price analysis which at a minimum should include making independent estimates before receiving bids or proposals.
Methods of Procurement when using Non-Federal Funding Sources:
  • Up to $50,000.00: 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 goods and services must be reviewed periodically and the results maintained in a Supplier procurement file.
  • $50,000.00 - $250,000.00: Solicitation of bids or proposals required, and Procurement requires selection from a minimum of two (2) written or verbal quotes.
  • Above $250,000.00: Solicitation of written bids or proposals required and Procurement requires selection from a minimum of three (3) written bids or proposals. 

Non-Competitive Procurements
  • Competitive bids or proposals are not required for the following procurements:

    • Purchases made under New York State Office of General Service centralized contracts, SUNY Contracts, Consortiums, or through campus central stores or service centers.
    • Purchases up to $750,000 from NYS certified minority, or women-owned businesses (MWBE) and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (SDVOBE).
    • Purchases up to $500,000 from NYS Small Business Enterprises.
    • Purchases that qualify as a Sole Source procurement because the product or service procured is unique to one source or the requirements for the product or service can only be met by one supplier or contractor.
    • Purchases that qualify as Single Source procurement because of limited circumstances that justify procurement without open competition one or more of the following circumstances apply: (1) The item is available only from a single source; (2) The public exigency or emergency for the requirement will not permit a delay resulting from competitive solicitation; (3) The awarding agency or pass-through entity expressly authorizes noncompetitive proposals in response to a written request; or (4) After solicitation of a number of sources, competition is determined inadequate.

Competitive Procurements
  • For all other procurements not identified above, solicitations of bids or proposals are required as follows: The "Total Purchase Amount" must be based on the reasonably expected aggregate total dollar amount of the purchase of the specified goods or services from the specified vendor or supplier within a twelve (12) month period commencing on the date of purchase. If the procurement is reasonably expected to continue longer than 12 months the Total Purchase Amount must be based on the reasonably expected value as specified in the agreement with the vendor or supplier. The expected purchases must not be artificially divided, and unjustified single/sole source procurement must not be used for the purpose of circumventing the thresholds for required solicitation of bids.

Blanket Order Requests
  • Research Foundation funded Blanket Order requests should be for expenditures with a specific vendor over a period of time, not for one-time purchases. Research Foundation funded Blanket Order requests submitted must adhere to Research Foundation Procurement Policy. Blanket Order requests should not be made for Hosted or Punchout vendors in the WolfMart Showcase.
  • Blanket Orders for all Services must utilize the Service Request form; not the Blanket Order form.
  • All Blanket Order requests will require end users to enter a Cost Receipt to confirm that goods have been received.
  • All Research Foundation funded Blanket Orders will terminate once the estimated encumbrance has been expended. When this occurs, a new Blanket Order request must be submitted to Procurement.
  • Research Foundation Blanket Orders cannot extend beyond the term date of the designated award.
  • Supporting documentation must be attached (i.e. Quotes, Justifications) where appropriate.

Acquisition of Information Technology Products and Services
  • All software, cloud-based/on-prem applications, kiosks, drones, and web development require an Accessibility and Cyber Risk Review before initiating a requisition in WolfMart. Please note that these reviews may take up to thirty days to finalize. The outcomes of these reviews should be carefully considered when selecting vendors and solutions in alignment with SUNY RF and SBU policies and procedures.

RF Procurement Policy
Single/Sole Source Procurements
  • All Single or Sole Source procurements require documentation of solicitation elements that includes a clear and accurate description of the technical and programmatic requirements for the material, product, or services being procured. 
  • The competitive bid process or the Single/Sole Source justification related to procurement is limited to the period defined by the agreement with the vendor including any agreed-upon extensions or options for extensions or renewals. If a change to or renewal, extension, or continuation of a procurement that was not competitively bid would result in an actual aggregate expenditure that exceeds the thresholds for required solicitation of bids, it must be approved by an RF Officer or operations manager after a Single/Sole Source justification documenting that the failure to determine the reasonably expected aggregate amount on the date of initial purchase was reasonable and justified.
  • Use the following link to access the Single/Sole Source Documentation form (use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge as your browser): http://www.rfsuny.org/media/rfsuny/forms/apfrm008.pdf

Solicitation of Small, Minority, and Women's Owned Business Enterprises
  • Operating locations should take the necessary affirmative steps to assure that small, minority, and women business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are used when possible. This would include placing these qualified vendors on solicitation lists, assuring they are solicited whenever they are potential sources, and dividing total requirements, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities to permit maximum participation by these businesses. Campuses should refer to the Small Business Administration, the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce or can use the New York State M/WBE Directory to locate businesses certified in New York State.

Campus Acquisition of Information Technology Policy
  • This SUNY RF policy establishes requirements to ensure that Information Technology (IT) purchased with Research Foundation (RF) funds is reviewed for compatibility with campus information security standards. The policy helps safeguard campus systems from cybersecurity risks while supporting the responsible acquisition of technology needed for sponsored research and other RF activities. See the RF Campus Acquisition of Information Technology Policy.