How Purchases Are Made
Southern Oregon University has decentralized and delegated much of its purchasing to individual departments. Purchases less than $5,000 are made at the department level and do not involve the Purchasing Office. Some departments have higher delegated authority, specialized commodities, or special purchasing policies as indicated below. Formal bid lists are not maintained; however, catalogs and other vendor literature can be sent to appropriate departments or to the Purchasing Office. Contact Gail Michael at (541) 552-6574 or e-mail.


SOU Bookstore
The bookstore purchases items for resale to students, staff, and the community. Buyers for the bookstore are:


Capital Construction
These projects require a formal bidding procedure. Generally, bid lists are developed for each individual construction project, depending on the type, size, and scope of the work. A call for bidders is issued and advertised in the Daily Journal of Commerce, a Portland publication; OUS University Procurement Gateway; and/or newspapers of general circulation. Call (541) 552-6231 for additional information.


Computer Hardware and Software
The Computing Services Department assists departments with purchasing recommendations for all types of computing resources, as well as managing the University's network and student computer lab. Contact Karen Haynes at (541) 552-6449 or e-mail for additional information.


Food and Beverage Supply
The Food Services Office bids out most of its food purchases annually. It places advertisements in the local general circulation newspapers inviting interested bidders. Call (541) 552-6383 for additional information.


Library
The SOU Library's collection of books and periodicals is considered a specialized commodity and is exempt from competitive purchasing procedures. Contact Mary Jane Cedar Face at (541) 552-6836 for additional information.


Physical Plant, Building, and Landscape Maintenance
Purchases include such items as fertilizers, lights and light bulbs, hardware, building, vehicle, and landscape maintenance equipment, repair parts, and services. Call (541) 552-6883 for additional information.

 


Printing and Publications
The Publications Office bids out the printing of publications that have been produced within the office and cannot be printed in-house. Generally, this applies to jobs that include at least one of the following characteristics:
- Larger than 11x17
- Web Press
- Four-color process

Vendors seeking qualification should contact Melissa Michaels at (541) 552-6155 or e-mail.


Residence Halls, Family Housing, and Real Property
Purchases include such items as institutional furniture, linens, maintenance supplies, and repair and custodial services.  Call the residence halls at (541) 552-6373 or (541) 552-6999.


Bid Solicitations
Vendors may be asked to submit bids on either a formal or an informal basis:

  1. Informal Bid Solicitations (aka Quotes)
    Informal bid solicitations are usually called competitive quotes and may be obtained by telephone, fax, or mail. The most common purchase made in this manner is a purchase of goods or services valued at $5,000 or less. These are usually handled by the individual departments and may not involve the Purchasing Office.
     
  2. Formal Bid Solicitations
    Most formal bid solicitations take the form of a document called a Request for Quotation (aka Invitation to Bid). This document is issued from the Purchasing Office when the purchase exceeds $5,000.  In most cases, a contract is awarded to a responsible bidder who can provide the product or service of the specified quality and at the lowest price.
     
  3. Another type of formal bid solicitation is a Request for Proposal (RFP). An RFP is usually issued when the University knows what it wants to accomplish but is willing to consider alternative approaches for meeting its goal. In this case, the contract is awarded based upon a variety of evaluation factors, not primarily upon the lowest bid price. These types of solicitations are typically advertised in local and/or regional newspapers.


SOU Accounts Payable
Individual campus departments should be invoiced directly for goods and services. Do not send invoices to "Accounts Payable." All checks are created at and mailed from our institution. Invoices for multiple departments are often paid by a single check, and the check stub provides transaction details. Questions regarding payment should be directed to the ordering department or Accounts Payable at (541) 552-6553.


Terms and Conditions
A Standard Terms and Conditions document is sent to all new vendors. Our terms and conditions state shipping will be F.O.B. destination, freight prepaid. All vendors must furnish, upon request, a federal tax identification number.


Affirmative Action
The University promotes and encourages contracting with businesses owned by women, minorities, or with emerging small businesses by advertising contract opportunities through the OUS University Procurement Gateway. Southern Oregon University also participates in a State of Oregon program aimed at awarding contracts to qualified rehabilitation facilities. For information about these programs, contact the State of Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Purchasing Section at (503) 373-1250. For certification information, call the Office of Minority, Women, and Emerging Small Business at (503) 378-5651.


Insurance Requirements
Vendors providing services to SOU will be required to show proof of insurance coverage.  Minimum coverages typically include both commercial general liability and auto liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence.


State Price Agreements
The State of Oregon DAS Purchasing Division issues awards and maintains contracts for various commodities for use by state agencies. The use of these contracts is optional for Southern Oregon University. The Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN) communications software allows vendors electronic access to state bidding opportunities, including the State Price Agreements. Contact ORPIN Outreach at (503) 378-4651 for information about this program. In addition, as a public higher education institution, Southern Oregon University is often eligible for and takes advantage of educational, governmental, jurisdictional, or other special pricing discounts.

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As a public agency, SOU adheres to strict laws, rules, and ethical practices when purchasing goods and services. SOU employees do not accept personal gifts from suppliers nor conduct purchasing transactions for personal benefit. It is a goal of SOU to obtain maximum value for each dollar spent. Purchases made by the University range from office supplies, equipment, maintenance contracts, hardware, software, chemicals, vehicles, to medical supplies. Of the goods and services purchased each fiscal year, more than 50 percent are purchased from local vendors.

Solicitations and opportunites can be found at the OUS University Procurement Gateway.

We hope this page has aided your ability to do business with Southern Oregon University. Please contact us for additional information or clarification:

Doing Business with SOU

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