Purchasing Methods and Guidelines

University Procurement Methods are designated by Arkansas Procurement Law to uphold best practice and transparency.  Depending on the complexity and dollar amount of the procurement, purchases and contracts will be established through the appropriate method with the responsible contractor meeting or exceeding specifications or on the basis for best value.

Contact your Procurement Coordinator for additional information.

  • The State of Arkansas considers purchases totalling $20,000 or less, including freight but excluding sales tax, to be Small Order Purchases.  These purchases may be made without bidding, but competition should be used to the maximum extent practicable. This limit does not apply to state and institution contract items and printing. 
  • Departments are advised to exercise prudent judgment in specifying items and entering a source for purchase on the requisition. The Procurement Office will provide information as needed on product specifications and vendor experience for any particular class of commodity for which they have information.
  • Caution: Repeated small quantity purchases of similar items to circumvent the $20,000 bid limit are prohibited. 
  • Small Order Purchases may be made by Requistion, Pcard, or Supplier Invoice Request (SINVR)
    • Review Pcard policy and guidelines
    • Review SINVR policy and guidelines
  • Competitive Bid Quotes may be obtained by departments for bidding purchases which total more than $20,000 but do not exceed $75,000 including freight but excluding sales tax. 
  • A minimum of three (3) bids must be received. If you receive a "no bid" or "no response," then that counts as an acceptable attempt to gather a quote. 
  • Departments should use the Bid Quote Request Form and Bid Quote Tab Sheet when requesting bids. 
  • Submit copies of the bidder's quote response, completed Bid Quote Request Form and Bid Quote Tab Sheet by attaching to the requisition. Attachments will be reviewed prior to issuance of a Purchase Order.
  • Departments are given the delegation to solicit bids in this price range, but Procurement staff is available to provide guidance.
  • Sole Source purchases can be made only after the ordering department submits a requisition with a completed Sole Source Request Form.  All fields of the form must be completed. 
  • Sole source purchases can be justified in one of three ways, but not limited to:
    1. Purchase of repairs involving hidden damage.
    2. Purchase requiring performance compatibility with existing commodities and/or services.
    3. Purchase based on performance specifications.
  • The acquisition of commodities or services which, if not immediately initiated, will endanger human life or health or a state of disaster emergency declared under § 12-75-107.
  • All emergency purchases over the bid limit shall be approved in advance whenever possible by the Procurement Division. Request for approval shall be made in writing and shall include:
      1. Requisition Number
      2. Quotation Abstract (details below)
      3. Written explanation with specific reasons detailing how the purchase meets the emergency purchase defintion by Arkansas Code. 
  • A person or a state agency that makes an emergency procurement under this section shall:
    1. Receive at least three (3) competitive bids unless the emergency is a critical emergency; 
    2. complete a quotation abstract that includes the:
      • Names of the firms contacted;
      • Time that each firm was contacted;
      • Quoted price obtained from each contacted firm; and
      • Method used for contacting each firm
  • Use the authorized UAF Bid Quote Request Form to document the quotation abstract unless the emergency is critical. If three (3) competitive bids are not obtained, the Bid Quote Tab Sheet must show the names of at least three (3) firms contacted in attempting to obtain competition.
  • Where time or circumstances do not permit prior approval, approval must be obtained at the earliest practical date.
  • Commodity purchase or services not covered by a state or institutional contract which totals more than $75,000, leases which exceed $75,000 within the duration of the contract, and leases with the option to purchase when the value of said commodity is more than $75,000 require formal competitive sealed bidding by the Procurement Office.
  • The average processing time for formal bids is one (1) to twelve (12) months depending on the type of bid and considering the bid must be developed, advertised, the responses evaluated, and the bid awarded. Departments should allow time for the above procedures when anticipating their purchasing needs. RFP/IFB Procurement Lead Time
  • Departments should allow time for the above procedures when anticipating their purchasing needs. It's never too early to work with Procurement!  Contact your Procurement Coordinator.

Requisition Types (not an exhaustive list):

  • Standard
    • most common
  • IT-related
  • Intergovernmental
    • purchases between government agencies
  • Cooperative Agreement PO
    • purchases made using a cooperative agreement 
  • Print Services
  • Promotional Items and Trademark Licensing
    • promotional items and/or items with trademarked logos/words - see promo policy 
  • Framework/Blanket
  •