1 Introduction

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Purchasing at Princeton

The Purchasing department plays a central role in the major category of commitments to external entities. It has the primary purchasing authority for the University, including responsibility for managing procurement, developing efficient tools for use on a University-wide basis and developing strategies to facilitate commitments to buy goods and services.

The Purchasing Department is the central purchasing authority for Princeton University. Strict adherence to all applicable federal laws, laws of the State of New Jersey, college policies and sound business practice will be observed.

Purchasing at Princeton utilizes a decentralized procurement network system. Individual buying decisions are made by the specific requisitioning departments. Princeton employees with Purchasing responsibilities are expected to abide by the following Purchasing procedures. Exercising sound Purchasing decisions enables one to be a good steward with the University’s resources and the efficient operation of the University.

The Purchasing Department is committed to assisting our University community with the identification, selection and acquisition of all required materials and services. One of the primary methods through which we help meet these objectives is by establishing vendor contracts for major products and services. By utilizing these vendor contracts whenever possible, we are able to obtain the best price and vendor service, while also reducing administrative costs for our departments and at the same time ensuring that the terms and conditions of the transaction have been pre-approved by both the University and the vendor.

This manual is intended to provide the basic policies and procedures as well as a general understanding of good Purchasing practices so our employees can buy on behalf of the University with confidence and expertise. We expect departments to be familiar with these procedures and adapt them to the individual department requirements as necessary.

Furthermore, Princeton University receives research funding from Federal and State agencies and consequently we are obligated to maintain a federally approved Purchasing system. These Purchasing policies and procedures help to ensure Princeton's compliance with such Federal and State regulations.