Make a Purchase

For UF Departments

On this page you will find links to tips, terms, and definitions designed to assist you. Some of the links at right will take you to information found on this page or elsewhere on this web site, while others will open a new window to take you to another UF web site.

Authority to Sign Contracts

Departments should not sign contracts unless they have received delegated authority from President of the University to do so. If you sign a contract when you have no authority, you may become personally liable for the contract provisions.

Certain contract terms appear commonly in contracts but are not legal for State of Florida employees to sign. Some of these are: governed by the laws of any state other than Florida, indemnification or hold-harmless clauses, contracts with automatic renewals but no cancellation or termination clause. Other clauses are required by statute: providing for open records and cancellation for lack of appropriation if the contract continues across fiscal years. Contracts for purchases (the University is obligated to make payments) have been delegated to the Director of Procurement, the Associate Directors, the Assistant Directors, and the Procurement Coordinators.

If you have been given authority to sign certain contracts, it is incumbent upon you to learn what is acceptable contract language.

DSL/Cable Internet in Personal Residences

Cellular telephones and wireless communication devices, such as Palm Pilots and Blackberries, are not deemed to be employee perquisites. However, this policy does not apply to DSL and Cable Internet connectivity at a personal residence. A DSL or cable Internet connection at a personal residence constitutes an employee perquisite and should be processed as such. Please see the Perquisites section of UF Finance & Accounting Directives web site for assistance with the request form.

Items Requiring Environmental Health & Safety Approval Prior to Purchase

On- and off-campus sites, including all IFAS Stations, will be required to obtain pre-approval from Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) before purchasing the following:

• Agricultural Farm Equipment >$1000
• Agricultural Tractors >$1000
• Air Purifying Respirators
• All Terrain Vehicles
• Bench Top Fume Collection Cabinets
• Biological Safety Cabinets
• Boilers and Pressure Vessels
• Bulk Storage Tanks
• Cleaning of Kitchen Exhaust Systems
• Compressed Gas Cabinets
• Electron Microscopes
• Explosives and Fireworks
• Eyewash Stations and Safety Showers
• Fall Protection Devices (Harnesses and Lanyards)
• Fire Suppression Systems
• Fume Hoods
• Gas Chromatographs
• Kitchen Cooking Appliances
• Kitchen Exhaust Systems
• Lab Vectors
• Lasers
• Liquid Scintillation Counters
• Microwave Ovens for Labs
• Ozone Generators
• Personal Monitoring or Detection Equipment (Confined Space Meters, Gas Meters, Survey Meters, Dosimeters, etc.)
• Portable Air Cleaning Devices
• Radioactive Materials
• Refrigerators and Freezers
• Repairs of equipment that require it to be sent off campus (certification of cleaning and decontaminating will be required)
• Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
• X-Ray Machines

In addition, the following specific chemicals will need EH&S approval:

• • Dioxins
  • Tri-, Tetra- and Pentachlorophenols
  • Any Items Prohibited by Law, Regulation or Policy

FOB Terms

Quote Levels

Non-Contract Vendors

• Requisition Total below $10,000: No quotes required, but encouraged.
• Requisition Total between $10,000 & $150,000: 3 or more WRITTEN quotes attached to myUF Marketplace requisition.
• Requisition Total $150,000 and up – contact Procurement if the purchase is not covered under Contract.  Board of Governors Regulations require public solicitations unless covered under an appropriate contract, or specialized exemption.

Contract Vendors
If the item is on State or University Contract, you only need to obtain the hard copy quote from the vendor you are ordering the item from. No additional quotes are necessary.

Be sure to attach the quote to your requisition in myUF Marketplace.

Sole Sources

What is a Sole Source?
A Sole Source is an item or service is that is only available from one source, regardless of its price. This may be due to uniqueness, newness on the market, the item being patent protected, etc. A lower price, faster delivery time and/or preferring to do business with a company is not a valid reason for selecting a particular company. Procurement can only accept a true Sole Source as justification to waive the bid requirements for purchases over $150,000.

How do I prepare a Sole Source?
The first step is for the Principle Investigator (PI) and/or program Administrator to determine what is needed to accomplish the research/project. (We in Procurement rely on the PI’s to be the “resident authority” on the item they are wanting). Once the item has been identified as only available from one source, then the vendor should provide a written quotation. Please note that written quotes are normally only good for 30 days and Procurement will return the requisition and attachments if the time period has expired.

Once the quote is received, the Sole Source Certification form answers should be typed and all items should be answered thoroughly, in layman’s terms. Do not leave any question blank.

The PI should then sign the Sole Source Certification under the “Department Approval, Principle Investigator’s Signature” heading. The “Procurement Approval, Procurement Agent’s Signature and Authorized Signature” lines will be signed by Procurement.

The written quote, any other technical documentation and the requisition with departmental level approval, should then be forwarded to Procurement.

What does Procurement do now?
Procurement then reviews the requisition and Sole Source and all documentation for accuracy and then contacts the selected vendor for verification of information. We may also contact other vendors who carry similar products and verify that the information is correct. Once the Sole Source is verified, the Sole Source is presented to the Director or Associate Director of Procurement for approval. Once it is signed, we are required to post the Sole Source for 72 hours. This 72 hours is comprised of 3 business days (excludes weekends and holidays). If no vendor protests, we can then assign a PO number.

Revised: 1/30/2024