55.060:  Purchasing - Blanket Purchase Orders

Status:	Approved on January 6, 2004	Signatures and dates on archival copy
Effective:	when approved
Initiated by:	Mary Patacca Director of Procurement Services
Reviewed by:	Herman ("Butch") Hill, Chair Policy and Procedure Review Committee
Endorsed by:	Gary North Vice President for Administration and Finance
Approved by:	Stephen Kopp Provost

Purpose

This policy outlines the requirements for establishing a blanket purchase order with a vendor.

Policy

Blanket purchase orders may be issued for those departments having frequent, relatively small, or emergency needs from a designated vendor, if that vendor does not accept a University purchasing card. Departments wishing to use the blanket order procedures must submit their Requisition forms to the Purchasing and Contracting Office for review prior to any commitment to a vendor.

Procedures

I.  Time Period

With some exceptions for grant accounts or special circumstances, the blanket order may be written for a maximum period of 12 months - one fiscal year.

II.  Expiration

All blanket orders expire at the end of the fiscal year, June 30. New blanket orders will be issued on July 1, after appropriate Requisition forms have been submitted to the Purchasing and Contracting Office.

III.  Limits

1. No equipment items may be purchased on a blanket order.

2. No single item of supply will exceed $2,500.

3. Total expenditures on a blanket order must not exceed the total dollars encumbered on that order. Additional funds may be encumbered as needed by submitting a Request for Change Order form to the Purchasing and Contracting Office, requesting an additional encumbrance to the original blanket order.

4. Blanket orders greater than $25,000 are subject to bidding procedures (see Policy 55.007, "Purchasing - Competitive Bidding").

IV.  Release Authorization Forms

To authorize payment for the items ordered on a blanket, the responsible department should complete a Release Authorization Form.

Reviewers

Proposed revisions of this policy should be reviewed by:

1. Policy and Procedure Review Committee

2. Assistant Vice President for Finance

3. Planning Unit Heads

Forms

The following forms are specific to this policy:

1. The Request for Change Order Form is available at http://www.ohio.edu/finance/procuretopay/forms.cfm.

2. The Release Authorization Form is available at http://www.finance.ohiou.edu/forms/ (select the Purchasing forms link).

3. The Requisition Form is available at http://www.ohio.edu/finance/procuretopay/forms.cfm.

Dick Piccard revised this file (http://www.ohio.edu/policy/55-060.html) on May 15, 2013.

Please E-mail any comments or suggestions to "policy@ohio.edu".