How to Buy IT Goods and Services

CU Marketplace is the University’s electronic purchasing and payment system that includes online shopping through CU-specific supplier catalogs as well as forms for processing purchases from suppliers that do not have catalogs in the system. CU Marketplace is the preferred method to purchase IT goods and services regardless of whether there is an existing supplier catalog available for the purchase. Making purchases through CU Marketplace following the processes outlined below will create greater likelihood that your IT purchases are screened for system compatibility and support, the contract review and IT security risk and compliance is complete, prior to the purchase being made.

CU-specific pricing is automatically applied to orders processed through the supplier catalogs in CU Marketplace. There are several IT suppliers with expansive catalogs in place including Dell, CDW (which includes Apple products), Connection, and Newegg Business. Utilizing a supplier’s current catalog in Marketplace is the most efficient and expedient process available for obtaining IT goods and services. Catalog orders of up to $25,000 in total cost will automatically issue a purchase order to the supplier with no additional reviews required from a PSC Purchasing Agent. This generally results in almost immediate order fulfillment for items in stock with the supplier and available for shipment.

When the required IT goods or services are not available in a CU-specific supplier catalog, the purchase should still be processed in CU Marketplace using the Purchase Requisition form. When initiating a purchase outside the pre-established catalogs, suppliers will generally provide a purchase quote that can be used to populate the Purchase Requisition form in CU Marketplace. These quotes will often include a contract with a signature requirement as part of the acquisition process for the IT purchase. The contract can appear as a specific section directly on the price quote, as terms embedded in a quote or in a provided scope of work, or in other documentation that has terms and conditions directly listed on or provided as a link within the supplier-provided supporting document. When contract language is suspected in purchase documentation related to an IT acquisition, contact the appropriate PSC Purchasing Agent for guidance (also see Contract and Compliance Review section below).

When your purchase is not available from a CU-supplier catalog, follow the appropriate process in CU Marketplace based on the total value of the IT goods/services purchase.

In CU Marketplace, the Purchase Requisition form is used to initiate a requisition for the IT goods and/or services you want to procure that otherwise are not available on a supplier catalog or from a supplier that does not have a catalog. Though the purchase will generally require full contract and compliance review prior to fulfilment (see section below), the system will not automatically route these small-dollar purchases to the PSC Purchasing Agent to manage these processes. Therefore, the purchase initiator will be responsible for identifying whether the supplier requires a contract to be signed or agreed to, prior to submitting the requisition in CU Marketplace. The purchase initiator must attach the unsigned contract or other documentation related to supplier-specific terms and conditions and the final assessment from the campus IT Security Risk and Compliance tea to the Small Dollar Contract Request form in Marketplace.   The Purchasing Agent will initiate and manage the contract process and will oversee completion of other related paperwork as needed with the appropriate PSC teams.

Once the contract has been negotiated and revised to incorporate any security and/or other compliance language as determined and dictated by the Contract and Compliance Review process, the Purchasing Agent will email the signed contract back to the original purchase requestor. The completed contract along with the finalized IT Security Risk and Compliance Review assessment should then be attached to the requisition being submitted on the Purchase Requisition form in CU Marketplace. Following completion of this process, the PO will be issued to the supplier with the executed contract attached for order processing and fulfillment.

In CU Marketplace, use the Purchase Requisition form to initiate a requisition for the IT goods and/or services you want to procure. If the supplier requires signature on a contract, or you have other evidence of supplier-specific terms and conditions, attach the unsigned contract or other documentation to the Purchase Requisition form. You will also need to include the final assessment from your campus IT Security Risk and Compliance team (see IT Security Risk and Compliance Review section below). After department/fiscal staff approval on the requisition, the form will route to the appropriate Purchasing Agent at the PSC for review to ensure all contract, security, compliance and other issues are resolved and documented in the system prior to the purchase order being issued to the supplier. The Purchasing Agent will initiate and manage the contract review process and will attach the fully executed contract to the purchase requisition once complete. Once all steps are complete, the Purchasing Agent will issue the purchase order to the supplier for processing and order fulfillment.

For information on purchases of $150,000 or greater, please see the Competitive Bid Process website.

Please see  the Sole Source Procurements website for information on how to buy under a sole source agreement.

While Procurement Cards (PCards) can be used for making IT purchases, consideration should be given to other procurement vehicles before proceeding, especially with purchases of software and applications. These purchases can create tremendous exposure for the University as there are no mandatory workflows to ensure contract and compliance review as part of these purchases. While PCards are not the preferred method for making IT purchases in general, their use is allowed when purchasing through CU Marketplace is not a viable option, or when there is a critical business need, and the CU Marketplace access is unavailable or unreasonable for the immediate IT procurement.

When purchases of software and applications are made on the PCard, the cardholder is responsible for ensuring the purchase has been reviewed for legal, security and compliance concerns. Cardholders should refer to required reviews in the Contract and Compliance Review sections of this website.

Cardholders should also review the Checklist for IT Purchases on the Procurement Card before completing any IT purchases on the PCard.

The travel card is used for payment of travel-related expenses while conducting official University business away from campus. The card can also be used to cover incidental costs of eligible goods during official University business travel. IT peripherals (e.g. mouse, charging cables, adapters) and items like batteries are permitted to be purchased with the travel card when in travel status. Other IT software, hardware, and services are not allowable purchases on the travel card.

Additional information on travel-related expenses can be found in the PSC Procedural Statement: Travel and the in the PSC Procedural Statement: Travel Card Handbook.

Out-of-pocket IT purchases may be allowed and reimbursed when making a purchase through CU Marketplace is not a viable option, or there is a critical business need such as an unexpected/essential purchase that could not be deferred to regular business hours and standard business processes. These purchases should be treated as exceptions and they should be infrequent. Any such purchase should include an explanation with the expense entry in Concur with the reason the purchase could not be made in CU Marketplace or otherwise in accordance with the established IT Procurement Handbook.

Out-of-pocket reimbursement for small purchases of IT goods used for business-related needs is allowed without additional review. Common end-user IT peripherals (e.g. wireless mouse, charging cable, adapters) or items like batteries are allowed as an out-of-pocket expense and are eligible for reimbursement. These purchases are generally expected to be infrequent.

Additional information on how to request reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses can be found in the Finance Procedural Statement: Business Expense Reimbursement.

For information on how to buy specific commodities, please review the commodity page.

For information on the contract review process, please visit the Contracting website.