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Research

Procurement on Grants

The need to procure goods and services from external vendors is a routine, and often an integral, part of completing an externally sponsored program. Normally, individual service providers are not named individually in the application for funding. This is done to allow for competition and competitive pricing once an award has been received. Purchased items, goods, or contracted services are acquired through a partnership between the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Purchasing Office. Given the complex nature of Federal and State Regulations required for the expenditure of public funding, the following best practices should be kept in mind:

  • You should review all procurement requirements prior to selecting and negotiating with a vendor. The most current requirements are located here.
  • Goods or services that require an agreement should be provided for review through a SharePoint dashboard – Requisition/Contract Intake Form
  • If the vendor does not have a standard agreement, then you should plan to use the University Agreement for Services template.
  • If the vendor provides unique goods or services a requestor can provide a justification for using a single vendor – Single Source Justification Form.
  • All procurement activities under $20,000 are recommended to have a minimum of three quotes. This recommendation will ensure that all purchases made by ISU are driven by market conditions.
  • All procurements over $20,000 are required to have a minimum of three quotes for services.
  • Any purchase that is planned to be over $100,000 will require significant interaction with campus purchasing, RSP recommends contacting your campus buyer ASAP after receiving an award that includes a large purchase.
  • You should not have a vendor provide services to ISU prior to having a signed agreement, without an agreement the vendor will not have sufficient protection to be paid for the work being performed. This best practice will assure vendors working with ISU that they are paid timely for all services performed.