OSU PaCS 302-15: Timelines

Purpose

To inform departments about the timelines involved in developing and processing procurements and reviewing contracts.

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Applicability

All OSU departmental staff placing orders, requesting contract review, and other typical procurement functions.

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Background

Departments may be unaware that OSU has different legal requirements for the various purchasing functions and some of them add substantial time to the procurement process.  The volume of procurements and contracts can depend on numerous factors.  End of fiscal year, beginning of academic year, grant-closing time, number of construction projects on campus, whether the items need to be put out for bid, and additional legislative requirements regarding additional processes and legal reviews, are just a few issues that can affect the length of time it takes to process a procurement or review a contract.  Generally, the more complicated the purchase and/or terms and conditions of the purchase and the higher the dollar value of the procurement, the longer it takes to ensure compliance with the legal requirements, inclusion of complete specifications and scope of work, and other complicated issues regarding complex procurements.

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Policy

OSU will attempt to process all purchase requests, contract reviews, credit applications, Invitations to Bid, Request for Quotes, Request for Proposals and other procurement processes in as timely a manner as possible while meeting the legal requirements for each process. 

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Procedure

Submit your procurement or contracting request with a reasonable estimated completion date.  Terms such as “ASAP” or “1 day” are not reasonable.

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Cross Reference

See PaCS 304-12: Timelines for Construction Contracting Timelines.

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