Procurement & Open Competition Policy
Purpose
This policy guides procurement of goods and services and competitive sourcing at The New School ("University").
Scope
This policy applies to all faculty, staff, and students who procure goods or services for or on behalf of the University.
Policy
Procurement of goods or services using college, school, department, grant, or University funds must be in accordance with the Business Expense Policy and free from conflicts of interest. The Procurement Services department shall employ all best practices in a good-faith effort to include minority and/or women-owned businesses (MWBE) in the competitive sourcing of goods and services to the University and in accordance with applicable Board policy.
In addition, all significant transactions in consideration of associated monetary value, risk, and other relevant factors shall be competitively sourced under the management of Procurement Services. Under most circumstances, it is assumed the resulting contract shall be awarded to the low-price bidder; however, proposals shall be evaluated with the objective of maximizing overall value, and a vendor other than that offering the lowest price may be selected. Other factors to be considered include (but are not limited to) ability, availability, expertise, financial condition, financial arrangement, or contractual terms that might render an alternate selection more feasible. In such cases, the reasons for such selection shall be clearly documented.
All information regarding pricing, vendors, and bid procedures is confidential to the university and will not be distributed to any person or any company unless approved by Procurement Services.
Procedure
The principal vehicle for competitive sourcing is Sourcing Events, a formal method of receiving detailed and comparable proposals from different suppliers for a defined product or service. All Sourcing Events shall be issued and administered in a fair and transparent manner to ensure that no advantage is given to any single bidding party.
Procurement Services personnel shall evaluate all proposals in cooperation with the client department and other constituent parties as deemed relevant.
Procurement Services shall submit the recommended proposal and associated documentation to department leadership for review and development (in consultation with the Office of General Counsel) of a contract document.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is useful when goods and services do not have standardized specifications or complex requirements. An RFP brings structure to the procurement decision, with the establishment of a document outlining requirements, articulation of evaluation criteria, and often formal communication activities such as a bidder’s conference. Below is a template that may be customized per the Stakeholder's project requirements.
Additional Information
Please contact Procurement Services with any questions or comments at eprocurement@newschool.edu.