Procurement Services

Information for Vendors

Introduction

This guide has been prepared to assist you in your contacts with our Purchasing Department and The University of Southern Mississippi. We believe this information will help you better understand our organization and our procedures for processing purchases. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us. It is our mutual interest to strive to improve our business relationships.

Basic Guidelines

• Please call ahead for appointments whenever possible.
• Make each vist a profitable one. Bring us a new idea, approach, or product. Help us keep up to date.
• Please accept only an authorized purchase order from the Purchasing Department.
• Please do not accept promises from other university departments that you will be given an order. A purchase order can be obtained only after proper purchasing laws and procedures have been followed.
• Please quote realistic dates so we can base our planning on good firm information.
• If you are discussing a requirement with one of the university departments, make sure the Purchasing Department is aware of it. We need good communication.
• Please conduct your business openly and frankly. As a state institution, all of our business transactions are a matter of public record.
• We will expect you to honor all pricing, delivery, and service agreements.
• We value you as our supplier. If you have any questions or if we do anything that you do not understand, please call us.
• Please do not offer any gifts or gratuities to any university employee.

What We Buy

The dollar volume of The University of Southern Mississippi is significant. Purchases are made to support academic and research programs as well as to support activities such as the Physical Plant, Housing, Food Service, Science Storeroom, Central Storeroom, and Bookstore. These purchases total approximately $45 million per year. The items include scientific equipment, office furniture, office supplies, textbooks, library books, chemicals, minor repair, construction materials, construction machinery, and maintenance service. A more detailed listing of what we buy and the buyer's responsibility is available upon request. If you are interested in supplying any of these items, then please advise us in writing and provide us with some information on your firm's background and experience.

How We Buy

As a public institution, we must follow state purchasing laws and regulations. The Mississippi Constitution places the management and control of Institutions of Higher Learning under the governance of the Board of Trustees. State law establishes guidelines and agencies to supervise the procurement functions. The Office of Purchasing and Travel, which is under the Department of Finance and Administration, was established to coordinate and promote economy in the purchases made by state agencies. The Office of Purchasing and Travel has the authority to prescribe rules and regulations to enter contracts for commodities and to issue regulation on how commodities can be purchased under the contract. State law established a Mississippi Department of Informatioon Technology Services (ITS) to centralize and regulate the procurement of data processing and telecommunication equipment. A brief outline of our regulations is as follows:

• Laws relative to the Office of Purchasing and Travel and the procurement process in general may be found in Chapter 7 of the Mississippi Code beginning with Section 31-7-1.
• Orders on State Contract
  • If an item is covered by a Competitive Bid State Contract, we must buy from a particular vendor.
  • If an item is covered by a Negotiated Contract, we can purchase that item from a vendor not on State Contract if the price is lower than State Contract price.
• Billing Instructions
  • Invoices are processed by Financial Affairs (601)266-4084. The billing information is shown on the purchase order. The university attempts to insure prompt processing of vendor invoices. We require an original and one copy of all invoices.
• Shipping Instructions
  • Most of our deliveries will be made to our Receiving Department located at 2609 West Fourth Street. The "ship to location" will be indicated on our purchase order.