Vendor Information for Vendors and Campus Community

Your interest in our campus and the time you take to acquaint us with your business is appreciated. This information has been prepared so you may become more familiar with the procedures of the University Purchasing Office, Contracts, Procurement, and Risk Management (CPRM).

Our normal business hours are 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Vendors are encouraged to call in advance for appointments to ensure that adequate time is given to you by the respective buyer handling the commodities or services your company is marketing. Please call (805) 756-2232 to arrange for an appointment.

In order that maximum efficiency can be achieved in the manner in which the University purchases or contracts for products or services, the following policy has been established and vendors are requested to adhere to this policy when soliciting sales on campus.

Solicitation Policy

1. "Commercial solicitations," meaning any direct or indirect personal communication in the course of a trade or business reasonably intended to result in a sale, are prohibited unless prior written permission has been obrtained from the university president designees, CPRM.
2. When soliciting, vendors are requested to contact the University Purchasing Office, CPRM at (805) 756-2232 to make an appointment with the appropriate buyer. If your company is located away from the Central Coast and you are contemplating a visit, appointments are highly recommended. For local vendors, appointments are recommended, however, you may be able to meet with a buyer when you stop by the office without an appointment if time permits.
3. The University prefers that all solicitations be made through CPRM, however, if a vendor finds it necessary, or is requested by a department to come directly to their location, such visits must be by appointment only. Sales calls to departments for the purpose of solicitation without prior invitation or written approval by the Director of CPRM are prohibited.
4. Vendors are prohibited from leaving equipment at any location on campus for the purpose of demonstrating its use without prior written approval from the Director of CPRM. However, if a vendor chooses to leave their equipment, they acknowledge it is for demonstration purposes only with the understanding the University will not be held responsible in any manner should the equipment be damaged or stolen.
5. Vendors are further reminded that the Director of CPRM is the primary Contracting Officer for the University in matters related to purchases and contracts. This authority is not delegated outside the Contract and Procurement staff except by written delegation to do so by the Procurement Card Program.
6. Unlawful activity, illegal practices or any manner of negative marketing on campus is prohibited and is against the law. Any vendor engaging in such activities will be denied participation in University procurement and contracting activities in the future.

These policies have been established to assure that all vendors are given a fair ane equal opportunity to conduct business with the university, providing such business is conducted within the context of these same policies.

Purchasing for the Campus Community

All purchases made by the University utilizing general fund appropriations, in whole or in part, are processed through a central Purchasing Office located in the Administration Building - Room 128. The office is staffed by professional buyers and support staff who are assigned the responsibility of buying and contracting for various commodities, equipment, and specific services. Purchases and contracts are executed in accordance with State of California law, California State University policy and campus policy which govern the bidding process based on the dollar value of the purchase. Some purchases can be made without formal competitive bidding, through an informal process which includes telephone/fax bidding and others strictly through a very formal process.

Vendors are reminded that only CPRM has the authority to legally obligate the University for any purchase or contract. Before a Purchase Order can be issued, the vendor will be contacted and asked to fill out a New Vendor Form. Without an official, signed purchase order or contract, no contractual obligation exists with the University. Unauthorized purchases will not be honored by the University.

CPRM is responsible for the timely procurement of supplies and services for the University. In order to provide these supplies and services at the lowest possible cost, competitive bids are used. Orders are placed in the following ways:

1. For purchases under $3,500, the Purchasing Office will generally use the vendor requested by the end user. (The buyer, however, has the option of ordering from another vendor at their discretion.) Departments are encouraged to use their Procurement Card (P-Card) for these types of commodity purchases. Departments are reminded that P-Cards may not be used for services
2. For purchases of more than $3,500 but less than $50,000, telephone. fax or written bids may be used. However, as requirements become more complex, formal bids may be required.
3. Depending on the dollar amount of the services or construction contracts, Cal Poly is required by state law to advertise in the California State Contracts Register (CSCR).
4. For purchases exceeding $50,000, formal written bids are required. A minimum of 10 days is given for vendors to respond. Vendors may attend the bid opening at the time indicated. Bids received after the time and date shown on the request form (regardless of postmark) will be returned to vendor unopened.

Make your sales investment wisely. Sometimes, a vendor will spend a considerable amount of time and money to present a product to an individual department. If you do this, please remember that the purchase will eventually be made by a competitive bid process and your expense for expensive designs, demonstrations, layouts, etc., does not guarantee you a sale. Department-prepared specifications are carefully reviewed by our office to eliminate undue restrictions and other limitations unnecessarily reducing competition.

Purchase Order Numbers

All authorized purchases made by the University, require an official purchase order issued by the CPRM. If you receive a call from an employee of the University to place an order and you are not sure that it is an authorized purchase, contact our office at (805) 756-2232 to confirm a purchase order number. Delivery of services, commodities, or equipment without an authorized purchase order will not be considered an obligation of the University. Rather it will be the responsibility of the vendor to seek resolution from the person who placed the order and who would be held personally responsible in accordance with California State University policy.

Billing and Payment

Recent state Legislation has resulted in segregation of certain types of funding sources for the California State University (CSU) and CSU centralization of banking and cash management. This, in turn, has resulted in two changes in Cal Poly vendor payment procedures.

1. All payments will be mailed to vendors and will not be available for pick-up at the campus.
2. Depending on funding source, certain payments will be issued by the State of California, with state warrants mailed directly to the vendor address provided by Cal Poly. The payer on these warrants will be the Office of the State Controller (not Cal Poly).

Some purchases and contracts with split funding sources may result in two disbursements for one approved payment—one check from Cal Poly and one warrant from the State Controller.

Vendor payments will be made according to the terms and conditions of the contracts and purchase orders as set forth in CSU policy or any related agreements.

Please call Marc Benadiba, Assistant Director of Payroll and Payment Management, at (805) 756-5864, if you have questions about these changes.

Each shipment should be billed separately. The University will pay for partial shipment. Complete description, unit, quantity, unit price and extension should be on each invoice. All invoices, statements, and correspondence should reference the purchase order number. All invoices must be submitted to:

Cal Poly State University
State Accounting Office, Admin. #129
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

Sending your invoice to any other department will delay payment.

Drug-Free Workplace

Senate Bill 1120, Chapter 1170, Statutes of 1990, requires state contractors and recipients of state grants to maintain a "drug-free workplace." A state agency may cancel a contract or grant if contractor or grantee has failed to comply with requirements defined in statute. The Department of General Services will publish a list of individuals and organizations whose contract or grants have been canceled. Every contractor or grantee must:

1. Certify that the individual or organization "will provide a drug-free workplace." (Government Code Section 8355.)
2. Publish a statement notifying employees that company policy prohibits specified activities involving controlled substances, and defining actions to be taken for violating the policy. (Government code Section 8355 (a))
3. Establish a drug-free awareness program as required by Government Code Section 8355 (b), to inform employees about all of the following:
   • The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace,
   • The person's or organization's policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace.
   • Any available counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs, and
   • Penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations.
4. Provide as required by Government Code Section 8355(c) that every employee who works on the proposed contract or grant:
   • Will receive a copy of the company's drug-free policy statement, and
   • Will agree to abide by the terms of the company's statement as a condition of
   • Employment on the contract or grant.

Purchasing Office Location

The purchasing office is located at:

Cal Poly State University
Administration Building, Room 128
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0121

All mail should be addressed to:

California Polytechnic State University
Contracts, Procurement, and Risk Management
1 Grand Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0121
Phone Number: (805) 756-2232
Fax Number: (805) 756-6500

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