Research and Grant Purchasing

When it is not possible to obtain competitive bids, a sole source justification that meets the acceptable criteria is required for purchases > $10,000.

In general, a “sole source” procurement is defined as any contract entered into without a competitive process, based on the existence of one of four justifications. Specifically, to be considered a sole source, one of the conditions specified on the Sole Source Justification Form must be met, regardless of the funding sources. These are:

• The item/service is available only from a single source;
• The public exigency or emergency for the requirement will not permit a delay resulting from competitive solicitation;
• The Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity expressly authorizes noncompetitive proposals in response to a written request from the non-federal entity (OSP/BMRA should route such a request to the federal agency and will manage such request as an Agency “prior approval” request); or
• After solicitation of a number of sources, competition is determined inadequate.

In accordance with Uniform Guidance sections 2 CFR §200.320(f), entitled procurement by noncompetitive proposals, and §200.323, entitled contract cost and price, all requests using federal grant funds over $250,000 to purchase through a sole source will require a detailed cost breakdown from the supplier including the requested profit.

Please visit the Sole Source Procurement web page for more information.

If you are engaging consultants or professional services on sponsored research/grant related funds, please contact Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (OSRP) and they will assist you with the contracting process, including completing the Agreement for Consulting Services (Sponsored Research Related).

Purchases of the following items are subject to additional Illinois Tech policies as well as Federal or State permits and special handling requirements and MUST be made by use of an itemized Buy It eMarketplace requisition and purchase order:

• Industrial alcohol (not denatured)
• Lasers
• Hazardous chemicals
• Animals
• Drugs
• Radioactive / nuclear materials

Purchase of Animals

The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Animal Purchasing at Illinois Tech as determined by the Illinois Tech Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and detailed as follows:

• All persons who enter a requisition to order animals should have the following information included on the requisition
  • Name of Principal Investigator
  • IACUC Protocol Number(s)
  • Animal Species
• Procurement Services shall be provided with a “List of Authorized Animal Users” by the IACUC office, which will be kept current, for example, when new IACUC Protocol Numbers are assigned to PIs or when new PIs are added to the List of Authorized Animal Users
• Procurement Services will only process requisitions that include: the name of Principal Investigator; the IACUC protocol number (which must match the list provided by IACUC and must not be expired); and are for the species specified by the protocol number.

For more information on using Animal Subjects, please visit the IACUC web page.

Purchase of Industrial Alcohol (Non-beverage)

Please follow the below steps when purchasing industrial / non-beverage alcohol:

• Enter a requisition showing:

1.  
   1. The quantity of product you want to buy
   2. The exact location where the product will be stored
   3. The purpose for which the product will be used
   4. Confirmation that ALL the product will be used solely for the purpose listed in "c"

• All this information must be provided for Procurement Services to process the requisition to a purchase order.
• Upon receipt of an approved requisition, Procurement Services will prepare a purchase order listing the Federal Permit number and will also prepare an Illinois RL-4 Form.
• A copy of the purchase order and the RL-4 Form will be sent to the Director of Environmental Health and Safety for review. If satisfied, she will sign the RL-4 Form and return it to Purchasing for mailing to the State of Illinois.
• Procurement Services will send the purchase order to the vendor with notice that the State of Illinois has been sent the RL-4. Any correspondence regarding paperwork needed for the non-taxed/non-beverage alcohol purchase should be directed to Procurement Services.

Per policy Q.1. General Counsel is the only authorized signatory to State and Federal licenses.

Purchase of Hazardous Material

Purchases of Hazardous Materials should be identified as such on the Buy It requisition through use of the item name, description, and/or Justification Note, and the utilization of the appropriate Account Code in the accounting / FOAP charge codes.

The resulting purchase order will be marked with a note related to the hazardous nature of the shipment. A copy of the purchase order will be sent to the Director of Environmental Health and Safety.

Note: When marked "Hazardous", the vendor often charges an additional fee for special handling. If the shipment is not hazardous, it should not be marked as such.

A best practice is to verify the hazardous nature of materials on an order at the time you are getting a quote.

Purchase of Radioactive Material and Radiation Emitting Machines

Illinois Tech's Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) is provided by a contractor, RSSI. RSSI is responsible for safety and compliance and needs to be informed whenever there is a purchase of an item that produces ionizing radiation, either radioactive materials or a radiation producing machine.

Step 1: A requisition MUST be entered in Buy It eMarketplace by the requisitioning department containing the following information:

• The name of the Authorized User, who has been approved by the Illinois Tech Radiation Safety Committee
• The radionuclide being acquired in the form of XX-NN, where XX is the elemental name and NN is the mass number, e.g. H-3, C-14, Zr-89, or Ac-225. The elemental name and mass number identify a radionuclide
• The quantity of the radionuclide expressed in units of curies (Ci), or subunits of the curie, i.e. microcurie (µCi) or millicurie (mCi)
• The form, e.g. salt, oxalate, chloride, or thymidine

Step 2: Procurement Services will call the 847-965-1999 and request a control number for Illinois Tech, providing information including:

• The name of the Authorized User
• The radionuclide, quantity, and form
• The expected arrival date
• The vendor and PO Number

A one-time control number will be issued if the requisition/purchase order is approved by the Radiation Safety Officer, and it is used to track the order when it is shipped.

Take no action until a purchase order is approved for use. Procurement Services will transmit the purchase order, including the control number, to the vendor.

Step 3: ALL radioactive material shipments will be delivered directly to the Radiation Safety Officer with tracking information emailed to the Authorized User by the vendor.

For radiation emitting devices (lasers and X-ray producing equipment) no control number is required, however, a copy of the purchase order must be sent to the Director of Environmental Health and Safety and to RSSI.

X-Ray Equipment, Parts, and Repairs

When an x-ray machine is being purchased no control number is issued however a copy of the purchase order must be sent to RSSI to assure that the equipment is installed safely, that it is registered with the state, and that it is in compliance with all state regulations.

Laser Purchases, Parts, and, Repairs

When a laser is being purchased, a copy of the purchase order must be sent to Illinois Tech's Laser Safety Officer to assure that the equipment is properly registered with the state and that it is installed and operating in compliance with all state regulations.