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Section 7 - Purchasing

Section 7.5 - Emergency Purchases

Date: 11/17/03 — Approved: Finance Board

An emergency is defined as a situation involving public health, public safety, or cases where immediate expenditure is necessary for repairs to A.S. property to protect against further loss or damage, to prevent or minimize serious disruption in AS services, or to insure the integrity of A.S. records. Emergency conditions may result from fires, explosions, adverse weather conditions, or epidemic conditions. They may also result from untimely breakdown, damage, or loss of equipment vital to the maintenance of health or safety standards.

Purchasing procedures, including bidding requirements, may be waived in emergency cases where it becomes important for a transaction to be completed within a certain time. Effort is made to accelerate or modify normal procedures to accommodate an emergency rather than to eliminate a procedure. Examples of such efforts include requesting quotations verbally or by e-mail or facsimile machine. The accounting department should be contacted as soon as a department determines that an emergency purchasing situation exists.

The Finance Board is responsible for issuing instructions to the Controller regarding the procedures that should be followed for determining emergency purchases. The Controller is responsible for ensuring that in emergency situations the normal pattern for reviewing and approving purchases is maintained and the purchasing processes are accelerated and expedited.

In emergency situations, and subject to certain limitations, the Executive Director may approve purchases of between $50,000 and $100,000 for professional services, and those between $250,000 and $500,000 for commodities, equipment, and services other than professional services, and report this action to the Associated Student Council. Before taking action on transactions above these dollar limits, the Executive Director consults with members of the Executive Committee for approval and makes a subsequent report at the next AS Council meeting. Responsibility for notifying the Executive Director and/or the Associated Student Council for the necessity of the emergency action rests with the department delegated the primary purchase responsibility for the emergency purchase. The approval requirements for emergency purchases are found in Section 2.2 - Approval of Financial Documents.

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