SECTION 7 - Purchasing
SECTION 7.5 - Emergency
Purchases
Date: April 2006
Approved: Senior Associate Vice President for Business and Finance
EMERGENCY PURCHASES
The Illinois Procurement Code defines an emergency as a situation involving public health, public safety,
or cases where immediate expenditure of funds in excess of the competitive bid threshold is necessary
for repairs to State property to protect
against further loss or damage, to prevent or minimize serious disruption in
State services, or to insure the integrity of State 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. In such
situations, the Illinois Procurement Code provides that the competitive
selection process is not required.
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 Purchasing Division
should be contacted as soon as a department determines that an emergency purchasing situation exists.
If the emergency purchase exceeds the dollar threshold at which the Board of Trustees approval is required,
the transaction will require Board of Trustees approval as described below.
The campus Executive Assistant Vice President for Business and Finance is responsible for issuing instructions to
the Director of Purchases regarding the procedures that should be followed for
determining emergency purchases. The Director 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. Notice of the emergency procurement is published in the next
available Illinois Higher Education Procurement Bulletin.
The Purchasing Division is responsible for preparing all affidavits that must be filed with the
Auditor General of the State of Illinois and the Chief Procurement Officer for Higher Education (CPO).
These must be filed
within ten days after an emergency purchase has been made from state
appropriated funds.
EMERGENCY BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVAL OF PURCHASES
In certain situations, it is not feasible to wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting
of the Board of Trustees to obtain approval to issue a purchase order or enter into a contractual
agreement. University policy, subject to certain limitations, delegates authority to the President
of the University to approve such purchases. Purchases requiring Presidential approval are to be conducted
in accordance with all applicable provisions of the Illinois Procurement Code prior to submission for such approval.
Presidential approval - In the
General Rules, Section 4, G, The Board of Trustees has delegated authority to the President of the
University to approve emergency transactions that, in the opinion of the President require immediate
action, in which case the President shall act to approve the transaction on behalf of the Board of Trustees
and report the same promptly to the Board of Trustees.
Professional Services - Upon recommendation from the University Comptroller, the President may approve
purchases more than $250,000 but not more than $1,000,000 that require immediate action before the next
Board of Trustees meeting and report the action to the Board of Trustees. The President makes a reasonable
effort to consult with individual members of the Executive Committee before giving this approval.
All other commodities, equipment and services, including services listed under "Construction, Capital
Projects, and All Contracts Not Otherwise Covered" (see
Section 2.2, Approval of
of Financial Documents) - Upon recommendation from the University Comptroller, the
President may approve purchases more than $250,000 but not more than $1,000,000 that require immediate action
before the next Board of Trustees meeting and report the action to the Board of Trustees. The President makes
a reasonable effort to consult with individual members of the Executive Committee before giving this approval.
Presidential approval for purchases more than $1,000,0000 - For emergency purchase transactions more than
$1,000,000, the President makes a reasonable effort to contact all Board of Trustees members before giving
this approval.
