Doing Business with VSU

Thank you for your interest in doing business with Valdosta State University. We are always interested in establishing relationships with quality suppliers. As a state entity and member institution of the University System of Georgia must comply with various laws, regulations, and policies governing procurement, including but not limited to the provisions of the State Purchasing Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-5-50 et seq.), The Georgia Procurement Manual and the Board of Regents Business Process Manual, as well as local policies and procedures.

  • Who Determines Needs: VSU uses a somewhat de-centralized purchasing model, in that university offices and departments are empowered to determine needs and perform market research on their own before reaching out to the Office of Procurement to enter a requisition.

  • Bid Requirements: In accordance with state law, planned purchases valued at $25,000 or more per fiscal year must first be competitively bid unless they qualify for an exemption.

  • Contract Requirements: VSU, as a state entity, has special challenges when contracting with suppliers. A number of provisions that are standard in transactions between private vendors are prohibited when a government entity is in involved. The following letter gives a detailed discussion of the most common contract issues that we deal with:

  • Billing Requirements: A good rule of thumb is that quotes must match purchase orders, invoices, and payments. State procurement regulations govern the method by which suppliers may invoice VSU. Except in cases of membership dues and subscriptions, all purchases should be billed in arrears, and invoices should include the following items, failure to invoice in compliance with state or VSU policy may result in payment delays:

    • Supplier name, address, and tax I.D. number,
    • Purchase order number,
    • State entity name, address, and zip code,
    • Item description and line number,
    • Quantity, unit, unit price, and extension for each item,
    • Invoice number and invoice total,
    • Discount, if applicable,
    • Date of order and shipping date, and
    • Backorder amount, if any, and shipping date.

 


 Becoming a Supplier

New Suppliers will be sent an invitation to do business with VSU by our Procurement Office when it has been determined that a product or service is needed from the vendor.

Existing Suppliers may contact us at supplier@valdosta.edu with questions/concerns or updates needed to their supplier profile.