WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Quotation Requirements
· Must be in writing
· Must be signed by an authorized representative of the vendor
· Must be valid for a period of 120 DAYS
· Must exactly match your request (no deletions, additions, or substitutions)
· Must include Federal Tax ID #
· Must not contain any items costing less than $100

Additional Documentation
· OBR Information Summary (Valerie has these forms)
· Orders over $25,000 - May require Sole Source, Compatibility, or Bid Specs (see section below)

IS YOUR ORDER OVER $25,000? READ ON…
Orders over $25,000 may have some additional requirements if the vendor is not a University Contract Vendor. If the vendor is not sure if they are contract, you can contact our Procurement Department at extension 22276. If Contract, the vendor must include their contract number on the quotation. No additional paperwork is needed for contract vendor purchases regardless of the amount of the order.

If your order is over $25,000 and your vendor of choice is NOT a University Contract vendor then 1 of the following options will apply…
1. Sole Source. If the total purchase from a single vendor is more than $25,000 and the vendor is the sole provider of the products then a "Sole Source Letter" should be written to Mr. Edward Jones, KSU Procurement Department. Include this letter with your request. I will confer with Ed and let you know if the Sole Source letter is acceptable to proceed. Sole Source letters should contain specific examples of equipment specifications required that no other vendor can provide. You must directly say there is no other manufacturer that meets your requirements. Cost is never a reason for sole source and must not be mentioned in your letter.
2. Compatibility. Occasionally, compatibility can be used to justify bypassing the bid process. If you wish to request a waiver of the bid process based on compatibility, you must write a "Compatibility Letter" to Mr. Edward Jones, KSU Procurement Department. Your letter must outline WHY this issue is important to your research. If you write a Compatibility letter, it must not mention "Sole Source." They are two different issues and may not be combined. Include this letter with your request.
3. Bid Process. If none of the options outlined above apply, then your order must be bid out. You will need to provide
· A quotation from your preferred vendor (used for reference purposes only)
· A specification sheet, written by you, outlining those specs necessary to your research
· Names and addresses of other possible sources, if known

THE MAJOR DON'T
Because OBR encumbers funds for a particular vendor for a particular product, the order cannot be altered after it is sent to Columbus for approval. Simply put, this means:
· Before equipment is received, you cannot make changes to the order
· After equipment is received, you cannot make any changes to the order
· Do not for any reason return anything without my involvement
· Do not for any reason request substitutions or exchanges from the vendor
· NO CHANGES, NO SUBSTITUTIONS, NO RETURNS (this is extremely important)

THE WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY's
What is OBR anyway?
OBR stands for Ohio Board of Regents. OBR III is a matching funds required award. This means OBR will pay for a maximum of 50% of the total cost and you must pay the remainder from another source. The orders must follow OBR guidelines in addition to the normal KSU purchasing requirements. This increases our turnaround time by roughly 3 months.

Where does all the paperwork go?
You give me the paperwork (request, quotation, and information summary). I complete the LCI paperwork and send it to the Office of the University Architect. They collect all OBR purchases for the university and submit them to OBR for their review/approval. OBR reviews our requests during their regularly scheduled board meetings and if approved, sends them back to the Office of the University Architect. The Architect's office prepares the KSU Purchase Requisition and sends it to the LCI for final review of accuracy and then forwards it to the Procurement Department. Procurement creates the real Purchase Order and mails it to your chosen vendor. This whole process usually takes 2-3 months.

When are requests sent to Columbus?
Per OBR's request, small equipment requests are held in the Office of the University Architect until a substantial equipment request can be submitted.

Why must the quotation be valid for 120 days?
OBR will only be responsible for encumbered amounts based on the vendor's quotation. If the vendor invoices more than your original request for any valid reason (i.e. unquoted shipping costs or price increases occurring after the quotation has expired) then your matching account must pay the difference. This is why quotations must be valid for the full 120 days.

Why can't I have items costing less than $100?
OBR does not want to review items under $100.00. You are not permitted have items under $100 listed on the quotation. If you have small items, you may ask the vendor to list the items individually but quote a single unit price for those items combined by calling it something like "System to include…" or "Accessory Package."

Why do I need to complete the OBR Information Summary form?
The Information Summary form is available from Valerie and is part of the LCI requirement for all OBR purchases. The information requested on this sheet may be contained in other documentation you've already provided, but I am asking that you summarize it on the form provided in order to simplify my task. This will enable me to process your order faster. Faster is better, RIGHT?