Procurement Services' Policy Manual
Sole Source Justification or Emergency Condition
Purchase
The procurement of materials and equipment without competition
is done under exceptional and limited circumstances. Therefore,
if there is only one supplier who can meet departmental
needs, a department should complete a Vendor
Selection Form.
By and large, a sole source can be accepted when:
- Specific items are sold only through the manufacturer
and there are no comparable units available on the marketplace.
In this case competition may be precluded because of the
existence of patent rights, secret process, and control
of raw material or other such condition.
- Items and parts match an existing piece of equipment
and are available only from the same source of original
equipment manufacturer (OEM).
- Upgrade to existing software available only from the
developer.
- A purchase is driven by an emergency (repair services
or parts) that prevents competitive bidding. An emergency
condition is defined for these purposes when competitive
bidding cannot be conducted due to health and safety issues,
considerable financial loss or other extenuating circumstances.
Requisitioning departments should complete the Vendor
Selection Form and direct it to Procurement
Services. Completion of the form does not guarantee that
the proposed vendor will be selected. Procurement Services
will contact the requestor in situations where the justification
for a sole source or emergency purchase is in question and
other alternatives appear to be available to meet the department's
needs.
