Operations Division Contractor Procurement & Bidding Policy

The objective of this policy is to ensure that jobs are awarded fairly and equitably with prudent use of University funds; and that pricing, quality, and timeliness are all considered in the procurement of contracted services. The bidding requirements quoted below are established to promote competition and ensure advantageous pricing. $10K and Under:

Documented competitive costing is not required but the university's best interest should still be paramount with smaller purchases.

$10K to $25K | For All Goods & Services:

A “Supplier Justification Form ” must accompany orders $10k and over.
At least three written quotations must be solicited using the best scope information available. Less than three will require a valid explanation on the Supplier Justification Form.
When single sourcing is necessary (for reasons such as emergency or proprietary systems) the reasons must be clearly documented in writing on the Supplier Justification Form.
All quotes must be documented (contractor information, date submitted, price, etc.) upon the Supplier Justification Form, and submitted for approval by an authorized party from Operations.
If selection is made for reasons other than lowest cost, the decision must be reviewed with and approved by an authorized party from Operations and Purchasing with the rationale and supporting documentation captured on the Supplier Justification Form.
Examples:
- MRO Materials for inventory or daily maintenance work
- Purchasing of tools, equipment, products and machinery
- All Service/Maintenance agreements
- Software and hardware
- Grounds maintenance, when not part of a construction or renovation project under a general contractor

$25K-50K:

Three written proposals from eligible and qualified contractors are required.
Operations Purchasing is available for assistance in sourcing businesses to participate in the bid process and should be consulted as early in the process as possible.
Detailed drawings and some specific documents may not be available for all projects, but every effort should be made to ensure that contractors are pricing comparable specifications.
Operations Purchasing must be consulted for RFP creation, distribution and evaluation assistance.
Examples:
- Contracting for construction and renovation projects for all university buildings and structures.
- Construction and trade services consumed as part of a specific construction or renovation project, with the exception of moving.
- Utility installation and upgrade
- Architectural or Engineering Services
- Real estate acquisition and space leases

$50K and Over:

These projects are typically construction or equipment related, have design drawings and specifications. The Tufts prescribed bidding process must be followed.
This process will include written invitations to multiple contractors accompanied by all relevant documents, a specific submission format and deadline.
At least two Tufts representatives will receive, open and review bids, including a member of Operations and the Operations Purchasing Team.

Supplier Pools:

The University’s pre-approved supplier pools include firms that can successfully meet Tufts urgent needs - providing a means of getting this work completed in a timely fashion, without the added time of negotiating specific terms, conditions and in some cases rates for each project or scope of work.
Firms under this MSA are in full agreement with the Tufts terms and conditions and are at a minimum held to their proposed rates when pricing jobs/projects outside of the bid process - but still have the ability to bid below the MSA rates in a competitive situation.
The existence of the pool does not totally eliminate the need of competitively bidding jobs or projects. When afforded time and opportunity to do so (as in most cases) we must continue to gather and analyze multiple quotes, using the existing University bid parameters.
Because suppliers have previously agreed to the terms and conditions on the MSA, individuals are instructed to NOT SIGN any quotation or scope that contains a firms terms and conditions.
Significant problems or concerns with any of these firms should be communicated to the Purchasing Office immediately.
Contact Purchasing for specific discipline and firms in the pools.