Classification of Purchases

Purchases made on behalf of the College are categorized as:

• eProcurement Requisitions
• Colleague Requisitions
• Direct Pay Purchases

Before submitting requisitions to the Purchasing Agent, make certain that you have sufficient funds in the line item against which you are charging the expenditure. If there are insufficient funds, a Budget Revision Request must be submitted to the Finance & Administrative Services Coordinator prior to processing the purchase request.  

A requisition must be submitted prior to any goods (supplies, equipment, printing, etc.), or services being charged to the college. 

eProcurement Requisitions should be created: 

•  When purchasing from a State Contract
• When the vendor is registered in eProcurement.

Colleague Requisitions should be created: 

• When a vendor is not registered in eProcurement (After a reasonable search to find a vendor registered in EP that sells the items being requested has been conducted)

Direct Pay Purchases  

A direct payment is a payment made without prior approval via a purchase order through Colleague or the eProcurement system. 

Issuing a purchase order ensures compliance and proper approval. When this process is bypassed, these checks are not completed. If a purchase is made and an invoice is presented without a purchase order number or proper approvals, the supervisor, relevant VP, and VP of Finance & Administrative Services will be notified. Since the college is already obligated to the vendor, the invoice must be paid. The order will then be entered into the purchasing system for approval, addressing compliance issues as best as possible.  

Repeated occurrences by the same individual or department will result in the immediate supervisor discussing the situation with the individual. If it continues, it will be escalated to the next supervisor, eventually leading to a meeting with the VP of Finance & Administrative Services and the President of the college.  

It is not mandatory for the items and services listed in this Rule to be purchased through the Division of Purchase & Contract. To view a comprehensive list of these items and services, please click the following link: 01 NCAC 05B.1601.  Some exceptions are listed below. 

• Purchases of fuel, utilities (including power, gas, water, sewage treatment, telephone, pagers & cell service, etc.)
• Insurance
• Travel or conference expenses (No purchase order need but travel forms with approval signatures are required)
• Payments for students
• Student/Employee travel requests such as lodging, registration, and/or other travel expenses
• Contracts for Instruction and Independent contractors (No purchase order needed but independent contractor contracts with approval signatures are required)
• For reimbursement to an Employee - You must have received prior approval from the Purchasing Agent before making the purchase and this cannot be to avoid purchasing from a state contract
• Construction

Gift Card Purchase Procedure 

• Purchase Limit:
  • Maximum of $500 per transaction.
  • Purchases over $500 require VP of Finance & Administrative Services approval.
  • Splitting purchases to bypass the limit is not allowed.
• Approval and Documentation:
  • Budget manager approval is required.
  • Written approval must accompany payment documentation (check or p-card reconciliation).
  • Maintain a list of all gift card recipients for 5 years.

Responsibility 

• The originator of the requisition shall be responsible for providing all pertinent information about the goods or services to be procured.

Approvals 

• Purchasing requisitions must be created electronically, using the NC eProcurement System or the Colleague System. Requisitions are electronically approved in the Colleague System according to the division’s designated approval flow. All requisitions will then be approved by the Vice President of Finance & Administrative Services.

Procurement Card  

The Procurement Card (P-Card) provides departments with a convenient, streamlined method to purchase less expensive, commonly used items with a reduction in paperwork, approvals, and time. However, authorized P-Card users are required to comply with all relevant CCC and State of North Carolina purchasing policies and procedures. The CCC P-Card Program is coordinated and administered by the Purchasing Agent with oversight by the Executive Director of Business Operations. 

P-Card training is provided to eligible faculty and staff members who would like to use the P-Card for making small purchases (purchases less than $25,000). 

See the CCC Procurement Card Policies and Procedures Manual for additional information. 

End-of-Year Planning 

• To meet the needs of the entire College, all requests for the current fiscal year should be submitted, approved, and ordered no later than May 1st of the given year. This will allow for delivery and payment during the current fiscal year.
• Depending on the nature of your requisition more lead time may be needed, please plan accordingly.

When a properly submitted requisition has been received by the Purchasing Agent, the order will be processed as quickly as possible. Routine orders are usually processed within one working day AFTER all approvals have been met.   

Do not expect special handling of your requests as this is unfair to those who have submitted them promptly. In the case of a special need – urgent, emergency, or student related, requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis as time and resources allow. Special and urgent need purchases should still go through the Purchasing office. Except during heavy ordering periods, such as prior to and at the beginning of each semester, the end of the fiscal year, or during computer down times, most routine requisitions are processed in a timely manner.