Agency: All departments, institutions, boards, commissions, universities, Purchase & Contract, or other units of the State, and community colleges.
Agent: A person who, by express or implied agreement, is authorized to act for the institution in business dealings with a third party.
Agency Specific Term Contract: A term contract for use by a specific agency. Depending on the dollar value of the contract, it may be handled by P&C (Purchase & Contract) (Purchase & Contract) or the agency.
Best Value Procurement: The terminology used in G.S. 143-135.9 to identify the method required for purchasing information technology commodities and services.
Brand Specific: A particular product is needed due to standardization or compatibility. Written justification should be provided.
Buyer: Authorized agent of the institution to buy, purchase or contract with a supplier.
Commodity: Any equipment, materials, or supplies of like group.
Competition: The fair and open solicitation of offers from more than one source; the receipt of offers from more than one qualified source. Competition must be reasonable and adequate for the expenditure and specific requirements.
Consultant Service: Work or task performed by State employees or independent contractors possessing specialized knowledge, experience, expertise, and professional qualifications to investigate assigned problems or projects and to provide counsel, review, analysis, or advice in formulating or implementing improvements in programs or services. This includes the organization, planning, directing, control, evaluation and operation of a program, agency, or department.
Contractual Service: When an independent contractor performs services requiring specialized knowledge, experience, expertise, or similar capabilities for a State agency for compensation from agency funds. The services may include (by way of illustration, not limitation) services such as, maintenance of buildings or equipment, auditing, film production, employee training and food service, provided that the service is not primarily for review, analysis or advice in formulating or implementing improvements in programs or services (in which case rules relating to Consultant Contracts shall be applicable).
Delegations:
- General Delegation: The authority granted by the State Purchasing Officer (SPO) for an agency to handle purchases made under a certain dollar amount, in accordance with the guidelines in this manual.
- Special Delegation: The authority granted by the SPO for an agency to handle a specific or special purchase, where it would serve no practical purpose for the purchase to be handled by P&C.
Electronic Vendor Portal (eVP): North Carolina Purchase and Contract's Interactive Purchasing System and vendor portal that contains solicitations for many agencies throughout North Carolina.
Emergency: A situation which endangers lives, property, or the continuation of a vital program and which can be rectified only by immediate on-the-spot purchase (or rental) of equipment, supplies, materials, printing, or contractual services.
Equipment: An item that represents an investment of money that can be capitalized. The “stand-alone” item retains its original shape and appearance with use and does not lose its identity through the incorporation into a different or more complex unit or substance.
The State defines a capital asset as either:
A single item with a total all-in cost exceeding $5,000, which includes the purchase price, shipping, installation and applicable taxes: or
A group of similar items purchased around the same time with a single functional purpose that, while individually valued under $5,000, collectively hold significant value and should be capitalized as a unit.
Carteret Community separates equipment into 2 categories:
- Capitalized Assets
- A capital asset is property, such as land, land improvements, easements, buildings, equipment, works of art and historical treasures, and infrastructure, with a cost equal to or greater than $5,000 and a useful life of two or more years.
- Non-Capitalized Assets/Non-Capitalized Assets – High Risk
- Assets costing less than $5,000 are expensed; they are not capitalized nor depreciated for financial reporting purposes.
Formal Project: Any project (construction) requiring the estimated expenditure of $500,000 or more for construction contracts, design fee, and construction contingency, regardless of the source of funds.
HUB (Historically Underutilized Business): Any one of the following: a minority-owned business, a female-owned business, a disabled owned business, a disabled business enterprise, a non-profit workshop for the blind or severely disabled.
Informal Project: Any project (construction), where the authorized funding or the total project cost is realistically estimated at less than $500,000 for construction contracts, design fee, and construction contingency, regardless of the source of funds.
Information Technology (IT): Electronic data processing goods and services and telecommunications goods and services, microprocessors, software, information processing, office systems, any services related to the foregoing, and consulting or other services for design or redesign of information technology supporting business processes.
Installment Purchase: A contract in which the agency's established periodic payments are applied to fulfill the payment obligations for ownership of the commodity. Used when ownership of commodity at time of possession is intended.
Invitation for Bid (IFB): The formal advertised written solicitation document used for seeking competition and obtaining offers up to and above $100,000.
Lease: A contract conveying use of a commodity for a designated period in return for established periodic payments.
Lease-Purchase: (Conditional Sales Contract) A contract conveying from one to another use of a commodity for a designated period in return for established periodic payments, with an option or obligation to purchase the commodity. Used when outright ownership is uncertain or when it is the intent to delay ownership.
Negotiation: The act of making a purchase when all offers have been rejected, or when there is justification for waiving the competitive process, or when an emergency or pressing need arises
Offer: The term may refer to a proposal, quote, or bid submitted in response to a Request for Proposal, Request for Quotation, Invitation for Bid, or Negotiation.
Offeror: Company, firm, corporation, partnership, individual, etc. submitting a response to a solicitation document or in response to a negotiation.
Open Market Contract: A contract for the purchase of a commodity or contractual service not covered by a term contract.
Pressing Need: A need arising from unforeseen causes including, but not limited to, delay by contractors, delay in transportation, breakdown in machinery, or unanticipated volume of work, and which can be rectified only by immediate on-the-spot purchase (or rental) of equipment, supplies, materials, printing, or contractual services.
Purchase: The act of acquiring a needed item or service by an authorized agent of the institution. An item or contractual service acquired from a valid agreement between an authorized agent of the institution and the seller.
Receipt: A receipt should include the following details: 1) Vendor, 2) Cost, 3) Date, 4) Line item of items purchased.
Rental: A contract for the right to use a commodity for a period, usually with payments made at intervals over the period of use, and normally providing for short notice of cancellation.
Request for Proposals: The formal advertised written solicitation document used for seeking competition and obtaining offers for services up to and above $100,000.
Request for Quote: An informal written procurement document used for seeking offers within the price range of $50,000 to $100,000.
Small Purchase: The purchase of commodities, services, or printing, not covered by a term contract, involving an expenditure of public funds of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or less.
Sole Source: A sole source vendor is a company or person who sells a product or service that meets the unique needs of the purchaser; sole source means the one and only source for the product or service in the United States (minimum). If a manufacturer has dealers or distributors anywhere in the country, it is not a true sole source; having regional, state, or area dealers or distributors do not constitute sole source.
Solicitation Document: A written Request for Quotation, Request for Proposals, or an Invitation for Bids.
State Purchasing Officer (SPO): Responsible for administering the State’s program for acquiring and managing personal property and acquiring services for state agencies.
Statewide Term Contract: A term contract handled by the Division of Purchase and Contract for all agencies and institutions of the state, unless exempted by statute, rule, or special terms and conditions specific to the contract.