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Please be aware of changes to two administrative policies that went into effect March 1. The highlights of each policy are listed below:

Administrative policy regarding acquisition, inventory control, and sales or other disposal of capital assets (3342-5-12.3)

• All requirements related to purchasing of goods and/or services previously included in this policy have been transferred to a new administrative purchasing policy (see below), and this policy has been expanded to address requirements regarding capital assets.
• Some specific changes to this policy for handling of capital assets are:
  • Increased capitalization threshold from $2,500 to $5,000. 
  • Clarification of departments’ responsibilities regarding acquisition, inventory control, and sale or other disposal of capital assets.
  • Specified requirements for capital assets acquired with funds from sponsored programs.

Administrative policy regarding purchasing of goods and/or services (3342-7-12.1):

• This new policy formalizes practices that have been in place and adds some requirements not previously in place.
  • Examples of practices that have been in place and are now fully documented include:
    • Specification of the responsibilities of the Procurement Department.
    • Clarification of requirements for competitive bidding.
    • Identification of minimum requirements for vendors.
  • New requirements not previously in place include:
    • All purchases of goods and/or services using university funds for which there is an existing university contract with one or more preferred vendor(s) must be made from those vendors.
    • The Procurement Department will provide guidance and information about university contracts and monitor compliance with mandatory contract adherence.
  • The Procurement Department will offer training (in-person and online) and other resources to facilitate compliance with these changes.

Questions regarding capital assets should be directed to Senior Accountant Mark Farina at farinami@kent.edu or 330-672-8614.

Questions regarding purchasing of goods and/or services should be directed to Director of Procurement Tim Konczal at tkonczal@kent.edu or 330-672-9192.

The Procurement Department would like to provide the university community with informational sessions for discussion and clarification of the changes to the policy and its requirements. Sessions will be held on the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, April 5, from 10-11 a.m.
• Wednesday, April 12, from 10-11 a.m.