September 2008
News Bulletin:
*** CONSULTANT FORM RETIRED! ***
*** NEW STANDARD CONTRACT FORM ***
What’s New
Item #1: As of September 1st, the Consultant Form will be retired. To hire a consultant, outside professional service, or set up a subcontract for payment, a Requisition should be used. Finance is eliminating the consultant form in an effort to consolidate forms, thus making it easier for the community.
Item #2: CONTRACTS: A “Tufts Standard Contract/Terms & Conditions” form has been developed for consultants* and professional services. To download the form, go to http://finance.tufts.edu/?pid=10. Using this contract form does not change the approval authority identified within the Signature Authority Policy. Specifically:
* If your consultant/professional services are under $5,000, and you use the Tufts Standard Contract/Terms & Conditions with no changes, and you have signature authority on the deptid and/or grant, you may execute the contract on behalf of the university.
* Contracts for consultants between $5,000 and $250,000 must be signed by the School Dean, EAD, Vice Provost or Vice President within their respective areas of responsibility on behalf of the University.
* Consultant contracts that exceed $250,000 must be reviewed and executed by the Executive Vice President.
* Contracts other than consultants greater than $5,000 must be reviewed and executed by Purchasing or the Office of General Counsel.
Reminders
► Remember to complete the contract and requisition in advance of any work performed.
► Once a Standard Contract form is signed by all parties, forward it with an approved requisition to Purchasing for processing.
► All orders $10,000 and above require a Supplier Justification Form if the department has sourced the services. The Supplier Justification Form can be found on our web site at : http://finance.tufts.edu/purchasing/downloads/supplierjustificationform.doc.
What Do I Need to Know?
► All standing S# Contracts will remain in place until the end of the performance period.
► Invoices for consultants and/or outside services should always reference a Purchase Order number and be sent to Accounts Payable.
► All necessary tax forms (W9, W8BEN, etc) remain the same.
Questions?
Questions regarding these changes should be directed to Diane Devlin in Purchasing (extension 7-3225) or Dick Doolin (extension 73846) or send email to purchasing@tufts.edu.
* Consulting Services are understood to mean services offered by an individual or organization resulting in expert and professional advice.
August 2008
News Bulletin: CEA Limit Modified
What’s New
As a follow up to the July 1 News Bulletin regarding the Bid Limit and P-Card Limit Increases, Finance announces another procurement change. This change is effective August 1st and is part of several policy & procedure change announcements that will occur throughout the Summer and Fall.
Capital Expenditure Authorization (CEA) Dollar Threshold: Effective August 1st, the CEA limit will be increased. For capital equipment, the limit has been increased from $25,000 to $50,000. For capital projects, it has been increased from $10,000 to $25,000. CEAs only need to be completed when the total amount of the equipment or project is at or above the new levels.
Why
As previously communicated, Finance is in the process of reviewing and updating University procurement policies and practices. We have focused on better procurement service for our customers, and believe this change will allow for more flexibility when ordering capital equipment or establishing capital projects.
Questions
Questions regarding CEAs should be directed to either Ed Fanikos (x7-2008) or Kelly Sullivan (7-5136) in Purchasing.
Additional Resources
You can read more about the CEA process by visiting the web page listed below:
http://finance.tufts.edu/budgetacc/gen_dep_ceaprojects.php
July 2008
News Bulletin: P-Card and Bid Limits Raised
What’s New
Finance is pleased to announce two major procurement changes effective July 1st. These two charges are part of several policy & procedure change announcements that will occur throughout the Summer and Fall.
Change #1: Bid Limit Increased: Effective July 1st, the bid limit will be increased from $5,000 to $10,000. The Supplier Justification Forms (formerly the VJFs) will need to accompany requisitions with a total cost of $10,000 or more. A revised Supplier Justification Form is now available on the Forms page of the Finance web site: http://finance.tufts.edu/forms. Please begin using this revised form immediately.
Change #2: P-Card Limit Increased: Effective July 1st, the P-Card limit will be increased from $2,000 to $5,000. All current P-Card terms, conditions, policies and procedures still apply.
Why
Finance is in the process of reviewing and updating University procurement policies and practices. In doing so, we also focused on better procurement service for our customers. Our analysis shows that the above changes will help facilitate the requirements for bidding and increase the flexibility in using the P-Card, thus increasing customer limits.
Questions
Questions regarding the Bid Limit change can be directed to the Purchasing Department at 7-3225. Questions regarding the P-Card limit increase can be directed to Susan Gibson at 7-5078.
Additional Resources
http://finance.tufts.edu/purchasing
Click on the Purchasing Manual to read information about P-Card policy or Bidding requirements.
Winter 2007
News Bulletin: Accepting Credit Card and eCommerce Payments
What’s New
Over the past several years, more and more Tufts departments have been accepting credit card and electronic payments. Credit cards, and the Internet in particular, enable efficient and convenient payments for goods, services and gifts. Given the proliferation of credit card acceptance and the need to secure these types of transactions, Tufts has:
- Implemented the new Policy for Accepting Credit Card and eCommerce Payments , which describes the responsibilities of the University and departments with regard to accepting credit card and eCommerce payments.
- Selected an “Authorized Vendor” to provide a secure, hosted environment in which approved Merchant Departments can conduct eCommerce
- Developed several training, security and business process solutions.
These steps will enable Tufts’ Merchant Departments to protect the privacy of confidential cardholder data and personal information, and will also bring the University into compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Security breaches are a disservice to the University’s customers and supporters, damage Tufts’ reputation and expose the University to extra compliance costs, fines and legal proceedings. They could also result in Tufts’ losing its ability to accept credit card payments.
Who This ImpactsThe new policy applies to any Tufts employee, contractor or agent who processes credit card payments and/or payments over the internet on behalf of the University.
BenefitsCredit cards offer a convenient and efficient form of payment for Tufts’ departments, customers and supporters. Tufts will conduct these transactions with great discretion and security, so that we can continue to reap the benefits of these payment methods and facilitate the University’s business transactions.
Credit card payments conducted in-person or via phone, fax and mail will follow recommended business practices and data security requirements. Payments received via the Internet will be executed through the secure gateway provided by the University’s Authorized Vendor. The Authorized Vendor is certified as PCI DSS compliant and will provide a secure environment to process electronic payment transactions. This relationship will also enable the University to realize efficiencies, by leveraging the volume of eCommerce transactions, reducing processing costs and integrating with the PeopleSoft financial system.
How we do businessIn the spring of 2006 an initial PCI Security questionnaire was sent to all departments who are known to accept credit card and eCommerce payments. Any department that accepts credit cards and/or accepts payments over the Internet and has not received and returned the questionnaire should contact Treasury Operations immediately via an email sent to treasury@elist.tufts.edu to participate in the University’s security review of payment card processing.
Over the course of the next few months Treasury Operations will be reviewing each Merchant Department’s credit card transaction processes and data treatment. Treasury Operations will provide guidance, tools, training, documentation and support to enable each department (with a valid business reason for accepting credit card payments) to comply with security standards.
Departments that accept or plan to accept credit card or eCommerce payments should read the Tufts University Policy for Accepting Credit Card and eCommerce Payments. Those that would like to learn more about accepting credit card and eCommerce payments can contact the Cash Manager in Treasury Operations via an email sent to treasury@elist.tufts.edu. Departments with valid business needs can complete an Application to Become a Merchant Department. (For an application go to http://finance-staging.tufts.edu/treasury/downloads/merchant_dept_application.doc ). As part of the application process the department will need to identify its Merchant Department Responsible Person (MDRP) who will have primary authority and responsibility for eCommerce and credit card payment processing.
Once an application has been approved the Cash Manager will help the MDRP establish secure processes for acceptance of credit card and/or eCommerce payments.
