PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES

I. OVERVIEW

A. In troduc tion and Pu rpos e

State agencies must procure commodities, services, and technology in accordance with Article 11 of the New York State Finance Law. The Procurement Guidelines presented in this document are established by the State Procurement Council pursuant to State Finance Law §161(2)(d). The Guidelines are designed to assist state agencies in making procurements efficiently and effectively by providing agency program and fiscal staff with a source of basic, systematic guidance about state procurement policies and practices. State procurement must facilitate each agency's mission while protecting the interests of the state and its taxpayers, on the one hand, and promoting fairness in contracting with the business community, on the other. The Guidelines are intended to advance these goals by encouraging agencies to adopt and implement appropriate procurement practices consistent with state policies. The state’s procurement policies form a framework for conducting procurements and establishing contracts. Policies address such issues as ensuring sufficient competition, preserving fair and open competition, and establishing vendor responsibility. When conducting procurements, each agency may have supplemental policies and requirements that should also be reviewed and followed. Becoming familiar with the vocabulary is fundamental to understanding and properly performing procurements . In these Guidelines, important terms will appear in blue italicized bold face upon first use (as demonstrated in this paragraph) and are defined in Chapter VII: Glossary. Some terms are used interchangeably. For example, an entity that provides commodities, services, or technology may be variously, and often interchangeably, referred to as a “ vendor ,” “ offerer ,” “ bidder ,” “ proposer ,” or “ contractor .” Similarly, the words “service” or “services,” when used in these Guidelines, are meant to include both services and technology (as each term is separately defined in the Glossary), unless the context indicates that the meaning is expressly directed at one or the other term. B. Te rmino logy

New York State Procurement Guidelines 1