Commonly Purchased Goods and Services

As a State Agency, Buffalo State University is required by New York State Law to purchase from Preferred Sources whenever possible.  Every effort should be made to purchase from Corcraft (Division of Correctional Industries), NYS Industries for the Disabled (NYSID), and Industries for the Blind of New York State (IBNYS/NYSPSP), where the form, function, utility, cost, and delivery terms meet the needs of the campus. Campus customers can reach out to the listed BSU customer service representative for assistance in gaining quotes.

Corcraft - Commodities they offer: Bookcases, lockers, dormitory bedding, furniture, shelving, signage.

New York State Industries for the Disabled - Commodities they offer: T-shirts, office supplies, janitorial supplies.

Industries for the Blind of NYS- Commodities they offer: Janitorial supplies, office supplies, flags.

Using OGS (Office of General Services) centralized contracts can provide significant value to the University in terms of procurement efficiency and cost savings. These contracts are developed through competitive bidding processes, which ensure that the prices and terms offered by vendors are fair and reasonable. By using these contracts the University can avoid the need to conduct our own time-consuming and costly procurement processes, and can instead take advantage of pre-negotiated pricing, terms and conditions.

OGS Centralized Contract Search

Buffalo State University is committed to increasing economic opportunities for small business, minority, women, disadvantaged, and service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprises. In doing so, the campus community should consider such diversity suppliers that are searchable via Empire State Development's MWBE directory below. 

Search the MWBE Directory 

Buffalo State University performs competitive bidding when goods or services cannot be fulfilled by Preferred Sources, OGS Centralized Contracts, or MWBE/SDVOB's.

Once it is determined that these methods cannot supply the goods or services needed, campus users should complete the Strategic Sourcing Form and return it to Purchasing@buffalostate.edu 

When it has been determined that an RFP will be utilized, campus evaluators should review and utilize the RFP Evaluator Guidelines. 

Apparel and other customizable items are available from Preferred Sources. Please use the Trademarks User Guide for items that will be utilizing Buffalo State University logos or marks. For a listing of approved vendors, please contact Procurement Services.

Find approved logos and artwork here.

Buffalo State will not approve or license the use of its name or marks in connection with certain products. Please note the items that are Excluded from the use of Buffalo State University logos and marks.

For all computer hardware and software needs please contact our Information Technology department. 

Food and Beverage Policy: Payment of food and beverage expenses can be processed only if all of the following conditions are met:

1. The meeting or event is of benefit to Buffalo State (see Food and Beverage Allowability Chart in Forms section).
2. The cost is reasonable and allowable.
3. Only proper Buffalo State personnel and guests are attending as approved by a Buffalo State supervisor and fiscal administrator.
4. Alcoholic beverages are not included in the cost.
5. Documentation of expenses is adequate and justified.
6. Appropriate adjustments in meal per diems are made for those individuals in receiving meal allowances in travel status.

Food and beverage purchases made with state appropriated funding (State Purpose [SP], Dormitory Income Fund Reimbursable [DIFR], Income Fund Reimbursable [IFR], or State University Tuition Reimbursable Account [SUTRA]) must be reasonable and allowable.

"Reasonable" means that the purchase must be made in a rational and cost-effective manner that a prudent person would make under the circumstances at the time the decision was reached. The college's Procurement Services Office should be consulted, if possible, to ensure reasonableness.

"Allowable" means that the function at which the food or beverages are consumed must be of essential benefit to the college and meet all other defining criteria. Please review the Food and Beverage Allowability Chart for further details concerning allowability.  Alcohol is never an allowable expense when using state appropriated funds.

Payment for food and beverages can be made through two methods: purchase order or reimbursement. 

1. Purchase Order: In general, when larger events are in the planning stages, the Procurement Office should be consulted. If the procurement officer believes that the event meets the required criteria, a purchase order (PO) will be issued. This method is beneficial in that a commitment from the college is made directly to the vendor. After the event, the vendor issues an invoice to the college and a payment is generated.

2. Reimbursement: In this method, an individual makes the payment out-of-pocket and seeks reimbursement for the expense. This type of arrangement is more common for allowable food and beverage expenses on a smaller scale. When an individual uses this method, a pre-approval form should be completed in advance to help ensure reimbursement. A New York State tax exempt form (available from the Accounts Payable Office, Cleveland Hall 414) should be presented to the vendor before a bill or invoice is prepared. After the payment is made by an individual, a Purchase Requisition should be completed and sent to Purchasing@buffalostate.edu. A detailed original receipt that shows acceptable proof of payment must accompany the completed requisition form, along with the completed pre-approval form. All forms are then delivered to the Accounts Payable Office.
 

When using the PO or reimbursement method, substantiation of the food and beverage purchase must be documented and must accompany the final payment request. The documentation must include the following:

1. Detailed purpose of the meeting or event. The detailed purpose statement must clearly state the relationship of the meeting or event to a category within the Food and Beverage Allowability Chart. A impartial 3rd party must be able to clearly understand the relationship of the purpose of the meeting or event to the selected category. Further, it must be clear to decipher how this expense was necessary and furthers the mission of the campus. 
2. The date and location of the meeting or event.
3. The participants attending and their relationship to the college (a sign-in sheet should be used if practical).
4. Clear identification of any alcoholic beverage (cannot be purchased with state funding).
5. New York State taxes paid.  A tax-exempt form should be utilized.  (New York State tax cannot be paid with state funding).
6. Brochures, programs, advertisements, and agendas related to the meeting or event.

Pre-approval:  Pre-approval of food and beverage purchases is encouraged when a PO is not used and should be obtained in order to avoid possible non-payments. 

We recommend that you purchase office and laboratory furniture through the state furniture contract. Manufacturers on this contract provide high quality, light to full commercial grade products. The pricing on the state furniture contract is heavily discounted and is pre-negotiated; therefore, obtaining multiple, competitive quotes is not necessary, regardless of price.

Rather than buying direct from the manufacturer, there are local distributors available to the university. These dealers can provide state contract pricing on furniture from various manufacturers, as well as providing delivery and installation.

For a list of recommended local furniture suppliers please contact Procurement directly.

Search OGS State Contracts for Furniture

Vendors: Including Lecturers, Evaluators, Consultants, & Performers

All vendors/individuals who do business with Buffalo State or other agencies within the State of New York must be registered in the NYS Vendor file before a payment can be processed.  If they are not registered, they must complete a Sub W-9 form and send it to the Accounts Payable Department for processing.  Questions can be addressed by phone at 878-4117.

Individuals who are being paid a fee for their services must include and combine any travel expenses in the fee.  Such payments are subject to IRS Form 1099 reporting requirements.  College officials who negotiate a fee with such service providers arrive at a fee that is all-inclusive (e.g. the amount of the fee includes both the fee for services and a travel expense allowance).  When determining this amount, the employee travel allowances should be used as a basis for the reasonableness of the vendor travel expense.  Once a combined fee is agreed upon, there is no need to collect travel expense receipts from the non-employee as they apply to travel.

If you are requesting services and the cost will exceed $2,500, you must follow Procurement Policies and obtain at least two quotes or a justification as to why you chose that particular vendor.  Individuals who are specifically invited to conduct workshops or speaking engagements under $2,500 do not require quotes.

Payment requests for program evaluators must include a copy of the final report before payment can be processed.

Honorariums can be processed for payment in one of the following ways:

1. If the individual or vendor wants a guarantee that they will receive payment, a purchase order is recommended.  Please complete a  requisition form and deliver it to the Procurement Office along with quotes if required.
2. If the individual or vendor agrees to receive payment after the services have been performed, they must submit a detailed invoice billed to Buffalo State College.  The invoice, along with any required quotes, would then be attached to a completed pink requisition and forwarded to the Procurement Office for payment approval of straight pay.  Please be sure to attach documentation, such as a flyer or Daily Bulletin notice, that informs the campus of the event.

If a contract is submitted for approval by an individual or vendor, it must be reviewed and approved by the Procurement Office.  Contracts are to be signed by an authorized campus signatory only and not an employee.

A new State contract for Office Supplies has been awarded by OSC for all state agencies. Contract CC04096, with W.B. Mason Inc has been approved by the Office of the State Comptroller on Friday, August 18, 2023. W.B. Mason will provide SUNY with Office Supplies, as a contract vehicle to replace the expired OGS Contract.

The Agreement is in effect until February 28, 2025.

All departments who have been onboarded to Bengal Buy (Jaggaer) are required to place office supply orders thru Bengal Buy via the W.B. Mason catalog. W.B. Mason has thousands of office supply options to choose from and will provide desktop delivery.

Please note, ONLY Office Supplies should be purchased from the W.B. Mason catalog. Other items, such as IT supplies, personal products, etc. are NOT to be purchased, and will not be approved by Procurement.

Users are encouraged to follow the Bengal Buy training to ensure you accurately set up your default ship to address, to ensure your orders are delivered to your exact campus location. 

Users are also encouraged to review the WB Mason Online Training Guide to assist with online ordering questions, including self-service returns. 

For departments who have not yet been onboarded to Bengal Buy (Jaggaer), there will be NO change to your current ordering process thru Staples/Proftec. When a department is onboarded to Bengal Buy, they will subsequently be required to order office supplies thru the W.B. Mason catalog.

STAPLES/PROFTEC

Only items that are NOT available via the WB Mason catalog are permitted to be purchased from the Bengal Buy catalog for Staples/Proftec. A comment should be added to the requisition notating the reason for the request.

ORDER ISSUES & RETURNS: Please contact Procurement Services if there is an issue with your order or you need to return an item. 

Copying - for all of your copying needs, please go to the Buffalo State Copying Center, located in the basement of Cleveland Hall.  See Tim Ngo or Tim Hoyle.

Phone # 878-4509

Printing of Business Cards/Stationery/Letterhead/Envelopes

With a few exceptions, business cards, letterhead, and envelopes are ordered through Dupli Online using the templates provided on the site. Orders must be submitted online AND are required to use a P-card when the department has a P-card to utilize. Make sure any edits that need to be made are completed BEFORE completing any order in the Dupli portal. 

For users without a P-Card, they must log into the Dupli Portal, complete their templates, and click Save. An email will be generated to them by Dupli indicating their order number. Users must then submit a Non-Catalog Order in Bengal Buy, indicating their Dupli order number. once Procurement completes the request, the user will be provided with the Purchase Order number. Users must then log back into the Dupli portal, click on their Saved order, enter the Purchase Order Number and submit. This will then release the order for shipping to the campus user. Users must complete a receiver in Bengal Buy-as they do with any order-for Accounts Payable to pay the resulting invoice.

The current agreement for the printing of the above-mentioned items is with:

Dupli Envelope & Graphics Corporation

PO. Box 11500

Syracuse, NY 13218 1150

800-724-2477 or 315-472-1316

Payee id#141621837

Other Printing of Brochures, Catalogs, Magazines, etc.

Please contact our Marketing and Communications department: 716-878-4201

Customization of various items such as clothing, mugs, etc.

Please allow at least 3 weeks from the time we receive the requisition to approve then process orders which include customized/imprinted items. 

For payment for a registration to a conference with no other travel fees, such as a local, one day conference, campus attendees are asked to use their P-card when under $500.

If the registration fee is over $500, please submit the completed registration form along with a requisition and attach the required documentation.  Send to Procurement Services. 

Buffalo State University employees may rent a vehicle for business purposes, using state contracts with Hertz and Elrac (Enterprise). Please contact Procurement Services for logon information.

Trip Calculator

RENT vs MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT calculator

Links to Hertz. Please contact Procurement Services for the password and discount codes.

• To pay for the rental using a T-Card.
• To pay for a rental using a Non-catalog Item Order submitted via Bengal Buy.

Link to Elrac: Please note, rentals from Elrac are limited to the following locations:

• New York State: All Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations in New York State.
• Connecticut: All Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations in Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven counties.
• New Jersey: All Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Union counites.
• Vermont: All Enterprise Rent-A-Car  locations in Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Windham, and Windsor counties.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

Before renting a 15-passenger van, a safety course through UPD with Investigator Rob Fletcher needs to be taken. This is required once for each individual driver. A copy of the certificate must be attached to the requisition submitted to Procurement Services for each instance.

TO MAKE A RESERVATION USING A PO FOR PAYMENT

Hertz:

1. Complete a Non-Catalog Item Order within Bengal Buy and indicate the name in which the vehicle is being rented on the line item description details.
2. On the requisition, indicate who will be driving the vehicle, the business purpose of the trip, the destination, and pickup and return dates and times. Include the OGS contract # PS68908 in the Internal Notes section, or Comments section.
3. Procurement Services will reserve the vehicle, and send the purchase order to the supplier. Campus Users are encouraged to take or notate the Purchase Order Number with them while picking up the vehicle for reference.
4. The rental should be returned with a full tank of gas.

Elrac:

1. Contact Procurement Services for Buffalo State University's account number and billing number PRIOR to making an online reservation. Account number and billing number are required for input into the reservation system. Travelers should NOT use their own personal credit cards for the billing number. 
2. Complete the reservation on the Elrac website. Print a copy.
3. Create a Non-Catalog Item order within Bengal Buy and attach the ELRAC confirmation. The name in which the vehicle is being rented must be on the requisition in the line item details.
4. Indicate who will be driving the vehicle, what is the purpose, destination, and dates of use (pick up and drop off). Note the confirmation # on the requisition in the Internal Notes field. Include the OGS contract # PS68982 in the Internal Notes field, or Comments section.
5. Procurement Services will complete and send the Purchase Order to the supplier. Department are encouraged to notate the resulting Purchase Order number to take with them to pick up the vehicle.
6. The rental should be returned with a full tank of gas.

FOR ALL RENTALS

• Make sure the use of, and expenses for, a car rental are allowable.
• Standard-sized vehicles will be the default. For Hertz rentals, if a compact car is desired, this must be indicated on the requisition. If a larger vehicle is required (both ELRAC and Hertz) please attach justification to the requisition.
• Rent in the name of New York State and sign the agreement as an agent for Buffalo State University.
• Business vehicle rentals within New York State are tax-exempt.  NYS taxes will not be reimbursed.
• Collision damage and liability insurance is included in the state contract for in-state rentals.
• Car rentals must be the most cost-effective mode of transportation chosen.  Most conferences provide low or no-cost shuttles to and from airports/to and from conference sites, therefore car rental expenses incurred while attending a conference are usually not reimbursable.
• The names of ALL drivers should be included on the rental form.  Limit of three drivers.
• For any questions regarding car rentals, please contact Procurement Services at 716-878-4113.
• Appropriate notifications must be made in case of an accident.

RENTAL PICKUP

• Provide your valid driver's license.
• Provide your campus ID card.
• Inspect the vehicle for exterior and interior damage.
• Sign the rental agreement as an agent of Buffalo State University.
• Have a safe trip.

LIABILITY GUIDELINES FOR STATE EMPLOYEES

• State employees renting a vehicle through the state contract are covered by the mandated liability coverage included in the contract.  Supplemental/additional liability insurance will NOT be reimbursed.

USE OF PERSONAL VEHICLES FOR SUNY BUSINESS

• There is no state coverage for uninsured or underinsured motorists, personal injury protection, or medical payments.  That coverage must be through the employees' personal policy.
• Workers' compensation coverage is the same as if the employee was using a state vehicle.
• Comprehensive and collision losses to the personal vehicle are not covered by the state.
• Liability to other persons, including passengers, must be covered by the employees' own policy.  If losses exceed the policy limits, the state will cover only the excess liability under Public Officers Law, Section 17.
• If the employee uses their personal vehicle for work-related business travel on a regular basis, they should make sure that the personal policy provides the proper coverage.

New FedEx Contract

The state contract with United Parcel Service (UPS) has expired and the discounted rates are no longer be available.  A new statewide contract, PS69557, is now in effect with FedEx.  Departments can request a departmental account by completing the account setup form and forwarding to govtsupport@fedex.com.  Multiple users can be tied to the same departmental FedEx account.

Information on how to create shipping labels, track shipments, schedule pickups and order FedEx shipping supplies can be found at FedEx.  Shipping supplies are complementary and include such items as envelopes, paks, boxes and tubs, airbills or waybills (including pre-printed), pouches and labels.

The FedEx Service guide provides a list of all services with helpful links to websites with additional guidance and instructions.