Primary Duties

  • Ensure all purchases meet UNLV and NSHE policies and procedures.
  • Provide purchasing-related information to the campus community and suppliers.
  • Negotiate agreements for goods, services, and equipment.
  • Issue, evaluate, and award formal solicitations such as bids and requests for proposals.
  • Review purchase requisitions and ensure proper documentation is included.
  • Issue purchase orders.
  • Review requests for modifications to purchase orders and process as warranted.
  • Issue PCards and monitor the PCard program to ensure compliance with policies and procedures.
  • Maintain supplier lists and database.

Primary Function

The primary function of the Purchasing Department is to assist our university with the identification, selection, and acquisition of required materials and services. Purchasing strives to accomplish this as economically as possible, within acceptable standards of quality and service, while utilizing professional ethics and best business practices throughout the process. To this end purchasing will do the following:

  • Maximize customer satisfaction by following Business Affairs Service Standards: collaborate, acknowledge, respect, and empower.
  • Ensure effective and cooperative relationships with our customers.
  • Provide campus education relating to the procurement process.
  • Promote a positive work environment.
  • Maintain and create sound business practices.

Our Values

Accountability

Our dedication to accountability includes establishing performance measures, monitoring results and making adjustments to ensure the optimum outcome and by procuring goods and services in the overall best interest of NSHE on the basis of price, quality, availability, conformance to specifications, and capability of the vendor to perform as requested.

Achievement

The Achievement of Excellent in Procurement® (AEP) award is earned by public and non-profit organizations that obtain a high application score based on standardized criteria.

The AEP is awarded annually by the National Procurement Institute to recognize Innovation, Professionalism, E-Procurement, Productivity, and Leadership. The AEP program encourages the development of excellence as well as continued organizational improvement to earn the award annually.

Customer Service

Purchasing and Contracts is dedicated to providing our customers with the most effective and efficient procurement of quality goods and services in support of UNLV’s mission and goals.

Diversity

Our diversity program focuses on ways to identify opportunities and to encourage a more diverse supplier base creating more competition while maximizing resources and strengthening economic development.

Code of Ethics

This Code of Ethics has been created for use by UNLV Purchasing and Contracts staff by the Executive Director of Purchasing and Contracts. The Code governs all transactions and business relationships, internal and external, undertaken by our staff.

  1. Give first consideration to the objectives and policies of UNLV.
  2. Strive to obtain the maximum for each dollar expenditure.
  3. Decline personal gifts or gratuities.
  4. Grant all competitive suppliers equal consideration insofar as state or federal statute and institutional policy permit.
  5. Conduct business with potential and current suppliers in an atmosphere of good faith, devoid of intentional misrepresentation.
  6. Demand honesty in sales representation whether offered through the medium of a verbal or written statement, an advertisement, or a sample of the product.
  7. Receive consent of the originator of proprietary ideas and designs before using them for competitive purchasing purposes.
  8. Make every reasonable effort to negotiate an equitable and mutually agreeable settlement of any controversy with a supplier, and/or be willing to submit any major controversies to arbitration or other third-party review insofar as the established policies of UNLV permit.
  9. Accord to prompt and courteous reception insofar as conditions permit to all who call on legitimate business missions.
  10. Cooperate with trade, industrial, and professional associations and with governmental and private agencies for the purposes of promoting and developing sound business methods.
  11. Foster fair, ethical, and legal trade practices.