Purchasing Guidance

How To Hire Through a Staffing Agency

All temp staffing/service placement through a staffing agency MUST go through a Buy It requisition process and obtain a Purchase Order (PO/PE) regardless of the dollar amount. The PO number MUST be communicated to the agency BEFORE the temp is dispatched to Illinois Tech.

The following steps/forms must be completed when hiring a temporary staff member through a staffing agency:

1. The department requesting the temp staff fills out the Job Description Questionnaire which is to be included with the Justification for Temporary Employee (JTE), then submits both documents for the required review and approval process.
2. If the JTE is approved, the requesting department's hiring manager and VP or Dean sign the JTE, then forward it to the Budget Office (Budget Director, Finance, or for academically related placements, Director of Finance or Provost) for a budget check.
3. The Budget Office checks the budget and if budget is adequate, approves and signs the JTE, then forwards it to Human Resources (HR).
4. HR makes note of the temporary staffing position and approves the JTE.
5. Each temporary staffing placement through a staffing agency requires the use of either the Illinois Tech Agreement for Consulting Services, or if using the vendor's service agreement document, the Rider to Contract for Hire Service must be incorporated. Before presenting the rider to the vendor, YOU must enter the vendor's name and service date into the rider document.
6. A certificate of insurance conforming to Illinois Tech's requirements MUST be received and accepted by Illinois Tech BEFORE any services are provided.
7. The following support documents MUST be uploaded as part of your Buy It requisition before Purchasing can approve and process your requisition for temp staffing, including:
   • Justification for Temporary Employee completed and signed by Hiring Manager, VP or Dean, Budget Office, and HR.
   • Agreement for Consulting Services or vendor's service agreement incorporating Illinois Tech's Rider to Contract for Hire Service

Vendor MUST reference the Illinois Tech PO number on any temp staffing invoices. Any invoices submitted to Accounts Payable for temp services without an Illinois Tech PO number will be returned to the requesting department.

Please contact Human Resources for a list of temporary staffing providers.

How To Engage a Professional Service / Consulting Company

All professional services/consulting services MUST go through a Buy It requisition process and obtain a Purchase Order (PO/PE) regardless of the dollar amount. The PO number MUST be communicated to the service provider/consultant before any work is started for Illinois Tech.

Below are the steps the department should take when hiring a consultant regardless of dollar amount, as well as other considerations. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Procurement Services should you have any questions or need to further assistance.

1. A statement of work needs to be written regarding what the consultant will be working on and what are the key deliverables.
2. Get quotes from various consultants/firms or if applicable conduct a formal RFP process.
3. If the consultant selected is an independent contractor who works for himself/herself (instead of being employed by a consulting company), then an Independent Contractor Questionnaire needs to be completed by the department and submitted as part of the support document.
4. A certificate of insurance conforming to Illinois Tech's requirements is required for all consultants / independent contractors who will be working onsite at Illinois Tech and MUST be received and accepted by Illinois Tech BEFORE a contract is established. Only the General Counsel can grant any insurance waiver.
5. Illinois Tech's Agreement for Consulting Services needs to be completed by the department, incorporating the statement of work, and send to the vendor for review and signature, before returning it to the department.
6. Only Deans or above and the Director of Procurement Services can counter sign consulting agreements.
7. If the consultant is a new vendor to the university, then you must go through the New Supplier Request process in Buy It and wait for the vendor to be connected in Buy It eMarketplace before your initiate your requisition.
8. A blanket order requisition must be completed in Buy It eMarketplace for the full amount of the consulting professional fees as well as estimated travel expenses, which is usually a fixed amount or a not-to-exceed percentage of total professional fees.
9. If the total amount to spend with the consultant will be >$10K, a Buy It online Vendor Selection Form needs to be filled out as part of the requisition.
10. If this is a case of sole source purchasing, complete the SSJ form and please describe why this consultant/consulting company is the ONLY one who can do this work, why are they unique, etc.
11. All applicable supporting documents MUST be digitally attached/uploaded as part of your Buy It requisition, and once the requisition and all documents are approved, a PO will be generated and emailed to the vendor with a copy to the individual who submitted the requisition.
12. The vendor can then start work and issue invoices against the PO.

How to Purchase From Foreign Vendors / Customs Clearance

All purchases from foreign vendors will require U.S. Customs clearance and should be handled using the services of Illinois Tech's designated International Freight Forwarder and Custom House Broker, E. Besler & Co. E. Besler & Co. will assist Illinois Tech in arranging international freight, customs clearance, and insurance for shipments.

Requisitions for purchases of goods from foreign vendors (Imports) MUST clearly address insurance of shipment, customs brokerage, and delivery to Illinois Tech. These charges are obtained from Illinois Tech's designated broker/forwarder. This information must also be obtained for purchases involving shipments to a foreign vendor (Exports) for maintenance, repairs, and/or modification of Illinois Tech equipment.

Either the requisitioner can contact E. Besler & Co. directly or Procurement Services will make the contact at the time the requisition is received for the goods. In any case, the requisitioner should be aware that E. Besler & Co. will charge a fee for services on top of freight, insurance, and customs charges. Depending on the shipment and the country that the shipment is coming from, customs and tariff charges can be significant.

Purchases from foreign vendors must go through the Buy It requisition/purchase order process and must, at a minimum, include the following information:

• An email address for communication with the vendor
• Submission/attachment of a Request for Wire Transfer form to accommodate payment for foreign vendor
• Dimensions and weight of all packages being shipped by the vendor
• Description of the end use for the item being purchased
• The name of a vendor contact person
• E. Besler & Co. listed as the Freight Forwarder/Customs Broker
• In addition, a copy of the vendor quote must be sent to Procurement Services for review. This review is meant to help describe the shipment to the designated broker/forwarder, help Procurement Services properly word the PO; and allow an opportunity to address any ambiguities.

After order placement, a separate requisition must also be provided for the services of E. Besler & Co. who will be handling the Customs clearance and delivery for Illinois Tech. Upon arrival in the US, E. Besler & Co. will process the shipment through Customs, will arrange delivery to the Illinois Tech location if required, and will invoice Illinois Tech for the order processed showing details of the charges.

How to Reserve Event Spaces on Campus

All rental space on Illinois Tech campuses MUST be booked through Event Services at Illinois Tech. External clients are required to have a Facilities Use Agreement (FUA) regardless of the dollar amount for the event rentals.

The FUA MUST be signed by the external client BEFORE the event can occur in any Illinois Tech space. External clients are also required to use Illinois Tech's catering services as well.

If you are interested in hosting an event at Illinois Tech, please submit an event request form here: Event Request form. Internal clients can also use the Event Request form to request space for internal events, or the Classroom Reservation Form for any classroom request outside of the academic class scheduled.

For more information, please contact Event Services.

How To Do a Wire Transfer Request in Buy It eMarketplace

If your vendor (most often foreign vendors) needs to be paid by wire instead of a check payment:

• Step 1: Check that your vendor is setup in Buy It eMarketplace.
• Step 2: Start your requisition by clicking on the Create a Non-Catalog Item, and make sure to put WIRE TRANSFER REQUEST in the Item Name text box on the next page.
• Step 3: You should provide a description in the Optional Details text box of what you are purchasing. Please note, if your vendor quote has multiple lines, please make sure you enter each line as party of your requisition.
• Step 4: Add your requisition to your shopping cart and go through the standard Buy It Checkout process, providing Ship To Address, FOAP/Accounting Information, etc.
• Step 5: Make sure to upload/attach to your requisition a) the completed Request for Wire Transfer form, b) vendor invoice, c) other necessary documents if the requisition/transfer amount is >$10K. Please Note: if your vendor invoice is in a foreign currency, please complete the Wire Transfer Form using the Foreign Currency; you should however always use the US dollar amount in your Buy It requisition.
• Step 6: Hit Checkout and your wire transfer request requisition will be work flowed in Buy It to all the applicable approvers, then arrive in the Controller's Office's queue to process the wire transfer.