Procurement

Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest (COI) describes a situation in which an individual’s professional judgment is at risk of being biased by a secondary interest, resulting in possible harm or the implication of personal gain 

The commonwealth’s State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act applies to all employees of the university regardless of position and outlines the acceptable practices of doing business with related parties and avoidance of receiving gifts in exchange for business. 

Several key components of this law and related university policies are:

• The purchase of goods and services by the university from a business or entity owned by an employee of the university, or by a member of the employee’s immediate family, is a prohibited conflict of interest under state law.   The conflict exists even if the purchase is being made by a department/unit other than the employee’s home department.  A business owned by an employee’s spouse or immediate family member is barred from doing business with Virginia Tech to prevent any perception of inappropriate favoritism.   Single one-time purchases valued less than $500.00 are exempt from this requirement.

• Employees shall not solicit nor accept gifts from vendors, bidders, offerors, contractors, or subcontractors. Giveaways at trade fairs or conferences which are available to all participants are acceptable.

• The responsibility for adhering to the law regarding conflict of interest rests solely on the employee.  

Training and Resources:

• • State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act

  • University Policy 13010, Conflict of Interest

  • University Policy 12115, Accepting and Reporting Gifts-in-Kind

Allowable use of Private Funds

Virginia Tech's Private Funds Procedure outlines the appropriate use of non-state funds, such as those from donations or auxiliary services. It provides guidelines to ensure these funds are spent responsibly and in alignment with university policies.

Types of Funds Covered: Includes donations, foundation accounts, and auxiliary service funds.

Key Requirement: Even though these are not state funds, they must still be spent in accordance with university policy.

Allowable Expenses: A matrix is provided to clarify which types of purchases are permitted.

Common Uses: May include meals, gifts, entertainment, and other discretionary spending not allowed with state funds.

For more information, view the Private Funds FAQs.

Software Purchasing Guidelines  

Procedures for IT Procurement 

1. Determine if your IT related purchase qualifies for the Low Risk Low Cost Expedited Acquisition Program. See the FAQs for more information.

2. All other types of IT related purchases will start with a HokieMart requisition being submitted in HokieMart.  This requisition will route automatically to VT Procurement Buyers who will then be in contact with you within two business days to assist with the purchase.

3. If you are unsure about buying technology, reach out to VT Procurement at hokiemart@vt.edu, procurement@vt.edu, or 540-231-6221.

SCHEV Purchasing Guidelines

SCHEV purchases will start shortly after the new calendar year. Please review the Equipment Trust Fund Guidelines for procurement instructions.

• • All purchases must meet ETF equipment guidelines and are placed early to ensure receipt of your items prior to receiving deadlines of mid June, 2024

  • The university prefers equipment purchases to be over $2,000, but a single item must cost at least $500 or more in order to be reimbursed by the ETF Program.

  • Individual components of a single functional system may cost less than $500.00, but the aggregate cost of the single functional system must be at least $500.00. 

  • Individual components of a single functional system should be listed as individual line items on the same requisition and should be submitted consistent with how the vendor requires the system to be ordered. Doing so will also guarantee the requisition will match the vendor’s invoice and will help with accurate receiving of the equipment. 

  • It is preferred that freight, delivery charges and installation charges be included on the same invoice as the equipment. When the vendor is not able to offer this, the vendor will be instructed to deliver the goods using the university’s new inbound freight program.

  • When submitting requisitions in HokieMart using SCHEV funding, please be sure to include the Equipment Trust Fund (ETF) number in the external notes section of the requisition. This helps notify buyers they are processing a SCHEV order and ensures the order will be processed accordingly.

Please email Skylar Mouris sky13@vt.edu with additional SCHEV / ETF questions.