Buying Manual updated November 12, 2018

On October 30, 2018, Cornell’s Vice President and Chief Information Officer David Lifka and Vice President for Financial Affairs and University Treasurer Gerald Hector announced the creation of a lightweight Technology Risk Assessment (TRA) and triage process for those seeking new information technology solutions. The following Buying Manual revisions have been made to clarify roles and responsibilities and define the appropriate payment methods for software, licensing, and cloud services:

• Section 302, PCard Prohibited Transactions
• Section 618, Technology Risk Assessment

A TRA form must be completed for all purchases and renewals. The email response from the Information Technology Security Office (ITSO) must be attached to all purchases, i.e., purchase orders and procurement card (pcard) receipt submissions. There has been no change to the university's policy requiring procurement agents to approve any contract that requires a signature on behalf of Cornell University. In consultation with University Counsel, after completion of the TRA process and with approval from the ITSO, you may accept the terms and conditions of a “click-through” agreement and pay with procurement card only for transactions below $10,000.

Other Buying Manual changes:

• Clarification of responsibilities for reporting conflicts of interest for Cornell employees (both faculty and staff members) in Section 101, Legal and Ethical Conduct. Where any real or apparent conflict of interest exists on the part of an individual involved in any part of a transaction (including vendor selection), the individual must resolve the issue before the university enters into a transaction or contract.
• The Research Office has updated Section 606 to include ordering procedures for custom antibodies.
• Section 205, Vendor Registration has been updated as we transition from the Automated Vendor Registration Form to PaymentWorks. PaymentWorks will be used to register all new domestic purchase order and disbursement voucher vendors. It is a secure registration tool that protects vendor information (e.g., taxpayer identification numbers and banking information), reduces data entry, and speeds the order and payment processes. There is no need for anyone on campus to collect an IRS Form W-9 from a payee without a specific request from Procurement Services.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your center director or Procurement and Payment Services.