Standing purchase orders and blanket purchase orders

Standing purchase orders are appropriate for the acquisition of commodities or services that are needed on an ongoing basis when the specific item(s), quantity and frequency of need are known in advance. Standing orders may not be used for equipment purchases. Standing orders have a maximum duration of one year. Standing purchase orders, regardless of the date of initiation, will expire at the end of the fiscal year in which they were initiated.

Blanket purchase orders are used for the acquisition of assorted commodities or services from a known vendor for departments that have predictable but varied program needs. The range of commodities or services covered by the blanket purchase order should be defined as narrowly as possible. Blanket purchase orders may not be used for the acquisition of equipment or appliances. Blanket purchase orders have a maximum duration of one year and, regardless of the date of initiation, will expire at the end of the fiscal year in which they were initiated.

Note that blanket purchase orders are not, in general, appropriate in most situations. Requests for blanket purchase orders are subject to review by the Purchasing Department to determine if a standard or standing purchase order is more appropriate.

Standing and blanket purchase orders are established with a maximum commitment dollar value. Requests for modification of this amount must be made in writing using the “Increasing the Dollar Amount of a Standing or Blanket Purchase Order” Form. Note that requests for increases will be reviewed by Purchasing and by the Finance Office as appropriate to ensure that funds are available before approval for the increase will be given.

For instructions for entering a standing or blanket purchase order, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s), “FAQ #8: When Do I need a Standing Purchase Order or Blanket Purchase Order?”.

Requests to Cancel a purchase order or stockroom sales order must be accompanied by a Cancellation of an Order form. Please note that every effort will be made by the Purchasing Department to honor all purchase order cancellation requests as expeditiously as possible, but may not be able to guarantee a purchase order cancellation request if the vendor has already shipped or delivered the item. In such cases, the vendor may impose standard restocking and shipping fees to return the item that is not longer required. Please allow as much time as possible to make a cancellation request.