CUNY’s Process/Overview
We welcome qualified vendors and contractors to participate in our purchasing and contracting programs. If you take a few moments to become familiar with our requirements and procedures, you may find that doing business with the City University of New York is easier than you thought.
As a public university, we are committed to prudent and effective stewardship of resources. Consistent with the highest levels of public trust and fiduciary integrity, our procurement policies are geared toward serving our constituents with optimal quality of service, timely delivery and “best value” available in the marketplace. Centralized, University-wide collaborative purchasing of goods and services is initiated, when applicable, in combination with decentralized purchasing at the individual College level, where appropriate.
Funding for day-to-day operations, maintenance of facilities and construction of new facilities is derived from a wide variety of revenue sources, both public and private. The University’s procurement regulations are reflective of those sources.
Points of Entry: How Can I Receive Notice of Bidding Opportunities?
Vendors may contact the purchasing office at one or more of the colleges listed on the Directory of College Purchasing Offices. The web sites maintained by each college will list the name of a director of purchasing or a chief procurement officer. The preferred initial contact is a letter of introduction, with a list of verifiable references and a listing of commodities and/or services offered by your company, as well as an indication of your status as a state, city, department of education or federal government contract awardee, if applicable.
Include your status as a certified minority-owned, women-owned and/or small business, if applicable. The University’s purchasing officers at the various colleges are encouraged to solicit the participation of qualified minority-owned, women-owned and/or small business entities in the procurement process, To inquire about State of New York certification as a minority-owned, women-owned and/or small business, visit the Empire State Development’s website.
Vendors are encouraged to review bidding opportunities advertised in the New York State Contract Reporter and the New York City Record. Online subscriptions are available for the New York State Contract Reporter and the New York City Record.
In addition, vendors can visit the New York State Office of General Services website to learn of opportunities for bidding on their upcoming centralized State contracts, which may afford yet another potential point of entry for doing business with the City University of New York.
