Purchasing Department

Vendor Guide

Introduction

Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), a school within the Connecticut State Colleges and University (CSCU) System, is a four year university with (2) campuses in Danbury, CT and (1) satellite campus in Waterbury, CT.  The CSCU System consists of (12) Community Colleges, (4) Universities,  and Charter Oak College (on-line learning institution).

Purchasing Department

Mailing Address: 181 White Street, Danbury CT 06810
Located in the lower level of University Hall
Hours of Operation:  Monday – Friday 8:00-4:30
203-837-8758 and 203-837-8660
Fax: 203-837-8659

The Purchasing Department, which is part of the Administrative Services group, assists the University community in the procurement of goods and services. It is our goal to conduct all activities in the best interest of the University, providing procurement services in accordance with sound business and procurement practices and to comply with guidelines established by State of Connecticut and CSCU.  Our goal is to procure goods and services to accommodate University needs in a timely and economical manner.

Make yourself known  to us

If you believe that a market exists on campus for commodities or services provided by your firm, let us know.  The purchasing office would be glad to meet with you and provide potential end user information for you to market your goods/services.  You can also forward your literature and the purchasing department will make sure that the information reaches the proper department.

 

Bid Process

Request for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Quotations (RFQ) is a document issued to prospective bidders  based on
a scope of work, description of services or specifications.   All open Requests for
Proposals and Quotations  are posted on the DAS contracting portal at :
http://www.das.state.ct.us/Purchase/Portal/Portal_Home.asp.

Payment

    New suppliers must forward the following information to Purchasing for systems
processing:

    Completed W9 Form (pdf)

    SP-26NB/State of Connecticut:  Agency Vendor Form  (pdf)

    To insure prompt payment a vendor invoice containing the following information
is required:

  1. Reference the PO/Contract number
  2. Clearly stated “remit to” address
  3. Detailed description of service/commodities provided
  4. Terms and pricing as stated on the PO/Contract

Invoices should be mailed to: Accounts Payable

Western Connecticut State University
181 White Street
Danbury CT 06810
Accounts Payable

Payments to vendors : Direct Deposit through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment system.

ACH form

Tax Exempt Status

Purchases made by Western Connecticut State University are exempt from Federal Excise taxes and Connecticut State Taxes. Western Connecticut State University is an authorized Connecticut State Agency. The WCSU tax exempt letter will be sent to all suppliers upon request.

Exceptions: The University is NOT exempt from Food and Lodging tax on hotel rooms and meals, Exceptions to this rule apply to catered type meetings and events held on campus supplied by the Universities Food Service Group.

Receipt of Goods

All goods, unless pre-arranged, must be delivered to the Shipping and Receiving dock, which is located in White Hall, across from the 5th Ave parking garage. Here goods will be received and inspected to insure that items are not damaged.  Standard hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8:00 – 4:00. To contact Shipping and Receiving call 203-837-9267

Vendor Guide to the Code of Ethics for the State of Connecticut (pdf)

OPM Ethics Forms

The Office of Policy and Management (OPM) created the ethics forms to assist
executive branch agencies in complying with the State of Connecticut’s current contracting requirements, pursuant to the Connecticut General Statutes and Executive Orders of Governor M. Jodi Rell.  OPM forms.

Small Business and Minority Business Enterprises

Western Connecticut State University is committed to the goal of enhancing economic opportunities for minority owned, woman owned, disadvantaged and small business enterprises. The State of Connecticut  Supplier Diversity program (Set-Aside program) targets that at least 25% of the state’s business is transacted with small business and minority business enterprises. To participate, simply register with the Department of Administrative Services. Once certified, you can bid on contracts covered by the program as well as all other state contracts.

Connecticut Small Business Development Center

The mission of the Connecticut  Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is to promote and encourage the creation and growth of small business by providing sound business advice through professional no cost counseling, seminars, technical assistance and education for business owners and entrepreneurs in one-on-one or group training environments throughout the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is dedicated to advise and nurture small businesses at the grass roots level.  Regional offices are staffed by professional business counselors who provide the one-on-one counseling without charge to Connecticut’s small business community.  The Connecticut SBDC also conducts small business training and educational workshops throughout the state. Please click here  to download a PDF file with the latest training brochure. Topics of training workshops include: business planning, financial analysis, international business, loan packaging, marketing, and management.

Small Business Administration

The Small Business Administration (SBA) programs and services support you, the small business person. Learn about SBA-backed loans, government contracting opportunities, disaster assistance and training programs to help your business succeed. The Small Business Training Network (SBTN) is a customer-focused SBA strategy designed to enrich, educate and empower small businesses. It is an Internet-based learning environment – operating like a virtual campus – offering online courses, workshops, publications, information resources, learning tools and direct access to electronic counseling, and other forms of technical assistance. Many online courses are offered in both English and Spanish.