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Sole Source Purchases

A department or school may determine that a Sole Source purchase is justified.

Sole source means that a single vendor is uniquely qualified to meet the department/school's procurement objective. To be considered a sole source and therefore exempt from the bid process, one of the following conditions must be met:

If the need meets one of the above criteria, the department/school should solicit a formal quote and negotiate with the vendor directly, or request that Purchasing Strategic Sourcing negotiate with the vendor on their behalf.

Please note that if the vendor selected is requesting that the department or school sign something, it MUST be reviewed by the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Once it is reviewed and approved, it will be forwarded to the appropriate officer of the University for signature. Learn more about Signature Authority.

The Purchasing Decision Documentation form (URL) must be completed for purchases of $25,000 or more ($10,000 or more if sponsored dollars are used)., and the completed Sole Source Justification Form must be attached to the Requisition in NU Financial's. See 'Quick Tips'  for a job-aid and other helpful information before completing the Purchasing Decision Documentation form.

Purchasing Decision Documentation Quick-Tips

In order to successfully complete and submit the Purchasing Decision Documentation, make sure to have knowledge of the following information:

For further assistance in completing this process, view the Purchasing Decision Documentation job-aid.

Access the Purchasing Decision Documentation form (URL).