Doing business with Arizona Western College
A Vendor's Guide
Doing Business with Arizona Western College Printable Brochure
Links
Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification (W-9 Form)
Arizona Purchasing Cooperative
Arizona State Procurement
Mohave Educational Services Cooperative
Business History:
Arizona Western College was established in 1963 and encompasses one major campus and several extension sites. The College currently enrolls over 13,000 students annually with over 400 full and part time faculty, staff and administrators employed district wide.
As a publicly funded educational institution, Arizona Western College is subject to public purchasing laws and regulations including State Statutes, District Governing Board policies, and institutional procedures.
Whenever possible, AWC utilizes Arizona State Contracts and other established governmental and educational and cooperative contracts for procurement purposes.
Soliciting business from AWC:
All requests should be directed to the Purchasing Department, either by e-mail to purchasing@azwestern.edu or mail to:
Attn: Purchasing Department
Arizona Western College
PO Box 929
Yuma, AZ 85366-0929
Please include all pertinent information such as a description of products and services offered, contact information, phone and fax numbers, and any contracts that may be in place which AWC may be able to utilize. This information will be disseminated to interested departments as appropriate.
You may also register as a vendor at the Arizona Purchasing website, www.azpurchasing.org. Arizona Purchasing is a state-wide cooperative purchasing group made up of educational districts. This is where AWC posts its available solicitations.
New Vendor Establishment:
Before AWC places its first order with a new vendor, the Purchasing Department will contact the vendor to request the IRS Taxpayer Information Form W-9 be submitted. A letter will accompany the form that explains our Purchasing requirements and will include a letter of credit.
The Purchasing Process:
Arizona Western College operates primarily under a Purchase Order (PO) system with the additional option of a Purchasing Card (P-Card) Program. Only the Purchasing Department is authorized to obligate District funds through the issuance of a Purchase Order, unless the order is being placed by an authorized cardholder. Individuals placing orders without a PO or P-Card may be held personally responsible for the purchase. Vendors who ship goods or perform services prior to receiving a PO or authorized P-Card number do so at their own risk as payment may be denied if unauthorized.
Depending on the nature of the procurement, department representatives may initially contact the vendor requesting information, quotes, etc. It is acceptable to work directly with these individuals for preliminary order set-up. However, no order or service is authorized until a Purchase Order has been issued by the Purchasing Department or the Department has provided a Purchasing Card # to charge to. Therefore, especially FOR THE VENDORS PROTECTION, vendors should never accept an order without seeing a copy of the PO or being provided the charge card #. Invoices CANNOT be paid unless a corresponding Purchase Order exists or by approved P-Card purchase.
AWC issues two types of Purchase Orders. The characteristics of each are as follows:
- Regular Purchase Orders may be used and paid against only once. Therefore the order must be complete before the invoice is paid. If a vendor has an item(s) that is on back-order for a length of time and wishes to be paid for the completed portion of the order, he should contact the Purchasing Department to notify and arrangements will be made.
- Blanket Purchase Orders are issued for the purpose of small periodic purchases or ongoing services. Multiple payments are made against Blanket PO’s. A Blanket Purchase Order is valid only during the fiscal year it is generated, which is from July 1 through June 30. The time period that it covers will be listed on the document. Vendors are urged to retain a copy of the Blanket PO on file during that time period.
Bids:
Arizona Western College is required to solicit sealed bids for all procurements with an anticipated cost of $25,000 or more. Advertisement for bids will be published in the Legal Ads section of the local newspaper with instructions for requesting a bid packet.
Invitations for Bid will also be posted on the Arizona Purchasing website: www.azpurchasing.org.
The Payment Process:
Three conditions must exist before the Accounts Payable department is authorized to make payment to a vendor:
- A Purchase Order has been established.
- Confirmation has been obtained from the Receiving Department (for shipped merchandise) or from the requisitioning department that all goods have been received or services completed.
- An original invoice is in the possession of the Account Payable Department.
Invoices are normally paid within 30 days.
AWC is a taxable institution. Please include all applicable taxes.
Our Federal Tax ID# is 86-0179321
Invoices should be mailed directly to:
Attn: Accounts Payable
Arizona Western College
PO Box 929
Yuma, AZ 85366-0929
Contact Information:
Purchasing
Purchasing@azwestern.edu
Purchase Card Administrator
PcardAccess@Azwestern.edu
Account Payable
Accounts.Payable@azwestern.edu