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Vendor Information

About SUNY Cortland

SUNY Cortland is one of 64 New York State-operated campuses. SUNY Cortland is required to follow NY State Laws and SUNY policies and procedures. The following information is to help vendors understand how to do business with SUNY Cortland.

The Office of General Services (OGS) and the Empire State Development (ESD) have outlined important information you should know about Doing Business With New York State. It is important for you to understand the general purchasing practices of NYS.

Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)

New York State’s Freedom of Information Law (Public Officers Law §87 et. seq.) allows members of the public to access records of governmental agencies; and provides a process for the review and copying of an agency’s public records.

Requests for information from the campus should be directed to the following:

Mike Bersani
Communications Officer
SUNY Cortland
PO Box 2000, Graham Avenue
Cortland, NY 13045
Phone: 607-753-2216
michael.bersani@cortland.edu

SUNY Policy on FOIL (Compliance with Freedom of Information Law)

How SUNY Cortland Buys

NYS Finance Law §163 and SUNY Procedure 7553 Purchasing and Contracting (Procurement) prioritize how the State University of New York (SUNY) does purchasing. The dollar value (see SUNY Threshold Chart) of the procurement determines how SUNY purchases commodities and services. Procurements are generally made in following order:

  1. from Preferred Sources when they meet form, function and utility;
  2. through OGS Centralized Commodity Contracts;
  3. by Discretionary Buying in the open market - with documentation of reasonableness of price;
  4. via Competitive Procurements:
    • Invitations for Bid (IFB) - awarded to the lowest price;
    • Requests for Proposal (RFP) - awarded to the best value; or
    • Request for Qualifications (RFQ) - awarded to the lowest qualified bidder.

When making procurements, SUNY is required by law to provide to and obtain from vendors certain documentation. For additional information, see SUNY Procurement Policies & Procedures and Procurement Forms.

NYS Office of the State Comptroller (OSC)

Vendor Management Unit

The Office of the State Comptroller’s Bureau of State Expenditures created the Vendor Management Unit (VMU) to manage the Vendor File. The VMU is responsible for the daily operations, maintenance and audit of all vendor records. The New York State Business Units are responsible for collecting and submitting vendor data to the VMU for vendor registration. The VMU will issue the vendor a New York State Vendor ID when review of the data is completed.

Important vendor information including how to enroll or update supplier information in the State-wide Financial System (SFS) can be found at the NYS Office of State Comptroller.

  • Enroll in the Vendor Self-Service Portal
  • Existing Vendors can go to the New York Statewide Financial System website and click on the vendor portal login (have your Vendor ID and password handy).  From there you will see tiles that explain how to make any of the following changes:
    • Remit to Address Change
    • Name Change
    • ACH add/update (banking information)
  • For assistance with SFS, please contact the SFS Helpdesk directly at helpdesk@sfs.ny.gov, 518-457-7717, or 855-233-8363 (Toll Free) and be sure to state you are a vendor, not a NYS Agency User.

Vendor Responsibility System

Vendors are encouraged to register in the State's Vendor Responsibility System (VendRep System). The VendRep System allows business entities to enter and maintain their Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire information (required for contracts valued at $100,000 or more) in a secure, centralized database.

Where SUNY Advertises

Procurement opportunities with SUNY can be found in several places.  NYS Economic Development Law §142 requires that SUNY advertise all individual procurements that are valued over $50,000 in the New York State Contract Reporter (NYSCR). Vendors are encouraged to subscribe to the NYSCR – there is no cost for the service.

The State University Construction Fund (SUCF) and the Dormitory Authority State of New York (DASNY), which are separate entities from SUNY, do the majority of construction on SUNY campuses and have Tentative Bid Listing (SUCF) and Bid Forecast (DASNY) posted on their respective websites.

Campuses may also place advertisements in local papers, the Albany Times Union (for construction), trade magazines, and publications geared toward minority- and women-owned businesses (i.e., Minority Commerce Weekly).

NYS Certified Minority, Women, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses

SUNY Cortland is committed to supporting the development of Minority, Women, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE and SDVOB).  In support of this interest and commitment, the Procurement Services Department regularly engages in a variety of initiatives designed to utilize the goods and services provided by MWBEs and SDVOBs.

If your company is a NYS Certified M/W/SDVO-BE, you are encouraged to contact Jacob Irving at 607-753-2582 or jacob.irving@cortland.edu to discuss possible opportunities to do business with the university.

Contracts, Purchase Orders, and Procurement Cards

Payments are made against approved Purchase Orders and Contracts that have been issued by the Purchasing Office or for purchases that are made with a State Procurement Card held by an authorized cardholder. The university designates specific individuals who have the authority to approve purchases. Vendors should be aware that payments for transactions that have not been properly authorized may be rejected. If in doubt, please check with the Purchasing and Accounts Payable Office at 607-753-2305 prior to fulfilling an order.

Vendor Registration for SUNY Cortland Supplier/Bidder List

Any vendor interested in being on the campus Supplier/Bidder List can register via the link below.

Red Dragon Sourcing - SUNY Cortland's online bidding software