From: Sandra Nelson, Executive Director, University Procurement
Date: January 22, 2025
Re: Increase to Procurement Thresholds Effective February 1
This memo is to inform the university community of upcoming changes to procurement thresholds, effective February 1.
To realign the university’s procurement thresholds with the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive, the Chief Financial Officer has approved increases to the Approval Authority Schedule (AAS) procurement thresholds in accordance with the revised Procurement Policy dated November 26, 2025. These changes modernize procurement practices and reduce administrative burden while maintaining appropriate controls, accountability, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Effective February 1, the updated procurement thresholds will be as follows:
| Procurement Type | Total Procurement Value (before taxes) | Means of Procurement | Approval Required |
| Goods, Non-Consulting Services, Construction and Renovations | |||
| Informal | $0.00 – $24,999.99 | uSOURCE Catalogues, or University PCard1, or Invoice Payment, or Purchase Order | Budget Owner or designate |
| Invitational Competitive | $25,000.00 – $74,999.99 | uSOURCE Catalogues, or Purchase Order to an Approved Supplier, or Purchase Order with a minimum of two quotes attached | Budget Owner or designate |
| $75,000.00 – $121,199.99 | uSOURCE Catalogues, or Purchase Order to an Approved Supplier, or Purchase Order with a minimum of three quotes attached | Budget Owner or designate, plus Contracting Authority2 | |
| Open Competitive | $121,200.00 + | Open Competitive Procurement Process3 | Budget Owner or designate, plus Contracting Authority 2 |
| Non-Competitive | $25,000.00 – $74,999.99 | Procurement Policy Exemptions Justification with Purchase Order, as appropriate | One Level Higher than Budget Owner |
| $75,000.00 + | Procurement Policy Exemptions Justification with Purchase Order, as appropriate | One Level Higher than Budget Owner, plus Contracting Authority 2 | |
| Consulting Services | |||
| Invitational Competitive | $0.00 – $74,999.99 | Purchase Order with a minimum of two quotes attached | Budget Owner or designate |
| $75,000.00 – $121,199.99 | Purchase Order with a minimum of three quotes attached | Budget Owner or designate, plus Contracting Authority2 | |
| Open Competitive | $121,200.00 + | Open Competitive Procurement Process3 | Budget Owner or designate, plus Contracting Authority2 |
| Non-Competitive | $0.00 – $999,999.99 | Procurement Policy Exemptions Justification with Purchase Order, as appropriate | President |
| $1,000,000.00 + | Procurement Policy Exemptions Justification with Purchase Order, as appropriate | Business Board | |
1 Purchases made with the University’s Procurement Card (PCard) are subject to a $10,000 limit per transaction and must adhere to the procedures outlined in the Guide to Financial Management.
2 Procurement activities at or exceeding $75,000.00 must be reviewed and approved by the Contracting Authority that provides procurement services to the Budget Owner.
3 The University may undertake a Second Stage Request through either a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) or a compliant university-led open competitive collaborative procurement in lieu of an open competitive procurement.
Effective February 1, the PO workflow in FIS will be revised to align with the new approval thresholds. Requesters are reminded to use an existing vendor account in FIS or to request a new vendor account when entering purchase orders or invoices. OTA vendor accounts should only be used for transactions less than $10,000 and only in limited circumstances.
Procedures and reference materials will be updated on the Procurement Services website on or before the effective date. A FAST Lunch & Learn featuring a Procurement Policy Refresher will be held on February 25 at 12pm. Click here to register for the Lunch and Learn information session.
Procurement Services (St. George) is available to assist with questions or to help determine the appropriate procurement approach for specific purchases. All requests and inquiries are now handled through ServiceNow; please submit a ticket for assistance.
Thank you for your continued collaboration and engagement.