SECTION 23: PURCHASES AND PAYMENTS OF GOODS AND SERVICES, AUTHORITY

LEVELS, CASH PAYS, IPE REVIEWS, AUTHORIZATONS

PURCHASES OF GOODS AND SERVICES

All state agencies are subject to the requirements of the State Purchasing Act (NRS 333). The purpose of the act is to ensure that all purchases are made for the state by securing the best value for supplies, materials, equipment (goods) and services. The State Purchasing Act requires that a formal competitive bidding process is used for the purchase of goods. For the purchase of services, a competitive request for proposals process is conducted with the successful bidder awarded the contract for services.

  • DIRECT PURCHASE AUTHORIZATION (DPA)

Because of the variety of client purchases required for vocational rehabilitation, the Administrator of State Purchasing has chosen to waive some of the requirements for the purchase of goods and services referenced above. The parameters of this waiver are contained in a document called a “Direct Purchase Authorization” which is renewed yearly.

TO PURCHASE GOODS

Examples of goods are wheelchairs, CCTV’s, clothing for work, tools, prosthetic devices, hearing aids, i.e. a product or material.

  1. Purchase of Goods for $4,999.99 or Less

The purchase of goods with a value of $1,000 or less does not require vendor quotes.

For the purchase of goods between $1,001 and $4,999.99:

  • Whenever possible, shop for the best price available by obtaining 3 quotes for the goods you are seeking to purchase (medical, dental and vision related goods are excluded)and document the reason for the choice of vendors in a case note in RAISON.
  • Note: there may be some contracts negotiated by the VR Operations Contract Unit, which contain favorable rates for goods. If the purchase of goods using a contracted vendor benefits the client and/or the Division, a contracted vendor may be used to purchase goods costing less than $4,999.99. Information on the list of contracted vendors may be obtained by contacting the VR Operations Contract Unit.
  1. Purchase of Goods Between $5000 and $24,999.99

Prior to the purchase of goods costing $5000 and $24,999.99, a confirming requisition must be obtained from State Purchasing via the following process:

  • To obtain a confirming requisition for the goods to be purchased, the Rehabilitation Counselor drafts an authorization in RAISON and provides a hard copy of the draft authorization with copies of any quotes obtained to the VR Field Accounting Assistant III.
  • The VR Field Accounting Assistant III sends the draft authorization and copies of quotes to the designated contact person in DETR Financial Management.
  • The designated contact person in DETR Financial Management forwards the information to State Purchasing, requesting the confirming authorization.
  • State Purchasing issues the confirming authorization to the designated DETR Financial Management contact person who notifies the VR Field Accounting Assistant III who notifies the Rehabilitation Counselor, who then proceeds with the purchase.
  1. Purchase of Goods for $25,000 or More

Purchases of goods with a value of $25,000 or more require a formal bidding process by the Purchasing Division. To purchase goods at this level, contact the VR Operations Contract Unit.

  • TO PURCHASE SERVICES

Examples of services are medical and dental treatment, tuition, automotive repair, i.e. a service provided by a vendor for a participant.

  1. Purchase of Services for $9,999.99 or Less

For a single client related service costing $9,999.99 or less, a contracted vendor does not have to be used for the purchase of the service.

  • Whenever possible, shop for the best price available for the service you are seeking to purchase (medical, dental and vision are excluded) and document the reason for the choice of vendors in a casenote in RAISON.
  • Note: there may be some contracts negotiated by the VR Operations Contract Unit, which contain favorable rates for services. If the purchase of services using a contracted vendor benefits the client and/or the Division, a contracted vendor may be used to purchase services costing less than $9,999.99. Information on the list of contracted vendors may be obtained by contacting the VR Operations Contract Unit.
  1. Purchase of Services for $10,000 or More

Purchases of services for individual clients with a cost of $10,000 or more must follow the Board of Examiner requirements for contract approval and awarding of the contract.

  • This means that any single, participant-related purchase of a service must be with a service provider that is contracted with State Purchasing, DETR contracts or VR contracts.
  • To purchase services at this level, contact the VR Operations Contract Unit.
  • Requests for approval of training programs over $10,000 do not require approval of the Budget Office or the Board of Examiners. Per Financial Management, the Budget Office consultation and NRS 284.173, the training services should be authorized per semester or term to assure that the participant is making sufficient progress to warrant the authorization of additional training monies, rather than an authorization for the entire course of study.
  • TO PURCHASE COMBINED GOODS AND SERVICES

Examples of combined goods and services are ADA modifications to an entryway of a house (materials plus labor) and vehicle modifications or repair (parts plus labor).

  • If 51% or more of the total cost on the vendor invoice is a service (such aslabor or installation), the purchase is processed as a service (see “To Purchase Services” above.)
  • If 51% or more of the total cost on the vendor invoice are goods (such as materials or products) the purchase is processed as goods (see “To Purchase Goods” above).
  • ISSUING AUTHORIZATIONS AND APPROVAL OF PAYMENTS

A detailed description of the steps required to issue an authorization and approve a payment in RAISON is available in the RAISON User Manual, Part 4, Desk Aids, Case Management Module, Participant Module.

  1. The Rehabilitation Counselor will issue a written authorization for the purchase of goods or services prior to the purchase of services. The authorization should clearly document the services to be provided.
  1. The Rehabilitation Counselor may provide a verbal authorization in exceptional situations. The authorization must be confirmed in writing and forwarded to the vendor within one working day of issuing the verbal authorization. The rationale for the verbal authorization will be documented in a casenote in RAISON.
  1. Prior to approving the invoice for payment, the Rehabilitation Counselor confirms receipt of and satisfaction with the products or services.
  1. Approval of an invoice payment is acknowledgement that verification has been made regarding receipt of and satisfaction with the goods and services authorized.
  1. If the goods or services are purchased by the participant using an authorization and invoiced by the vendor after the participant purchase, the Rehabilitation Counselor should reviewall items listed on the invoice to ensure that the purchases are appropriate and in keeping with the authorization and the IPE.
  1. If the invoice is for a combination of goods and services, the invoice should list the cost of goods and services separately to be able to process the payment (see TO PURCHASE COMBINED GOODS and SERVICES in this section).

SPENDING AUTHORITY: The purpose of the authority levels for Direct Authorizations and Single Vendor Authorizations is to implement checks and balances to ensure the appropriate expenditure of client service funding by requiring a higher-level review based on spending authority levels.

Cash Pays or Direct Authorizations are authorizations provided directly to a participant for a one-time purchase of IPE-related items. A case note in RAISON is required to document the rationale for the issuance of the cash pay.

The authority levels indicated for Single Vendor Authorization and Payment Approval set limits on the amount of money that can be authorized by each job title for the purchase of participant goods or services from one vendor. These authority levels are also programmed into RAISON.

The Division has established the following spending authorities for eachposition:

PARTICIPANT SERVICES POLICY AND PROCEDURES MANUAL

Bureaus of Vocational Rehabilitation & Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired

Revised: 2006

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Job Title / Direct Authorizations (Cash Pays) /
SingleVendor Authorizations
Authorization Issue Limit / Payment Approval Limit / Authorization Issue Limit / Payment Approval Limit
Administrator / $49,999.99 / $49,999.99 / $249,999.99 / $249,999.99
Deputy Administrator, Operations / $4,999.99 / $4,999.99 / $29,9999.99 / $29,999.99
Deputy Administrator, Programs / $4,999.99 / $4,999.99 / $29,9999.99 / $29,999.99
Chief of Program Services / $2,499.99 / $2,499.99 / $24,999.99 / $24,999.99
District Manager / $1,499.99 / $1,499.99 / $14.999.99 / $14.999.99
Supervisor / $499.99 / $499.99 / $9,999.99 / $9,999.99
Rehab Instructor / $0.00 / $0.00 / $3,499.99 / $3,499.99
Rehab Counselor I / $99.99 / $99.99 / $2,999.99 / $2,999.99
Rehab Counselor II / $199.99 / $199.99 / $3,999.99 / $3,999.99
Rehab Counselor III / $399.99 / $399.99 / $4,999.99 / $4,999.99
Rehab Tech I & II / $49.99 / $49.99 / $499.99 / $499.99

REVIEW OF IPE’s PRIOR TO PARTICIPANT SIGNATURE: The purpose of this review is to ensure that when the cumulative costs of an IPE reach the levels indicated, a supervisory/higher level review is performed to ensure that the IPE documentation is complete and the expenditures are appropriate and consistent with the vocational goal. Newly hired counselors require ongoing supervisory review of IPE’s until they have demonstrated competency in regards to policies, procedures, knowledge of data systems, case management practices and file documentation.

The following chart delineates the requirements for a higher-level review of an IPE.

Job Title / Range of Signature authority for Cumulative Costs of IPE
Newly hired Rehab Counselor* / $0
Rehab Counselor I / Up to $3,000
Rehab Counselor II / Up to $5,000
Rehab Counselor III / Up to $10,000
Supervisor / Up to $15,000
District Manager / Up to $20,000
Chief of Programs / Up to $25.000
Deputy Administrator / Up to $30,000
Administrator / $30,001 and over

*The supervisor of the newly hired Rehabilitation Counselor (regardless of classification level) reviews all IPE’s until the supervisor is assured that the newly hired rehabilitation counselor is competent to complete the IPE. How soon a new hire is released to sign off on his or her IPE is at the discretion of the supervisor and is based on demonstration of knowledge and understanding of work processes and counseling skills.

PARTICIPANT SERVICES POLICY AND PROCEDURES MANUAL

Bureaus of Vocational Rehabilitation & Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired

Revised: 2006

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