Vendor Relations and Ethics
For further clarification of these guidelines, contact Purchasing at Purchasing@baruch.cuny.edu.
I. Purpose
To set forth College policy to be followed by all faculty and staff in their dealings with vendors, including code of conduct and conflict of interest issues.
II. Policy
- All vendor relationships shall be based solely on sound business and ethical practices and shall be conducted in the best interest of the College and in compliance with all relevant State of New York statutes and City University of New York rules, regulations, and guidelines.
- All employees of the College, including all faculty, administrators, and staff, whether full-time or part-time, are prohibited from offering for sale services, supplies, materials, or goods of any kind to the College. Personal Services rendered to the College must be rendered in compliance with all relevant laws governing the relation of the employer to employee, and no employee should accept an order for goods or services from the College at any time while employed by the College.
- All employees of the College are prohibited from participating in any purchasing activity involving a vendor with whom he/she or an immediate family member, or a member of their household, has an interest. The employee must disclose the nature and extent of any potential interest or appearance of such.
- In the interest of maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct and for the purposes of establishing favorable relationships with the business community, faculty and staff must exercise the utmost discretion when contacting vendors regarding possible business opportunities with the College. All such contacts should include a caveat regarding the College’s requirement that all purchasing transactions and commitments be conducted through the College’s Purchasing Department.
- Personal purchases should not be transacted in the name of the College. Employees of the College who are making purchases for personal use are prohibited from requesting any form of special pricing from vendors to the College, such as State of New York Contract pricing, unless such cost reductions are offered to the general public or if such pricing is offered to educators or staff members in consideration of educational credentials or related affiliations. In any such case, responsibility for payments owed to vendors shall be the sole responsibility of the purchaser, and all relevant state, federal and local taxes must be paid in compliance with applicable laws.
- Under no circumstances is an employee of the College to claim tax exemption when purchasing goods and services for personal use.
- Employees of the College are prohibited from accepting any gift, favors, services, or items of value from vendors to the College. Promotional items such as calendars, notebooks, pens, and other items of no commercial value, usually with company logos affixed, may be accepted. In addition, employees are prohibited from soliciting any fits, favors, services, or other items of substantial value from a vendor.
- Unsolicited gifts of substantial value received from a vendor should be returned with a polite note explaining College policy. UPS service and, if warranted, adequate insurance coverage, is available through the College’s Mail Center, should it become necessary to return an unsolicited gift of substantial value.