Purchase of Items
Purchasing Equipment’s and materials under a project is an important aspect under a sponsored project. Principal Investigator (PI) may look carefully into the following official processes to complete the whole aspect of purchasing smoothly.
OVERVIEW: A faculty who is either PI or Co-PI and has received the fund from sponsoring agency can spend the funds for the specific requirements under the sanctioned budget heads only. As per the Office Order (Ref. No. RO/Finance/2021-22/9093 dated 24th January 2022) PI/Co-PI has the power to purchase non-Recurring items (Fixed Assets) which are of cost less than Rs. 25,000 through cash bills (all bills must be in the name of “Birla Institute of Technology”, Mesra with proper GST). Similarly, they can purchase consumables/contingency items which are of cost less than Rs. 15,000/- through proper cash bills as said above. However, they need to go through the indenting process for all the items which are of value greater than above said amounts. In case of proprietary items, PI shall have to submit a proper Proprietary Certificate and fill in the related forms along with Indent form.
The exact Purchasing Process (for going through Intend) involves following steps:
Step 1: Check with Accounts Officer of R&D Cell about the Fund availability under your project. Make a list of Items to be purchased and their specifications as required under your project. Check the Websites to know about different vendors and the Price range.
Step 2: PI or Co-PI need to contact the focal point in their department who is authorized to raise indent using Online Indent Processing System (IBIS). If PI needs to make a new entry of item which is not in the existing list of IBIS then they have to contact (via HOD through a written intimation) a person in the stores for making the new entry.
Step 3: PI shall process the Indent through Department Purchase Committee (DPC) and HOD. Send it to the office of DRIE. [Note: If it is a proprietary item then fill up the Form which is to be signed by DPC, HOD, DRIE and VC]. Please attach a list of Vendors who can supply the item (minimum required number of vendors is 3).
Step 4: Indent will be checked for fund availability by Accounts people. If the fund is available and if the items are as per the sanction order, then it will go to the Purchase Department.
Step 5: Purchase Department will prepare the Tender Document and will be uploaded onto the BIT website.
Step 6: After the receipt of Quotations, the Purchase department will make a comparative statement which will be sent to the Department for getting recommendation by DPC.
Step 7: Purchase order will be issued to the selected vendor by the Purchase Department.
Step 8: Vendor will have to submit the acceptance letter for the given offer. Then the vendor is expected to deliver the item within the specified days as mentioned in the purchase order.
Step 9: Vendor must submit the equipment / items in the Stores Department which will issue the GR Note (Goods Receipt).
Step 10: Generation of Issue Slip by focal point in the department which need to be sent to Stores to receive the item.
Step 11: PI need to submit Satisfactory installation certificate to stores. Then Stores will make an entry and will inform Accounts people.
Generally, PI is required to utilize only the funds available under the sanctioned budget head. However, sometimes they may require moving funds from one budget-head to other. But such re-appropriation of funds between various budgets heads is permitted only with the prior approval of the funding agency.
Important Note: All the equipment/capital assets created/purchased under the project will be kept only in the Institute until unless asked by the sponsoring agency. Each of the items purchased under the projects needs to be properly inventoried in the Departmental Asset Register. Annual Asset report will have to be submitted by the HOD at the beginning of Every Financial Year. After the project completion, PI may either keep the equipment for open access in the department or may share as per the requirement of the department.
The Office of DRIE will assist PI in all these execution steps, as and when requested.