"Emergency" is defined as an "urgent and unexpected requirement where health and public safety or the conservation of public resources is at risk. A failure to properly and timely plan in advance for a procurement, which then results in a situation in which normal procurement practices cannot be followed, will not constitute an emergency." (SUNY Procedures Manual, Item 7553, VI.).
Emergency procurements are exempt from the formal competitive selection requirements but the campus must be able to justify and document the selection of the vendor and establish reasonableness of the price.
An emergency procurement exceeding $20,000 requires the campus to make a prior written request for an exemption from publication in the New York State Contract Reporter. The campus must provide supporting documentation to the Office of the State Comptroller(OSC). A verbal request, followed up with a written request, may be made to OSC, which will respond verbally as soon as practicable, and follow up with a written confirmation of its determination.
