The City University of New York and its constituent colleges are subject to the public procurement rules of New York State law. The University sets forth rules designating specific officials who are authorized to execute agreements on behalf of the colleges or the university. Individuals not specifically designated with contract-signing authority may not sign agreements binding the College. These rules provide:
Contracts for the purchase of goods and services valued at $500,000 or more (except contracts covered by the Board’s annual omnibus resolution relating to technology contracts) must be approved by the Board of Trustees and signed by the CUNY General Counsel.
For contracts valued at less than $500,000 but $20,000 or more, the Board has authorized the Chancellor or their designee to approve, and the CUNY General Counsel to execute such contracts:
Contracts valued at $100,000 or more must be signed by the CUNY General Counsel, except that annual renewals of technology contracts covered by the Board’s omnibus resolution may be signed by the Associate Vice Chancellor and University Chief Information Officer where the terms of the contract have not been changed.
College contracts valued at less than $100,000, where the contract has been approved as to form by the CUNY Office of the General Counsel, may be executed by the College’s President or Vice President for Finance and Administration.
College contracts valued at less than $20,000, where the contract is on a form issued by the CUNY Office of the General Counsel, or otherwise approved as to form by the CUNY Office of the General Counsel, may be executed by the College’s Purchasing Director and their designee.
The College Purchasing Director and their designee may also sign purchase orders, where the purchase order is on a form approved by the CUNY Office of the General Counsel, and the underlying contract has been approved as to form by the CUNY Office of the General Counsel.
In cases where a purchase order is to be issued off of existing contracts of the City and its agencies (including the Department of Education), the State and its agencies, and certain permitted agencies of the United States government, so long as the terms of the purchase order are the same as or more favorable to the University than the existing government contract, then such existing contracts may be deemed to have been approved by the CUNY Office of the General Counsel.
The value of a contract is based on the full life of the agreement, for example, a contract valued at $50,000 annually, but with a life of five years, is treated as a $250,000 contract.
If you have any questions about the above, please contact Russell Platzek, Esq., at 718-262-2140/
rplatzek@PROTECTED.