Sec. 1 Purpose.
The purpose of this Policy is to provide guidelines for the development and implementation of a training and certification plan to ensure that The University of Texas System Administration and each institution are staffed with qualified purchasing and Information Resources Technologies contracting professionals.
Sec. 2 Principles
a) Personnel responsible for purchases of goods and services subject to competitive solicitations must obtain and maintain a required certification.
b) Primary procurement officers must develop and submit an annual training plan and validate the certification of purchasing staff.
c) Staff responsible for negotiation of information technology contracts must attend training provided by the Department of Information Resources (DIR).
Sec. 3 Requirements
System Administration and each institution must establish a training and certification plan that:
a) requires all personnel who process procurements of goods or services on behalf of System Administration or an institution to obtain appropriate training;
b) requires all personnel who process competitive procurements of goods or services in an amount over $50,000 to attain nationally recognized and/or State of Texas buyer certification;
c) requires personnel directly involved in contract negotiations for the purchase of Information Resources Technologies to complete DIR training related to effective negotiation of contracts for Information Resources Technologies; and
d) conforms to the guidelines established in this policy.
Sec. 4 Plan Development
4.1 Responsible Officer. The primary procurement officer of System Administration and each institution shall be responsible for the establishment, implementation, modification, or change of a training and certification plan at his or her institution.
4.2 Approvals. The plan may be implemented, modified, or changed only after review and approval of the institution’s chief legal officer and the institution’s chief business officer.
4.3 Content. At a minimum, the plan must contain the following:
a) identification of personnel who are required to obtain purchasing, contract negotiation training and/or certification. Purchasing personnel training and certification levels shall be classified by the type of purchase (e.g., formal bids, informal quotes, small dollar procurements) and level of commitment authority;
b) training requirements for the identified personnel classifications. Purchaser training requirements shall identify the subject matter and the minimum hours of training required; and
c) certification requirements for the identified personnel classifications.
Sec. 5 Core Training Curriculum
At a minimum, purchaser training must include the following areas:
a) ethics;
b) supplier relations;
c) U. T. System Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program;
d) applicable laws, rules, and regulations;
e) the role of the buyer and the buyer's fiduciary responsibility;
f) documentation and records management;
g) applicable policies and procedures;
h) contract administration; and
i) principles of "best value" procurement.
Sec. 6 Certification Programs
Only the certifications listed below are approved for inclusion in a training and certification plan.
6.1 Institute for Supply Management
a) Accredited Purchasing Practitioner (A.P.P)
b) Certified in Supply Management (C.S.M.)
c) Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.)
d) Certified Professional in Supply Management (C.P.S.M.)
6.2 National Institute of Government Purchasing
a) Certified Public Purchasing Officer (C.P.P.O.)
b) Certified Public Purchasing Buyer (C.P.P.B.)
6.3 State of Texas (administered by Texas Procurement and Support Services Division of the Texas Comptroller’s Office)
a) Certified Texas Purchasing Manager (C.T.P.M.) – Valid until individuals current certification expires
b) Certified Texas Contract Developer (C.T.C.D.)
c) Certified Texas Contract Manager (C.T.C.M.)
Sec. 7 Deadlines and Submittal Requirements for Plan
7.1 Maintenance. The primary procurement officer at each institution is responsible for maintaining a current training and certification plan that has been approved by the institution’s chief legal officer and the institution’s chief business officer.
7.2 Submission. The primary procurement officer shall submit proposed substantive modifications or changes to an institution's plan to the institution’s chief business officer after approval by the institution’s chief legal officer.
Sec. 8 Personnel Requirements
8.1 Certification Deadline. Any newly hired individual who is required to be certified under his or her institution's plan must be certified within 18 months of his or her date of hire.
8.2 Job Descriptions. Job descriptions for each personnel classification shall incorporate the training and certification requirements applicable to that classification in the job description.
8.3 List of Certified Personnel. By January 15 of each fiscal year, the primary procurement officer at each institution and System Administration must submit to the institution's chief business officer a list of all personnel who are certified. The list must include each employee's name, job title, and certification type.
8.4 Training/Certification. If an individual fails to obtain training and/or certification for a particular personnel classification in accordance with the requirements set forth in his or her institution's training and certification plan, the individual may not make purchases or negotiate contracts on behalf of the institution that are permitted for that personnel classification. At the sole discretion of the institution, however, the individual may continue to make purchases and negotiate contracts on behalf of the institution at those levels for which the individual has attained the requisite training and/or certification.
Definitions
DIR - Texas Department of Information Resources.
Information Resources Technologies - data processing and telecommunications hardware, software, services, supplies, personnel, facility resources, maintenance, and training.
