Business Services

The Procurement and Contract Services (PaCS) database has started to send out automatic alerts to the Principal Investigators for procurement-related contracts that are either about to expire or are needing confirmation on continuation of the contract.  The two emails are as follows:

1. confirmation of the continued use of an auto-renew or perpetual contract
2. notification of the impending expiration of a term contract

The confirmation of the continued use of an auto-renew or perpetual contract will be sent once every two years around the anniversary date of the contract.  The notification of the impending expiration of a term contract will be sent 3-6 months prior to the expiration of the contract.  If you receive either of these emails, please review the contract in question and reply to the email to indicate what direction PaCS should proceed with the contract.

The following are reported attempts to allegedly scam the university into paying for goods and services that are not ordered by OSU staff. Departments should have appropriate ordering procedures in place for purchases within their delegated authority. Before processing any payments you should have written documentation that supports placement of any order.

“Online Yellow Pages”

Reported by National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), April 18 2013

A department on campus received a phone call from a company named Online Yellow Pages. The caller told the department person that the department would be charged for one year of service, even though his company was willing to cancel the service at this time. The department person informed the caller that the service had been cancelled a long time ago, and that there was a final bill to prove as much. The department person asked for documentation that NPIC had agreed to pay for service, and the caller simply said he had it. The caller informed the department person that he would be personally charged if the department refused to pay, and then hung up shortly thereafter.

“State Power & Lighting LLC”

Reported by the University Administrative Business Center (UABC), April 24, 2013

A department on campus received a case of light bulbs and an accompanying invoice for almost $600. The light bulbs had not been ordered, and the company did not exist as a university vendor; thus a Purchase Order authorizing the purchase could not have been sent. Additionally, a similar pattern of complaints against the company has been recorded by the Better Business Bureau, which has led to a downgrade of the company’s rating to an “F”. The complaints center around products being delivered that were not ordered or authorized, and then difficulty in returning the products due to a lack of full disclosure of the product’s origin or contact information. If any department personnel receive products that have not been ordered, please do not remove the items from their packaging and alert your Business Center to the situation. If any department personnel receive calls regarding similar shipments, please tell the caller that OSU counsel will be informed and hang up.

If departments have any questions regarding the above scams, or if departments need to report a new scam, please contact PaCS at Pacs@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-4261.