Below are the threshold limits and purchasing rules to be followed by Southwestern staff.

                                              Community College Rules of Procurement 

Process                                           Threshold Cost

SMALL PROCUREMENT/DIRECT AWARD FOR GOODS/SERVICES:    $25,000 or less

Where feasible, obtain competitive quotes.

If unable to obtain three quotes, document why.

INTERMEDIATE PROCUREMENT/COMPETITIVE QUOTES:                $25,000 - $250,000

At minimum, must post public notice for seven days, take steps to

include small and diverse firms, and permits the College to secure

goods and services within 30 days. Requires a minimum of three

informally solicited competitive quotes. If three quotes are not

available, a lesser number will suffice provided that efforts to obtain

three competitive quotes are documented.

FORMAL SOLICITATION*:

Invitation to Bid, Request for Proposal requires a rigorous process           $250,000 or more

of formal solicitation documents including Department of Justice

review, 30 day public posting, formal process steps and evaluations,

contract negotiation. A sealed competitive process can take four to

six months.

*Oregon Buys Procurements                                                                $150,000 or more

BOARD APPROVAL OF CONTRACTS:

                           The College requests Board approval for contracts prior to award            Board approval for contracts ≥$75,000

Link to: Insurance Policy Requirements 

INSURANCE LEVELS
The local OTCA limits in place from 07/01/2023 to 07/01/2024 for multiple claimants (per occurrence) are
$1,660,400 for all claimants. As a public agency, the College endeavors to require insurance limits from its
vendor partners in amounts at least equal to the current per occurrence limit. The required amount may
increase as the OTCA limits increase per the OTCA table here or as the risk is evaluated on an individual basis:
https://www.courts.oregon.gov/Documents/Table-of-Liability-Limits.pdf.

Level 1 Insurance Requirements
Special Events and other events held on college property require the following insurance policy limits. If alcohol
is being served, the insurance policy limits increase to Level 2, except for the requirement to provide:

• Professional Errors and Omissions liability.
• Commercial General Liability $1,000,000
• Workers’ Compensation (if applicable) Statutory Limit
• Employer’s Liability $500,000
• Automobile Liability $1,000,000

Level 2 Insurance Requirements
Professional services contracts/agreements $50,000 and under:

• Commercial General Liability $1,000,000
• Professional Errors and Omissions Liability $2,000,000
• Workers’ Compensation (if applicable) Statutory Limit
• Employer’s Liability $500,000
• Sexual Abuse and Molestation (if working with or supervising minors) $2,000,000
• Automobile Liability $2,000,000
• Excess Insurance, if necessary, See Section 7

Level 3 Insurance Requirements
Construction contracts $50,000 and under:

• Commercial General Liability $1,000,000
• Workers’ Compensation (if applicable) Statutory Limit
• Employer’s Liability $500,000
• Automobile Liability $2,000,000
• Excess Insurance, if necessary, See Section 7
• Builders Risk Insurance and Installation Floater See Section 8

Level 4 Insurance Requirements
Professional services contracts/agreements over $50,000:

• Commercial General Liability $2,000,000
• Professional Errors and Omissions Liability $2,000,000
• Workers’ Compensation (if applicable) Statutory Limit
• Employer’s Liability $500,000
• Sexual Abuse and Molestation (if working with or supervising minors) $2,000,000
• Automobile Liability $2,000,000
• Excess Insurance, if necessary, See Section 7

Level 5 Insurance Requirements
Construction contracts over $50,000:

• Commercial General Liability $2,000,000
• Workers’ Compensation (if applicable) Statutory Limit
• Employer’s Liability $500,000
• Automobile Liability $2,000,000
• Excess Insurance, if necessary, See Section 7
• Builders Risk Insurance and Installation Floater See Section 8