1. Budget under the equipment category can be utilized to purchase laboratory equipment, ‎spare parts, etc., used in the research project.

2. Purchasing of equipment and laboratory supplies is subjected to the rules and regulations ‎of the Purchasing Department at Kuwait University.

3. ‎Equipment bought by RS through research projects remains the property of RS. The ‎researcher is duly requested to inform RS, in writing about the fate of the equipment after ‎completion of the research project.

The following procedure should be followed in purchasing equipment and laboratory supplies:‎

1. Purchase orders should be submitted by the PI to RS’s “Purchasing and Stores Department”, to ‎initiate the relevant procedures for inviting bids through the KU’s “Purchasing ‎Department”. For this purpose, the researcher is requested to perform the following:‎

   • The purchase order should be signed by the PI, along with an electronic (CD) and a typed copy of the ‎purchase order, which should include valid codes for the ordered items, according to the coding system of the Store Department. Location readiness form for the required equipment, signed by the Director of Construction and Maintenance Administration, should also be included.

   • Requested items should be consistent with those specified in the research proposal ‎and their cost should be within the budget allocated for the equipment category.

   • The researcher should ensure that detailed specifications and descriptions of the ‎requested items are given. This will avoid unnecessary delays in processing the ‎purchase orders.

   • Prior to placing the purchase order, the researcher should ensure that the ‎requested item (or its equivalent) is not available in General Facility, department ‎or faculty laboratories. This applies especially for costly scientific equipment.‎

   • The researcher should consult RS, prior to or during the implementation phase of ‎the project to ensure that he/she follows the correct procedures to acquire the ‎requested items in the shortest possible time.‎

   • The PI should inform RS about any modification to the specifications of the ‎requested items within one week from the date of placing the purchase order.‎
      

2. Purchase orders should be placed well before the end of the fiscal year according to the dates specified by the University Administration. 
3. The purchase orders are implemented according to the following categories:
   • Direct Orders: Purchase orders with estimated cost not exceeding KD. 2,000/-
   • Direct Order Contract: Purchase orders with cost not exceeding KD. 2,000/- through the sole importer.
   • Implements (Internal): Purchase orders of estimated cost from KD. 2,001/- to KD 5,000/-, which does not require the approval of the Central Bids Committee.
   • Implements: Purchase orders of estimated cost from KD 5,001/- to KD. 30,000/-, which require the approval of the Central Bids Committee.
   • Tenders: Purchase orders of estimated cost above KD 30,000/-, which require the approval of the Central Bids Committee and the Audit Bureau.
4. Accuracy is required in estimating the cost of items to avoid re-submission, in case the real cost of purchasing orders exceeds the maximum limit of the concerned category.
5. The purchase order is forwarded to the KU’s Purchasing Department after receiving the ‎approval of the Assistant Vice President for Research for further processing and inviting ‎bids from different suppliers.‎
6. After receiving the bids and verifying the records, KU’s Purchasing Department forwards them through RS to the ‎PI, who studies and selects the best bid that meets the requested specifications and has the ‎lowest cost. If the selected bid is not the cheapest, it is necessary that the PI provides ‎convincing justification for the selection‎ in Arabic.
7. The PI then sends the quotations package back to RS after signing and stamping it, along with the copy of the minutes of awarding committee signed by the PI and two members.

1. After completion of the purchasing procedures by KU’s Purchasing Department and signing the purchasing contract, items are ‎handed over to the PI. Upon receiving the items, the PI should:‎

   • Sign the purchase invoice and specify the date of receipt. Thereafter, the ‎supplying company should endorse the purchase invoice by the RS followed by ‎the KU Stores Affairs Department, so that the payment is processed, before 45 days from the contract’s ending date.‎

   • Arrange an appointment for the RS and KU Stores Affairs Department to inspect and ‎verify the supplied items.‎

   • Sign requisite documents for registering the supplied items and record them under ‎the custody of the PI.

   • The researcher should not use the chemical, biological and other consumable materials, imported for him by the companies, prior to checking those materials and their registration in RS checking record, and the Stores Affairs Department. 

2. Purchased items should be supplied in the same fiscal year. This is to ensure that the ‎budget allocated and blocked for this year is released. Purchased items may be ‎exceptionally supplied during the next fiscal year, for cases where unexpected delays ‎cannot be avoided.

3. The Purchasing department cancels all contracts of previous fiscal year(s) for the unspent amount, without reverting back to the PI, if he/she does not provide any justifications.

1. It is the responsibility of the researcher to keep the purchased equipment and laboratory ‎supplies in good working conditions through routine maintenance. He/she should, ‎therefore, include the service and maintenance charges in the budget section of the ‎research grant application.

2. After completing the research work, the equipment should be utilized by another research ‎project. Equipment is accordingly transferred from one researcher’s record to another, ‎after informing RS and obtaining its approval.

3. In case direct utilization of the equipment in an ongoing research project is not possible, RS should be informed so that the equipment can be transferred to the PI’s department, ‎or to one of the General Facility projects in that faculty. This is to ensure that the ‎equipment remains operational and in good working condition.

4. RS should be informed of obsolete and non-operational equipment to take necessary action concerning their transfer to ‎KU’s Stores Department for further action and clearance of the records.‎