NOVA expects its faculty and staff to make responsible purchasing decisions in the interest of the college. Most buying decisions under $5,000 are made by faculty and staff. NOVA employees have the freedom to make purchasing decisions, but these decisions are regulated by a set of guidelines. For example, all purchases under $5,000 must:

• Come from a DMBE/SWaM-certified small business
• Be accompanied by a quotation
• Originate from an eVA-registered vendor

DMBE SWaM (Department of Minority Business Enterprise/Small, Women & Minority Owned) Search Engines

• Virginia.gov DMBE SWaM Vendor Search
• University of Virginia DMBE Swam Vendor Search
• James Madison University SWaM Vendor Search

Purchase Requisitions vs. Check Requests

When buying goods or services, you must create a purchase requisition using the eVA system. Check requests are to be used only for reimbursement and must be approved by the Purchasing Director, Ed Mellon. Examples of acceptable requests for reimbursement include petty cash, conference registrations and membership dues.