Order of Precedence

In order to comply with State procurement laws and to ensure that all businesses have an equal opportunity to do business with the State, the State Purchasing Division has established an "Order of Precedence" for guiding procurement professionals in where to purchase goods and services. Compliance with the Order of Precedence is mandatory unless the purchase is exempt from the State Purchasing Act (O.C.G.A. §50-5-50 et seq.) or if the competitive bid requirements have been waived.

The Order of Precedence​, which is explained more fully in Section 1.3 of the Georgia Procurement Manual, has four tiers. You can find additional information on these tiers below.

• Tier I: Mandatory Statewide Contracts – State Entities must use these contracts unless SPD has granted a waiver. 
  


• ​ Tier II: Existing Agency Contracts – These are contracts negotiated by the State Entity or by SPD on behalf of a State Entity. Procurement personnel must purchase goods and services that are available on existing contracts established by their State Entity. Any deviations must be documented and approved by the Agency/University Procurement Officer.
  


• Tier III: Statutory Sources Designated as Mandatory – There are two mandatory statutory sources – Georgia Enterprises for Products and Services (GEPS) and Georgia Correctional Industries (GCI).
  


• Tier IV: Other Sources – Consists of Convenience Statewide Contracts, GEPS Preferred Products, SPD approved piggyback purchases, Cooperative Purchasing following public notice, and Open Market purchases.