SPQ Process

A "Service Provider Questionnaire" (SPQ) needs to be submitted with every Purchase Requistion, unless the vendor (service provider) has been designated as a "Universal Service Provider" (USP). Please check out the following links for information on the process for submitting SPQs.

Per UNM Policy 4325 “Purchasing Services From Independent Contractors”, a “Service Provider Questionnaire” (SPQ) form must be completed when a department wishes to purchase services from an independent contractor.  The form is completed electronically via the Internet, and submitted to the appropriate accounting office via e-mail for review.  The person initiating and submitting an SPQ must have a UNM net ID, and be authorized to complete the form by the appropriate person in their department.  There are no approvals or signatures required to submit the form, but upon submitting, the initiator is certifying that they are so authorized.  Please read below for further information on the process.  A link to the form is at the bottom of the page.

The web SPQ form will direct the user through the form, indicating which question to answer next, based on the answer to the previous question.  There will be situations in which you may not have to answer all the questions on the form.

Financial Services Accounting office personnel make the determination as to whether a particular service provider meets the criteria to be designated as a Universal Service Provider (USP).  Once a vendor has been designated as a USP, you have 2 options regarding submitting an SPQ for a purchase requisition:

  1. Initiate and submit an SPQ, answering “Yes” to question # 1 “Is the service provider a USP?”  After answering “Yes”, you will be directed to the end of the form to fill out general information about the vendor and the service being provided.  Note that there is a link to the USP list on question #1; you should click on the link to view the list, to determine if the vendor is a USP.
    • If the vendor is not on the list, there could be a “timing” issue, where the list hasn’t been updated since the vendor was approved as a USP.  If you don’t find the vendor on the list, you can also check in Banner to see if the vendor is a USP.  See Job Aid (FSJA-011) for instructions.
  2. Include the following language in the Business Purpose/Detailed Item Description field when completing your requisition in LoboMart:

“The vendor has been approved as a Universal Service Provider, and to my knowledge there is no conflict of interest per Policy 4325, Section 3.”

If you select option # 2, an SPQ form does not need to be submitted.  Regardless of which option is chosen, accounting office personnel will confirm that the vendor is in fact a USP.

Please keep in mind that even if a vendor has been designated as a USP, you will need to complete an SPQ form, answering “No” to question # 1, if the scope of services for your requisition is not the same as or similar to the services noted on the SPQ form that designated the vendor as a USP.

USP designations are valid for 3 years, and will be re-evaluated after that time.

There are two additional special scenarios regarding service providers and SPQs:

  1. If the service provider is a college, university, or other non-profit or governmental entity, you do not have to submit an SPQ, if you indicate this status in the Business Purpose/Detailed Item Description section of your LoboMart requisition.  Be prepared to be able to show documentation of how you determined the non-profit status.  If you don’t indicate the non-profit status in your requisition, you must submit an SPQ, answering “Yes” to question # 2.  Upon doing so, you will be directed to the end of the form to complete the general information section.
  2. The Purchasing website has a list of service providers who have contracts with UNM.  These providers are generally law firms, construction contractors, etc.  If the service provider you will be using is on this list, and the scope of services is similar to those in the contract (noted in the Description column), you do not need to provide an SPQ.  However, in the Business Purpose/Detailed Item Description field of the PR, you must indicate that the service provider is on the University Contracts list, include the conflict of interest statement (above), and the Contract number.  If you fail to do so, you must submit an SPQ form.  Click Here to link to the UNM Contract Numbers list.  Please note that you will be required to login with your UNM Net ID and password to access this list.

Click here to access the SPQ form.  Please note that you must log in with your net ID and password in order to access the form.