The Justification Memorandum should always reference the applicable Small Purchase or Purchase Requisition number. State law requires the University to obtain competition for purchases whenever possible. For this reason, we normally use generic specifications to describe what we intend to purchase. Brand-specific rationale cannot be used unless the requirement can only be met by the exact specifications offered by a particular piece of equipment made by the manufacturer. These items are generally more expensive since they often-times contain additional features.
Generic specifications encourage competition.
They should be used wherever possible. A brand-specific justification must explain why the product is singularly able to meet the requirements of the user and conclusively support the determination that no other product can fulfill the user's needs. When justifying the use of a specific brand on the basis of compatibility, you must conclusively explain that the requested brand is the only one which is compatible with the existing equipment or the only one which will support planned expansions or additions to the equipment. An example of this might be the use of a specified brand of computer because all the computers in the office or network are of that type and to use other brands would require cumbersome and inefficient software modifications or additional interface equipment. In the case of networks, standardization can be the basis for compatibility as different hardware and software configurations can make learning and actual use much more difficult.