Outsourcing Activities to Third Parties

LAU ensures complete protection of the rights of all workers from the companies and businesses being engaged as third parties with the institution. As within the mission and values of the university, the commitment offers “respect human dignity, promote gender equality, and be inclusive” representing the tradition of the liberal arts. We believe in cultivating a campus community where everyone, regardless of background, has an equal opportunity to study and work at the highest level. https://www.lau.edu.lb/about/mission.php

Moreover, the LAU Procurement Procedure emphasizes the equivalent right of workers for procurement activities, ensuring fairness, efficiency, as well as ethical and sustainable sourcing. 

On the other hand, the Procurements, Subawards, and Subrecipient Monitoring Policy (https://www.lau.edu.lb/about/policies/procurement-subawards-subrecipients.pdf) stipulates under article 7 that awardee shall be “qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws, regulations, and LAU policies (e.g., LAU’s anti-terrorist financing provisions”

Procurement Procedure

1.1 Objective: The primary objective of LAU’s Procurement Procedure is to ensure that procurement activities are conducted in a transparent, efficient, and ethical manner, ensuring optimal value for the University. The document is designed to comply with best practices, international standards, and the University’s internal governance framework. It establishes controls and procedures for the selection of suppliers, purchasing of goods and services, and the monitoring of procurement activities, ensuring compliance, financial prudence, and operational efficiency.

1.2 Scope: This procedure applies to all employees, end-users, procurement office, suppliers, and other stakeholders involved in the procurement of goods and services for LAU, irrespective of the source of funding.

2. General Principles:

• Value for Money: LAU aims to procure goods and services that offer the best combination of quality, cost, and delivery, with a strong emphasis on economies of scale to maximize overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Transparency: The procurement process will be fair, and transparent, ensuring equal opportunities for suppliers and providing clear processes for all stakeholders.
• Accountability: Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, with adequate controls to ensure that all decisions are properly authorized and recorded.
• Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing: Preference will be given to suppliers who are sustainable and socially responsible whenever possible, with a strict requirement for ethical business practice.
• Competition: Procurement decisions will be made through competitive processes, except where valid exceptions apply, to ensure fair market pricing.
• Securing Budget: The end user must secure the necessary budget prior to initiating the procurement process, ensuring that all financial requirements are met before proceeding
• Compliance: LAU shall adhere to all relevant laws and regulations of Lebanon and the United States, including economic sanction programs enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Procurements, Subawards, and Subrecipient Monitoring Policy

Article 7: GENERAL PRINCIPLES:

In conducting the solicitation and award of an Award Subcontract or Subaward, the following basic principles apply in addition to all other requirements:

7.1 LAU will contract only with responsible entities that have the ability to perform successfully. There is no bright-line test for determining whether a proposed awardee is responsible, however the following factors should be considered to the extent possible in making such a determination:

7.1.1 Has access to adequate financial resources to perform the work;

7.1.2 Ability to comply with the required or proposed delivery or performance schedule, taking into consideration all known existing commitments;

7.1.3 To the extent it is known, has a satisfactory past performance record and has a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics including checking any exclusions identified on public databases such as the System for Award Management (“SAM”);

7.1.4 Has the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, technical skills, and technical equipment and facilities, or the ability to obtain them;

7.1.5 Is otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws, regulations, and LAU policies (e.g., LAU’s anti-terrorist financing provisions; and

7.1.6 States that it is willing to comply with the negotiated Award Subcontract or Subaward terms.

7.2 Avoid organizational conflicts of interest, including awards to entities that helped in developing or drafting the specifications, requirements, statements of work, or invitations for bids for that Award Subcontract or Subaward.

Extract from LAU Procurements, Subawards, and Subrecipient Monitoring Policy