Purchasing

General Information

There are several methods for purchasing items at SAFS. Purchases under $3500 should be made through eProcurement or with a Procard unless the vendor requires a Purchase Order. In that case, contact Robin Weigel, rweigel@u.washington.edu. The following is general information to consider when preparing a purchase.

Alcohol for labs

The purchase of alcohol for labs is highly regulated. Below is the new ordering process:

  1. Log into eProcurement: https://ar.admin.washington.edu/AribaBuyer/uw/login.asp
  2. Click on Create - "Requisition"
  3. Title your requisition then click "Next"
  4. Enter "ethanol" or "alcohol" in Keywords and click on "Search" (DO NOT GO TO FISHER)
  5. Find required item and click on “Add to cart”
  6. Click on “Checkout” on the left sidebar
  7. Verify the budget and address are correct (for further instructions see eProcurement training manual, located on website listed above)
  8. Click on “Submit”

Note: Fisher doesn't carry the denatured product (Vanzol). If you need this item contact Robin Weigel rweigel@u.washington.edu. Denatured alcohol, like pure ethanol, is exempt from federal excise tax and UW has a permit allowing us to buy it tax exempt.

Departments must maintain a current and accurate inventory of quantities and locations of all ethyl alcohol products, in accordance with UW records retention requirements (6 years). Be sure to keep a binder in your lab with copies of invoices and a current inventory of these products.

Equipment and UW Tags

Any single item with a cost of $2,000 or more is considered equipment and must be tagged as UW inventory. This needs to be done as soon as the item arrives. See SAFS front desk person for more information.

Meals and or Light Refreshments for Meetings, Training, Seminar Series, and Events

All meal and/or light refreshment purchases must be pre-approved by the person who has signature authority on the budget and must be an integral part of the meeting. If you plan on having food at an event, start by meeting with or Jessica Roshan the SAFS Administrative Suite to see if the budget is pre-authorized for food purchases. If it is not, a Food and Beverage Form must be completed at least 3 days PRIOR to the event for review and administrative signatures. This form is found at the following webpage:

The policy for use of this form can be found at:

When the Food and Beverage Form is complete, return it to Jessica Roshan in the Administrative Suite and the form will be kept on file.

Important Information: the purchase of alcoholic beverages is only allowable on a discretionary budget (begins with 64-XXXX). Please see the SAFS Administrator for permission to use this budget. Alcoholic beverages can be purchased with a Procard or reimbursed by submitting a Petty Cash Voucher. A banquet permit is required for any event that serves alcohol and you must obtain it in advance of the event. For information on this see Beatrice Marx or the Front Desk in the Administrative Office.

Guidelines for Purchasing Meals-out with Seminar Speakers (requires approval in advance)

  1. Get itemized receipt from restaurant, as well as the credit card receipt if applicable (**some restaurants do not provide an itemized receipt unless you request one.)
  2. Underline the alcoholic items on the receipt since they MUST be paid from a different budget.
  3. Keep in mind the per-person (per diem) rates for meals in Seattle allowed by the UW: $18 breakfast, $21 lunch, and $32 dinner, including tax and tip. You will not be reimbursed for amounts spent over the allotted per diem. See SAFS Administrator in advance for a possible exception to that rule.
  4. Use Procard for payment if possible. If not, complete a Petty Cash Voucher, leaving the budget number blank. Get the form at: http://www.fish.washington.edu/admin_resources/pdfs/PettyCheckVoucher.pdf. Submit the voucher and itemized receipt taped to a separate piece of 8.5” x 11” paper to Jessica Roshan in the Administrative Suite for reimbursement.
  5. Important – you must include a list of attendees for each meal.  

Invoices

Vendors are to send invoices directly to UW’s Accounts Payables department at:

University of Washington
Attn: Accounts Payable
3917 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-543-4500 phone / 206-685-8018 fax

Occasionally vendors send the invoice directly to the person placing the order. If you receive an invoice bring it to Robin Weigel in the SAFS Administrative Suite. 

Office Supplies

General office supplies are provided by SAFS at no cost to your budget. See SAFS front desk person in the Administrative Suite for general supplies.

You are not allowed to purchase general office supplies with a grant or contract budget unless you specified this request in your grant or contract.

You can request office supplies purchases on the eGC1 under the following exceptions:

  1. If your project is off campus AND you do not have access to our supplies (the project has to be in a remote location where you won't be on campus for extended periods of time)
  2. If your project requires more-than-normal amounts of office supplies and purchasing supplies is approved by the sponsor. The supplies will then be considered a direct cost and have to be specific to the project (see OMB Circular A-21, Section D.1)
  3. If funds come from non-federal sponsors and are so permitted by the sponsor's policies/practices or as otherwise approved by the sponsor.

Please use your RCR or appropriate budget for these supplies if it's not an item provided by SAFS (such as toner cartridges).

Contact Jessica Roshan or Mark Centuori in the SAFS Administrative Suite if you have questions.

Packing slips

Packing slips are required documentation for any purchase. IMPORTANT - Provide the packing slip with your receipt when submitting to fiscal staff. BE SURE TO SIGN AND DATE EACH PACKING SLIP.

Procard orders: If you have your own procard, the packing slip should be attached to your monthly reconciliation for that purchase and submitted at the end of the month..

Procard orders placed for you by the Admin Office: The original packing slip needs to be turned in to the Admin Suite.

E-procurement orders or PO orders: The original packing slip needs to be turned in to the Admin Suite.

Important: All items ordered from a grant or contract budget must be received BEFORE the budget end date. The packing slip is documentation of the delivery date. Therefore, BE SURE TO SIGN AND DATE EACH PACKING SLIP.

 

Purchases more than $3500

Purchases over $3,500 must be made by completing the electronic REQUEST FOR PURCHASE form located at: http://www.fish.washington.edu/admin_resources/pdfs/Purchasing_Form.pdf.

If you do not have signature authority (see below) for the purchasing budget, submit the completed form to safspo@u.washington.edu and the PI with a request to approve the purchase. The PI must REPLY ALL with the approval and the form will go SAFS purchasing. If you do have Signature Authority send the completed form directly to safspo@u.washington.edu.

If you have a specific vendor in mind, you’ll need to provide a sole source justification. For more information go to: http://www.washington.edu/admin/purchstores/yourdept/sole_source.html or see Robin Weigel in the Administrative Suite.

Receipts

Receipts are required documentation for any purchase. Provide original receipt to fiscal staff when submitting documentation.

Signature Authority

A Principal Investigator (PI) on a grant or contract can delegate authority in writing for an individual to purchase with a specific budget or to sign for expenditure transfers to or from another budget. When a new budget is established the PI is contacted to determine signature authority and a spending limit. An order cannot be placed without signature authority on record by anyone other than the PI. Signature authority for state operating budgets, endowments, and gift funds are delegated by the Administrator or Director.

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