Purchasing Policies

• Purchase of goods and services requires the issuance of a purchase order, the issuance of a contract, or the use of a procurement card (Procard).  

• Purchases for the university made by faculty, staff, and students using personal funds are not authorized and will not be reimbursed 

• Suppliers/ vendors/independent contractors, etc. are not authorized to commence work prior to the receipt of an authorized purchase order. Invoices for goods or services provided without an authorized purchase order require management review and approval prior to payment. The university is not obligated to pay invoices for goods and services that have not been properly authorized. 

• Effective August 1, 2024: When policy has not been followed, the Business Office will fill out a Noncompliant Purchase Form and will send it via DocuSign to UT employee responsible, BSoM Director for their signatures. The noncompliant purchase form will be reviewed and approved by COFA, if total cost is <than $15,000, or the Purchasing Office when the cost is > than $15,000. If approved, The Business Office will issue a late PO to the vendor and after receiving a signed invoice referring to the late PO number, payment will be processed. 

Please remember that a noncompliant purchase occurs when a university employee places an order without first having a properly approved purchase order or contract and an invoice is received in an attempt to pay the vendor. 

Learn More

 

Request a PO, Contract, or use of a Procard

How to Request a Purchase Order

Please submit your Purchase Request though and assign it to Group 00332.  

•  Only the fields with a * are mandatory for you to fill out. 
• Please always attach a quote that contains:
  • Description of the items/service
  • Vendor’s name and contact information
  • Amount  
  • Add the account/budget to use under Request Information/Request Notes

How to Request a Contract

Please submit your Purchase Request assign it to Group 00332. Once the contract is fully executed, the Business Office will send a copy to the faculty requestor. 

• Please always attach the Business Contract Review Checklist (BCRC) and the contract you want to get approved. 

• If the contract amount is >$15,000, a EAJ is required and the business office will contact you to complete additional forms. 

How to request the use of a Procard

If you are not a procard holderplease email BSOMBusiness@austin.utexas.edu to gain to access to BSoM procards. Additional instructions will follow. 

If you are a procard holder, please upload your receipts in the UT Box asigned to you. 

• Disallowed list

• The University of Texas at Austin is exempt form paying Texas sales tax; use this form. 

• Do not split charges. A “split charge” is the intentional splitting of a purchase such that the total amount of the transaction remains under the Cardholder’s single transaction limit. Splitting charges is strictly prohibited. For example, if the card is denied because a $5,000 purchase is being made and the vendor splits it as two transactions of $2,500. 

• Ship only to University addresses. 

• A transaction log must be used during all instances of card sharing. 

• Personal purchases are prohibited. If a personal purchase was accidentally made, please contact BSOMBusiness@austin.utexas.edu immediately. The purchaser will write a check to the order of the University of Texas for that amount and bring it to BSoM Business Office who will deposit it into the procard account.

• Gift cards: the ProCard may only be used to purchase gift cards as an award for a non-employee, or for research study participants. The purchase of gift cards based on employee or student employee roles, or as a reward or present, is strictly prohibited. 

• eBay Purchases require additional approval (exceeding $500) 

• Do not store card information in PayPal. Use guest checkout only. 

• All Amazon purchases must utilize the Amazon Business Prime Membership made available specifically for the University of Texas at Austin. Contact the Financial Analyst for the invitation. 

• Please DO NOT purchase the item/service yourself unless it follows one of these guidelines: Other Reimbursements 

• Do not sign anything regarding Terms & Conditions. Either a PO needs to be processed or a contract. 

 

Request a Payment

Please submit your Payment Request and assign it to Group 00332.

If it is a payment request to an individual (reimbursements other than travel or entertainment expenses):

• Please include itemized receipts.
• The University of Texas at Austin is exempt form paying Texas sales tax; use this form.
• Allowable and non-allowable reimbursements

If it is a payment request to a vendor:

• Please attach the invoice referring to a purchase order or contract number.