Purchasing Policy and Forms

There are several methods of procuring items needed to conduct business at the University, including purchase orders, purchasing cards (credit card), and direct catalog purchases from contracted vendors through Arizona BuyWays portal.  Please check with your faculty supervisor to determine who in the lab is authorized to make purchases.

For any purchases being made on the primary CDDOM and/or UAHS Biorepository accounts (not including individual faculty startup accounts), prior authorization must be given by the Oscar Parra, Deputy Director. 

PCARD

University-issued credit card for direct purchases. All transactions made using the Purchasing Card must benefit and support the University’s mission of education, research and public service. Fraudulent or intentional misuse of the card will result in cancellation of the card and/or possible criminal charges.  PCards may be used for allowable purchases wherever Visa is accepted. Within specific guidelines, purchases may be made through PayPal and EBay. Requires authorized user setup and training.

To request P-card Purchasing please adhere to the following instructions:

For online purchases using the p-card. Please send your p-card form to  Lisa Davidson who will place the orders on your behalf, but you must completely fill-out the the p-card form.  

Example of a completed P-card Form. This includes:

  1. Your Name
  2. Company Name
  3. Business Purpose (Why is the item being ordered?) Please see the Business Purpose Guide for examples and proper way to complete this section.
  4. Item catalog number (This will assure I order the correct item)
  5. Item description (Brief description of what is being ordered)
  6. Quantity
  7. And the following in the notes section:
    • Company Website (preferably link to the actual item) if order needs to be placed through their website
    • Company Representative name and contact phone number or email address (If order needs to be placed via phone call)
  8. If there is a quote or service agreement you received from the vendor, please forward to me with completed p-card form.

 For orders placed via phone, please place the order, and have the vendor send you a quote or invoice and complete the paperwork listed above and I will follow-up with the vendor to provide payment.

 Once the order is submitted, an order confirmation will be forwarded to you in case you need to follow-up with the vendor.

 By following these instructions, you will assure that there are no delays or errors with your order.

Arizona Buyways through UAccess Financials:

Accessed via the University purchasing portal, Shop-Catalogs, Arizona BuyWays provides access to specific scientific and lab materials and supply vendors, usually at a discount. This UA web-based ordering system allows users to easily create purchase orders for these vendors. Bulk ethyl alcohol may be ordered through UA Stores through this site as well. 
Requires authorized user setup and training.

Purchase Order through Uaccess Financials

Traditional method of ordering items through a requisition process. This method must be used for all capital purchases, hazardous materials and purchases requiring pre-payment. It may also be required for other items such as annual contracts for goods or services and for certain travel/conference expenses. For PO orders/requisitions please forward Oscar Parra the quote or service agreement. If over $25,000, please submit the following forms as well:

  1. Two additional quotes (total fo three including the selected quote we are ordering form) from other vendors to show that the selected vendor is provding best pricing or a Sole Source Justification Form explaing why we are only working with this vendor and no one else. 
  2. Price Warranty Form that will need to be sent to and completed by the vendor.

For a blanket order requisition based on total of balnket order and/or total per invoice against blanket order, additional documentation such as sole source, price warrenty, or additonal qoutes might be required. I blanket order is often used to pay numerious invoices for reocurring orders against one blanket requistion instead of submitting multiple requistions for each invoice. You can set up one blanket order per vendor for ongoing invoice through a fiscal year. 

To set up blanket order requistion, it is almost the same as a traditional requistion except for the following:

  1. In the explanation you state that it is a blanket order and state the fiscal year.
  2. You complete and submit the blanket order questionnaire found here.

If you require training for Uaccess Financials, please go to UAccess Learning to register for training workshops. In addition, the business offices can provide training.

Personal Funds Reimbursement

Use of personal funds for purchases should be limited to:

  • Urgent need with no access to another purchase option
  • Vendor restriction of payment type
  • Qualified business expenses: approved travel or business entertainment

Original, itemized receipts are required for reimbursements.  Reimbursements made more than 90 days after the purchase are considered taxable income and are processed through payroll for taxation. *Please make sure to notify the business before using personal funds for expenses outside of travel. 

Equipment Repair

Most lab equipment is not covered by service contract. Please see your faculty supervisor or lab manager about lab equipment issues. Some types of equipment may be diagnosed and/or repaired by University Service Shops or other outside vendors. Most repairs will be billable. All billable work requests must be authorized prior to ordering services. Estimates may sometimes be done before proceeding with work, but there will likely be service charges associated with obtaining the estimate.

Vendors and Acquisition Information

Tax Exempt Scientific Equipment and Chemicals:
Under Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 42-5061(B)14), ARS 42-5159(B)(14), ARS 42-5061(A)(38), and ARS 42-5159(A)(35), the University qualifies to make tax exempt purchases of machinery or equipment and chemicals used in research and development (R&D) as that term is defined by the State. For the various exemption statement based on the category of the item being purchased please visit: https://www.fso.arizona.edu/tax-services/az-sales-use/rd-exemptions.