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UW Finance

Procurement

Topics

Click on the image to view Procurement Process Overview 
Click on the image to view the Buying Decision Guide 

        

       

Fundamental Information

Getting Started

  • Contracts : The University has contracts for many goods and services that are managed by a UW Buyer. This is the preferred way of doing business here at the UW.
  • Direct Buy : The dollar limit set by state law under which purchases may be made without securing competitive solicitation.
  • Solicitation : Informal or formal competition for purchasing.
  • Sole Source : Guidelines for using a Sole Source Justification
  • Subawards : Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) guidance for subaward management.
  • Supplier Diversity : Focuses on developing internal awareness regarding small, local and diverse suppliers.
  • Planning an Event : Catering, Conferences, Hotels etc.
  • Exception Items: Specialized items that require Central Office involvement.
  • Terms and Conditions : The documents here may relate to some but not all orders placed by the university.

How To Buy

Procurement Services have created strategic sourcing contracts for efficient and cost effective procurement utilizing Ariba, an online marketplace of supplier catalogs. This is the preferred way of purchasing at the UW. In instances when needed goods and services are not available in Ariba, a secondary option is available using a UW issued ProCurement Card, and finally as the least favorable option, submitting a request in Ariba to become a purchase order. If the supplier being used is not in the vendor database, see Supplier Registration section below.

In Ariba:

Outside Ariba:

  • Procard : A Visa purchasing card available for faculty and staff. eLearning training required.

Supplier Registration

If a contract cannot be utilized for the purchase being made, and we do not have the supplier in our vendor file, the supplier will need to register with the UW to do business.

How To Pay

Options for paying for commodities which may not have been ordered through the procurement options above.

In Ariba:

  • Non-PO Invoice : An online tool in ARIBA used to make a payment to a supplier when a PO is not required and the invoice is under the Direct Buy Limit. Tutorial.
  • Payments to Individuals : A form in ARIBA providing users a convenient means of making quick payments to an individual. Tutorial.
  • eReimbursements : eReimbursement is a form in ARIBA used to reimburse individuals for purchases of goods they have made on behalf of the UW. Tutorial.
  • Travel Expense Report (ER): A form in Ariba used to facilitate reimbursement of travel expenses. 

Outside Ariba:

Invoicing and Receiving

Information on management of invoices and associated tasks in Ariba. 

Order Management

Tools for managing changes or closures of existing orders in Ariba. 

Tools, Reports and Reconciliation

Reconciliation is the process of comparing transactions and activity to supporting documentation. There are a variety of reports available to accomplish fiscal needs. Departments should have a written policy for reconciliation on file. Department should reconcile on a monthly basis. 

Reconciliation:

  • MyFinancial.desktop and eLearnings : MyFinancial.desktop (MyFD) is a web interface for the University of Washington's Financial Accounting System (FAS) and provides an online reconciliation report campus can use for their reconciliation process. 
  • ProCard Reconciliation: Review of ProCard transaction within JPMorgan Chase system PaymentNet.

Reports and other Tools:

Access and System Roles

Access roles and set up to manage web based procurement, payment and reporting systems.

Other Considerations

  • Food Policy : What food expenditures are allowable. 
  • Ethics :  Identifying and managing potential conflicts of interest and other ethical questions as part of the University community.
  • Grant and Contract Accounting : GCA assists the UW community by facilitating the post award financial aspects of sponsored awards, from budget setup to closeout.
  • Moving Expenses : Options for paying for moving expenses for employees and labs. 
  • Tax Office : The tax office works collaboratively with all departments to reduce UW's tax burden and ensure compliance with international, federal, state, and city tax laws. 
  • Administrator Toolkit: Provide easy access to tools and resources necessary for administrators to manage compliance while maintaining and improving operational efficiencies. 
  • Equipment Inventory Office : Is responsible for the proper tagging, reporting, and controls over more than 64,000 equipment assets. 
  • Commodity Codes: Standard classification codes for products and services used to detail where money is spent within a company. 
  • Managed Print Services: UW program to efficiently manage equipment, service and supplies for multi-functional devices, copiers, printers, scanners and fax machines at cost savings over traditional lease and rental programs.
  • Internal Controls: Concept and framework for effective internal control policies and procedures.

Communications

General Resources