Purchasing Quick Reference

Finance Contacts:

See also:  Who Does What in the Hub and Alphabetical Listing of Hub Staff

UW-Business Services Purchasing Home Page:  

https://businessservices.wisc.edu/purchasing/

Shopping Choices in Preferred Order:

1. MDS (Shop@UW)
2. Pcard - purchases UP TO $5,000
3. Purchase Order - purchases OVER $5,000

• For purchases over $5000, you must either:

• purchase from an eligible vendor with a current UW or State of Wisconsin purchasing contract OR
• do a 3-vendor quote (called a simplified bid)

• Further info:
  • Contracted Vendors - https://businessservices.wisc.edu/purchasing/contracts/ (use search all contracts)
  • Simplified Bid Process - https://businessservices.wisc.edu/purchasing/simplified-bid-process/
  • Sole Source justification: - https://businessservices.wisc.edu/documents/non-competitive-purchasing-request/

NOTE: You are not allowed to sign any contracts on behalf of the University, including software licenses.

e-Reimbursement:  

https://businessservices.wisc.edu/travel-reimbursement/

• Make sure to read the UW travel policy; traveler training is available.
• You MUST be a UW-authorized driver if driving ANY vehicle for UW business.
• You must book as much as possible through CONCUR (air, hotel, etc.)
• e-Reimbursement - must have receipts for most purchases. See the Receipt Requirements section of this page:  https://businessservices.wisc.edu/travel-reimbursement/getting-reimbursed/

See also:  Travel Resources

Concur Questions: 

Check with Laurie Ballentine in room 237.  Laurie also as a Pcard for the Hub that can be used to purchase travel or lab supplies.

Pcard Purchases:

• Ineligible vendors - check the ineligible vendor lists (there are 2): https://businessservices.wisc.edu/purchasing/how-to-make-a-purchase/how-to-buy-a-product/#buy-products
• Purchase limit - purchase must be under $5,000. You can NOT split the transaction up to meet this requirement.  That is considered serialized purchasing.
• Tax exemption - the UW is tax exempt with most purchases. There are some states that do not accept this.  Document that you attempted to make a tax exempt purchase. 
• Office Supplies - check MDS first. If you can’t find the item you want, check Staples.  They are the State-mandated vendor for office supplies.

Items That Require Special Approval:

See the Items Requiring Special Approval section of this page: 

https://businessservices.wisc.edu/purchasing/how-to-make-a-purchase/

Click to expand the Products and services requiring special approval box.