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Purchasing Utility Carts

In an effort to assist departments with selecting utility carts that can be used safely on and near campus, Fleet Management has implemented a new Utility Cart Request Form.  This must be completed prior to purchasing a utility cart.  Additionally, Fleet Management and Risk Management have updated the Utility Cart Policy which is now shorter and easier to understand.  More information can also be found on Fleet Management’s Utility Cart Purchasing Guidelines page.  Once the cart acquisition has been approved through the Cart Request Form, all purchases should be placed through a BuyBama non-catalog purchase order unless another method of order placement has been approved through Purchasing.  Catherine Johnson in Purchasing can assist your department through the cart request and purchasing process.

New buyBAMA Catalog Vendor – Consolidus

We are excited to share that we have added a new Catalog Vendor to the buyBAMA eProcurement system. Consolidus offers promotional products and is licensed to work with The University of Alabama. Their custom site is now available in buyBAMA, under the General section. While they are a contract vendor for the University, you are not required to use Consolidus.  As a reminder, when using Consolidus, you will still need to submit the Branding and Licensing Form, prior to proceeding with your order.  For any Purchasing related questions about this vendor, please contact Meagan Stockton, mlstockton@ua.edu.

2024 Procurement Contract Vendor Fair

Please join us on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, as Procurement Services hosts a Contract Vendor Fair in The University of Alabama Student Center Ballroom from 10:00 AM until 1:30 PM.  Many of our current Contract Vendors will be on hand to showcase the products and services they provide for the University. We will have food and door prizes. We invite all UA Faculty and Staff to come meet our representatives face-to-face and learn more about their products and services.  There will be staff members from Procurement Services present throughout the day to assist and answer questions as well.  If you have any questions, please email Meagan Stockton at mlstockton@ua.edu.

Don’t forget to add the Contract Vendor Fair to your calendar! 

Enterprise Car Rental Billing Accounts

  • December 8th, 2023
  • in News

Departments can set up billing accounts with Enterprise to facilitate the billing and payment process for your car rentals.  Billing accounts are particularly helpful when a physical UA P-Card cannot be presented by the traveler when picking up the vehicle (for example, when UA guests arrive at the Birmingham airport for a campus visit).  If you need to set up a billing account with Enterprise, please review the instructions in the National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Reservation Guidelines on the Purchasing website.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Catherine Johnson.  The process to set up a billing account should be started at least one week prior to the rental in order to ensure adequate time to set up the account.  When billed, you can then use the UA P-Card to pay for the car rental.

New Director of Purchasing

Procurement Services is pleased to announce that Mary Katherine Weaver has accepted the Director of Purchasing position.  Mary Katherine has served as the Director of Accounts Payable for the last 8 years.  Please help us congratulate Mary Katherine on her new position.

Fiscal Year-End 2023 Reminder

With FY2023 ending in a few short weeks, it is important to note the below dates to ensure that Procurement Services can process all orders and post all transactions to Banner within the Financial Accounting deadlines:

  • New bids should have been requested by Friday, September 1, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
  • buyBama Purchase Orders must be created and approved by Friday, September 22, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
  • Concur PO Invoices that have been assigned to users need to be submitted and approved as soon as possible for purchase orders where the product has been delivered.  For questions regarding Concur PO Invoices, contact Accounts Payable.
  • Concur Invoices must be submitted, approved by all approvers, and to Accounts Payable for processing by Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
  • Concur Expense Reports must be submitted, approved by all approvers, and to Accounts Payable and P-Card for processing by Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.

Banner Encumbrances will roll forward on Monday, October 16, 2023

Sam’s Club Purchases

Just a reminder as the new Fall semester begins, the University has established a new process to enable departments to purchase items from Sam’s Club.  Departments will NO LONGER be required to pick up a Sam’s Club UA Membership Card from the Procurement Services Building.

Departments may now purchase their own Sam’s Club Membership for departmental use only.  Memberships should be set up as tax exempt, include your @ua.edu e-mail address and be established through the Sam’s Club Membership Service Desk.  All Sam’s Club purchases should be paid for with the UA Purchasing Card.  UA Tax Exempt information can be found on the Tax Office website. Personal purchases are not allowable on the membership card.

The P-Card Policy, Purchasing Policy, & Spending Policies should be reviewed prior to obligating University funds for purchases to ensure appropriate policies and procedures are followed.

Things Purchasing Considers When Reviewing Requests

Have you ever wondered, “why is Purchasing concerned about that”, when you are trying to order something?  Here is a behind the scenes look at just some of the things Purchasing has to consider when approving a purchase.  First, we must consider the State of Alabama bid laws.  These laws were created in an attempt to manage the spending policies of governmental agencies that receive funding from your tax dollars.  While far from perfect, these laws attempt to ensure businesses have a fair and equal opportunity to do business with these governmental entities that are funded by their tax dollars.  Second, we must consider the University’s policies and procedures as they relate to purchasing.  These policies and procedures are in place to ensure the proper oversight and approval of expenditures.

Purchasing is involved in various other reviews and decisions that are considered before a purchase is approved.  Just a few examples are:

  1. if the vendor is performing work on campus, do they have the proper insurance to cover us in the event of an accident,
  2. do we need a Vendor Disclosure Statement to identify any potential conflicts of interest between the vendor and UA,
  3. are there any concerns with fire, safety and ADA requirements/codes,
  4. do we need to involve Environmental Health & Safety to review due to the nature of the products,
  5. do we need to involve UA Facilities to review the space and energy requirements of the equipment,
  6. does the purchase involve import or export concerns,
  7. do we need to ensure the vendor is registered with the National E-Verify program,
  8. other decisions involve HIPAA laws, Child Protection requirements, Non-Disclosure Agreements, and various other considerations that may be involved in a wide variety of purchases.

Purchasing at a public university involves state laws, policies and procedures that are different from purchasing in the private sector since the funding used to make these purchases comes from public tax dollars.  Hopefully, this peek behind the curtain of UA Purchasing will give you some better insight to the challenges of public procurement.

Who in Purchasing Can Help Me?

Well, the answer to that question is that any Purchasing staff member will be glad to help you!  But, Purchasing does have a resource available that can help identify the best Senior Buyer to help you.  Purchasing maintains a Buyer Commodities list that can be accessed from Purchasing’s staff directory webpage.  The commodity list can assist with identifying the Senior Buyer that manages the category that best fits your question.  Managed categories do change from time to time, so this list can be a valuable resource.  If you are still unsure of who to contact, please email purchasing@ua.edu or call 205-348-5230 for assistance.

Software Purchasing Tips

While software purchases should be treated like other purchases in regards to the University’s Purchasing Guidelines, there are some unique aspects to consider.  Please see tips below for software purchases:

  • Always check UA OIT’s software catalog first to see if the software you are seeking, or a similar tool, is already available.  If you, or someone else in your department, has a question about an existing software tool’s capabilities, contact Cathy Rainey.  OIT may have a software tool that fits your department’s need.
  • If not available through OIT, please check to see if available through a UA Approved Contract vendor.  If you are not sure if the software is available from a contract vendor, please reach out to Purchasing for assistance.
  • If you know the software you are seeking will be over $75,000, please contact Purchasing early in the process for guidance as the software may be subject to bid requiring additional steps.
  • Most software companies require the licensee (UA in this case) to sign an agreement of some type.  Any agreement that requires a signature will need to be submitted through Contract Management’s Procurement Contract Portal for review and execution.

OIT typically reviews all technology agreements prior to execution, however, it may be beneficial to seek their guidance early in the process to ensure there are no concerns with support for your acquisition before getting too far into the process. OIT recommends reviewing and adhering to their IT Use Guidelines for Software as a Service (SAAS) acquisitions.