It is our department's preference to have our coordinators place orders for purchasing. Purchases of supplies and services to support the University's mission should be initiated and paid through one of the University's approved purchasing methods, such as Gateway or the FlexCard, instead of through a miscellaneous reimbursement.
The UCSB Gateway Amazon Prime punch-out business account provides free access to Amazon Prime, free 2-day shipping on Prime-eligible items, and additional discounts on millions of items only available through this business account.
The University's policy is to comply with IRS regulations regarding the provision and reimbursement of miscellaneous business expenses and to follow the IRS "Accountable Plan" rules. All miscellaneous purchases of goods and services should be initiated and paid through Gateway or FlexCard. Purchases made outside of these channels are generally considered unauthorized and are discouraged.
According to policy, reimbursement may not be granted if the campus determines that the purchase was not critical or that a higher price was paid than what a contracted vendor would charge. Procurement Services is currently reviewing reimbursement requests and may decline some or all expenses claimed.
If you are purchasing items independently and requesting reimbursement, you are assuming the risk of not receiving reimbursement. Your request must be submitted through the Concur system.
Gateway
Gateway is the official UCSB procurement service. Begin your purchase by logging in to Gateway. Items for purchase would include all office supplies, print materials, books, electronics, furniture, supplies for business meetings, etc.
Service Vendors/Suppliers not on Gateway
When a vendor is considered, and they are not currently on the Gateway website listed as providers, we need to contact the procurement department and provide them with a quote that details the service that is being considered. This process needs to happen before the service is rendered. If the service is rendered before the vendor is added, there is a chance that the vendor will not be approved by the procurement department and thus the vendor will not be paid. Please contact our financial department if you have any questions regarding this process to avoid any issues.
Flexcard
If the vendor you wish to use does not accept purchase orders (POs), there is an option to use the FlexCard, which is the department's purchasing credit card. The FlexCard should only be used when the supplier does not accept POs or when the supplier is not in the Gateway system and the order is a rush. However, there are limitations on what purchases can be made using the FlexCard.
Memberships may be paid on the employee's behalf using the university FlexCard. Lifetime memberships require a higher level of approval. To make a membership purchase, please contact a financial analyst for more information on the process.
When providing gift cards as a non-cash award, please provide an editable list of gift card recipients, their emails, the vendor name on the gift card, the amount, and the date of receipt. Faculty members should inform their finance representative and provide them with a list of gift cards. This is required by BFS. It is highly recommended that gift card purchases be placed through Gateway or through the department's FlexCard, so that faculty members do not have to pay out of pocket.
University Policy on Non-Cash Gifts for Employees.
University Policy on Gifts to Non-Employees.
Package Delivery
Packages are delivered to PASC daily from various vendors. The front desk staff located in 5206 and 4206 receive the packages on a daily basis and will notify you once your package has been received and is available for pick-up. Packages can be picked up daily from 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm.