Purchasing and Travel

•  How do I get reimbursed for travel, supplies, or entertainment expenses? 
• The first step is to obtain the associated form (all linked above). Then you follow the below steps: 
  1. Fill out a travel/supply/entertainment form with actual expenses incurred from the trip. 
  2. Provide itemized paid receipts. Receipts are required for items that cost more than $75, but please try to provide receipts for all expenses 
            •Missing required receipts over $75? Please fill out a Declaration of Lost Evidence Form and attach it to the payment request in PrePurchasing. 
  3. Enter the request for reimbursement into the PrePurchasing System (OPP). 
           •Refer to this link with instructions for entering a request in PrePurchasing: https://ucdavis.app.box.com/file/779452394216?s=m2wkigqe3fwkmbgkzq5xxt7jgbrdpbp6 
  4. Upload the form and all receipts to the PrePurchasing request, and submit the request once done. 
  5. The request will be reviewed and approved by a department approver and account manager. Once approved, the request will be routed Shared Services Purchasing & AP. 
  6. Shared Services Purch & AP will then initiate the reimbursement in AggieTravel. The requestor will be notified by email to log into AggieTravel, review the reimbursement report, and submit it for final review and payment. 
   
  All purchases, with the exception of “emergency” items needed immediately for teaching or research purposes, should be initiated in PrePurchasing and processed through the COE-SSC and not by using personal funds with the intent of being reimbursed. 
   
  In order to ensure we are efficiently following purchasing and supply reimbursement guidelines, all reimbursement requests for expenses that are incurred out-of-pocket should be submitted as soon as possible. 
   
  Please limit out-of-pocket purchases to emergencies. Employee reimbursement requests are considered high-risk transactions and may not be approved. 
   
  Itemized receipts must be provided to the business office showing proof of payment 
   
  Computer and IT purchases must be pre-approved by the COE IT team.  
   
  If you have any questions or would like the department to assist you in submitting a reimbursement request, email [email protected]. 
• How do I buy something? 

• Department guidelines for purchasing goods OR services can be found at this link. 

  PIs, and their approved delegates, initiate the orders in Prepurchasing for routing to the COE Shared Service Center (COE-SSC) for processing.  Financial approval is necessary for each order and will be completed by the associated research administrator.  The research administrator is responsible for reviewing the budget information and confirming that the item seems reasonable for the project.  

  If you need access to Prepurchasing, please have your faculty sponsor contact their assigned research administrator. 

  Please note that a unique order is required for each vendor; do not combine orders for multiple vendors.

  While the business purpose is not a required field, the PI is responsible for knowing the justification for purchases charged to an extramural account and will need to provide this information in the event of an audit.  It is strongly advised that the business purpose field be completed, referencing the benefit to the project for orders on extramural accounts.

  Once an item is delivered, it is your responsibility to mark the order “received” in PrePurchasing for audit compliance.

  Scenarios that are not processed in Prepurchasing: 
  •    Request for service such as editing, indexing, and transcription must be reviewed by campus Contracting Services. This can take 4-6 weeks. Please do not pay out of your pocket for these expenses. 
  •    Payments for work, such as research assistants, must be processed through payroll. Absolutely no work should be completed by the prospective employee before the person has signed employment paperwork. 

• What is considered unauthorized purchasing? 
• An unauthorized purchase is one where a purchase is made on behalf of the university without the appropriate approvals being secured first. Please check here for more information. 
• How do I order equipment?  

• All orders are submitted via Prepurchasing.  

  Equipment orders should include an Equipment Eligibility checklist.   

  Please be aware that international orders may have additional restrictions required by sponsors.  Please discuss all international equipment orders with your research administrator. 

  The custodial codes for equipment orders are 3973 for research and 3972 for department/instruction. 

• How do I make purchases with AggieEnterpirse? 

• Aggie Enterprise purchasing allows university employees to process and complete catalog purchases from many of the same suppliers they used in AggieBuy. 

  To request access, please email Brooke Noonan, Department CAO, who will work with the college security liaisons on granting you access.  

  Approved users will create their shopping cart using AggieEnterprise and will then submit their finalized order through the PrePurchasing system. Note: the first time you log into AggieEnterprise --> Procurement, you will need to set your preferences. Please review the KB article for instructions. 

  For step-by-step instructions, please view our How To Guide.  

  Learn more about the changes with Aggie Enterprise here. 

Travel