Office of the Provost
Finance & Administration
Procurement & Travel
Policy and Guidelines
October 27, 2015
https://www.washington.edu/cms/provost/finance-administration/hr/
Procurement & Travel
“Procurement” refers to the purchasing of and payment for all goods and services
required by Provost units in the performance of their work for UW. Examples:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Office supplies
Computers
Paper shredding services
Bottled water services
Honoraria
Consulting services
Independent contractors
Legal services
Equipment rentals (e.g. office equipment, equipment for events)
Room/venue rentals
Food for meetings/events
UW business travel
Procurement & Travel
Procurement and Travel topics to be covered in this training session:
o Spending Approvals
o Roles and responsibilities
o Scenarios:
• Service contract under $10K
• Service contract over $10K
• Equipment purchases
• Out-of-pocket expenses (non-travel)
• Domestic travel
• International travel
•
Food Policy
•
Invoices/Receipts
Spending Approvals
Managers/Supervisors
Unit Approvers
Org Approvers
Approval of:
• General office supplies
• Non-asset equipment
(under $2K)
• Reimbursements for
direct reports
Approval of:
• Asset equipment ($2K
or greater)
• Contracts below $10K
• Reimbursements for
managers/supervisors
• Travel for unit
members
Approval of:
• Contracts above $10K
• Reimbursements for
unit approvers
• Travel for unit
approvers
Roles & Responsibilities – Unit Members
Requesting unit provides the “5-Ws” to Provost F&A ….
o WHO:
o WHAT:
o WHERE:
o WHEN:
o WHY:
Vendor name and information
Services or goods
Foreign or domestic vendor; local or
outside of WA state
Dates of service or delivery
Justification for this purchase
Roles & Responsibilities – Provost F&A
Provost F&A takes the “5-Ws” and determine the HOW:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Procard
Corporate Travel Account (CTA)
eReimbursement
eTravel
eProcurement Catalog or Non-Catalog Order
P2I (Payment to Individual)
BPO (Blanket Purchase Order)
Non-PO invoice
Service Contracts
Payment to an outside individual (non-UW employee) OR
business entity for non-tangible services to your unit
o
o
o
o
o
o
Professional development consultants
Executive search firms
Legal/audit services
Event management
Space/venue rental
IT services
Service Contracts <$10,000
Scenario: Mr. Roboto
The Provost’s Office of R2D2 Research is interested in hiring a consultant to provide guidance on
developing a robot that can make the morning coffee and straighten up the conference room at
the beginning of each day. R2D2 has been in touch with another department on campus that
undertook a similar project to replace all of their staff with robots.
That department used a self-employed consultant who specializes
in robotics in academic settings. R2D2 Research would like to hire
this same consultant to customize the characteristics of it’s
coffee-making robot and make sure that it knows how to make
really good coffee. This will be a one-time work assignment and
The consultant will be paid at the end of his services.
What does R2D2 Research need to do?
Service Contracts <$10,000
Step 1:
R2D2 obtains the name and contact information of the consultant (Dr. Zachary Smith).
Step 2: R2D2 contacts Dr. Smith and requests a Scope of
Work and price quote from him after discussing
the project needs via Skype (he and the Robinsons
are in an outer galaxy at the moment).
Step 3: R2D2 receives Dr. Smith’s Scope of Work and price
quote. It indicates that he is proposing to do all
credit: New Line Cinema
the work for a lump sum of $5,000.
Step 3:
The price is below the Direct Buy limit of $10,000, so neither competitive bidding nor solesource justification is required. UW Purchasing does not need to review the Scope of Work or
develop/approve a formal contract for services.
Step 4:
R2D2 gives Dr. Smith their approval to proceed with the work.
Step 5:
Dr. Smith completes his work and submits his final report to R2D2.
o He presents them with his invoice for $5,000.
o He indicates that he cannot accept credit card payments since he is 2 light-years from
earth, so it is not possible to pay him using a UW Procard.
Service Contracts <$10,000
Step 6: R2D2 accepts Dr. Smith’s report and agrees to pay his invoice.
o They forward the completed Scope of Work and invoice to Provost F&A.
o They provide F&A with Dr. Smith’s permanent (earth) address, his citizenship, and his
US Taxpayer ID number (Social Security number).
Step 7: Provost F&A creates an online Ariba/Payment to Individual (P2I) request.
Step 8: F&A may need help from R2D2 help in completing the P2I section where
“Independent Contractor” status is evaluated:
o Does this individual currently work for the University as an employee?
o Does the University have the right to tell the individual when, where and how the
work is to be performed?
o Is compensation made on a regularly recurring basis (e.g. weekly, monthly)?
o Does the individual provide the same or similar service to other entities or to the
public as part of a trade or business?
o Does the University and the individual intend the working relationship to be that of
'independent contractor' and document such intent in a written agreement?
Service Contracts <$10,000
Step 9: F&A submits the completed P2I request for internal approvals and UW Accounts
Payable processing. A/P will issue a check in the amount of the invoice and send it
directly to the consultant at the address provided.
Service Contracts Over $10K
Before engaging in any kind of request for proposals or bid process, touch
base with a Provost F&A team member for guidance on how to proceed
F&A works directly with Procurement Services to guide you on the following
o Reviewing pre-approved vendors with existing UW contracts
o Navigating competitive bids vs sole source justification
o Reviewing competitive bids and documenting selection process
o Developing and setting contract terms
o Enabling vendors as a UW supplier
o Setting up invoicing and payment process
Service Contracts over $10K
Scenario: Mandatory Fun
The Office of Mandatory Workplace Fun (OMWF - a division of the Provost Org) is
tasked with implementing a year-long pilot program to promote a fun and happy
workplace environment. The OMWF Program Manager, Mary Sunshine, would like to
hire an outside consultant group to advise the OMWF on what “fun” and “happy”
mean; as well as to create, implement, and facilitate a series of “fun and happy”
events for all employees within the Provost Org.
Mary did a 5-minute web search and found a
consultant company that had a 5-star review on
Yelp. Given the length of the program and the
depth of services provided, she is anticipating
the full service fee will be over $10K.
What are the next steps?
credit: New Line Cinema
Service Contracts over $10K
STOP
Talk to an F&A team member BEFORE engaging further with any
proposed supplier!
Contact F&A
Team and
provide the
5Ws
F&A Contacts
UW
Procurement
Services
UW Procurement
Services review
case and advise
on next steps
Follow up from Procurement Services will require the following steps:
o Formal RFP and competitive bid process OR sole source justification
o Review of currently contracted UW suppliers
o Drafting of contract language and setting of pricing terms (executed between
Procurement Services and the Supplier directly)
Purchasing Computers & Equipment
Scenario: Food & Fun
The Provost Staff Food & Fun (F&F) Office laptop computer is 5 years old, the battery will not
recharge, and it runs on Windows 3.0. It is beyond it’s 3 year warranty and UWIT cannot update
or repair it. As a result, the F&F Manager, Patty Partee, would like to buy a new laptop.
F&F has also never had a camera to take photographs of the events they host for their monthly
newsletter. They have used phone cameras to date, but the quality of the photos is not very
good. Therefore, the F&F Events Coordinator, Innsta Gramm, would like to buy a digital camera.
What are the next steps?
credit: 123rf.com
Purchasing Computers & Equipment
Step 1: F&F does research to determine the specific brand, model, and price of the laptop and
camera they wish to purchase. (Note: UWIT does not support Macs/Apple products).
Step 2: Patty and Innsta request Unit approval to purchase the laptop and camera.
Step 3: Patty determines the appropriate budget to charge (usually 01- or 06- GOF budgets).
Step 4: Patty determines the most appropriate purchasing method (in this order of preference):
o Ariba/eProcurement catalogs (e.g. CDW/G for computers & peripherals):
• Anyone with a UW NetID can access eProcurement and place orders.
• Quickest method – all ordering and approvals online through Ariba.
• Cheapest method – UW preferred prices; no processing required.
o UW Procard: online or in-person from retailer
• Provost Staff with a Procard can purchase for you.
• No out-of-pocket funds needed to make purchase.
• Requires reconciling of charge by unit staff and F&A.
o Personal credit card/cash: in-person purchase from retailer or online purchase:
• Purchaser must prepare a reimbursement request, obtain approvals, and submit it to
F&A for processing in Ariba/eReimbursement.
• Reimbursements take a few days for processing (direct deposit to bank account).
Purchasing Computers & Equipment
Step 5: Patty decides to purchase an HP EliteBook Folio 9480m laptop computer ($2,502) :
o She logs in to Ariba/eProcurement, selects the CDW/G catalog, searches for this
HP laptop in the CDW/G catalog, and follows the prompts to place the order.
o The order is auto-routed to designated Provost Org approvers; once approved, the
order is finalized.
o CDW/G configures laptop based on UWIT standards and ships it to Patty.
o Patty collects original Ariba order paperwork and shipping label/confirmation and
forwards to Provost F&A for reconciling of the charge.
o Patty provides F&A with the laptop’s serial
number for listing in the EIO equipment database
(> $2,000 threshold for State assets).
o F&A forwards an inventory tag to Patty
to affix to laptop.
credit: Digital Equipment Corporation
Purchasing Computers & Equipment
Step 6: Innsta decides to purchase a Canon EOS Rebel T6i digital camera ($749.99):
o Innsta checks Ariba/eProcurement, but none of the UW Supplier catalogs offer this
model. She decides to purchase the camera from a local retailer.
o Innsta goes to Glazer Camera to purchase the camera; she asks the salesman to
charge a UW Procard and provides the card details; if necessary, the salesman can call
the person whose name is on the Procard for confirmation.
o Innsta forwards the Glazer Camera detailed receipt, the budget to be charged, and the
business purpose of the purchase to the Procard holder.
o Procard holder reconciles charge on his/her Procard to the budget provided by F&F.
o Innsta provides digital camera details
to F&A for listing in the equipment inventory
database as a “non-inventory” asset (<$2,000).
F&A forwards equipment tag to Inna to affix
to the camera.
credit: kodakcameracollection.com
Out-of-Pocket Expenses (Non-Travel)
Scenario: Let Them Eat Cake
Sally Soshial in the Provost’s Office volunteered to purchase flowers and a cake for a spontaneous
all-staff celebration to be hosted by the Provost the following day. The next morning on her way
to work, Sally stopped at QFC to buy the flowers and cake. Everyone enjoyed the celebration but
most thought the cake was a little dry.
Can Sally be reimbursed for her out-of-pocket purchases?
credit: huffingtonpost
Out-of-Pocket Expenses (Non-Travel)
Step 1: Questions to be answered before making the purchase:
o Is the celebration just for a few individuals or is it meant to be an all-office
event?
All Office
o Is the celebration part of a formal employee recognition program?
No
o Is the celebration integral to a staff training exercise (> 2 hours long)?
No
o What budget will this purchase be charged to?
Discretionary (64-xxxx) Budget
Step 2: Sally purchases the flowers and cake and obtains a detailed receipt for the
purchase from QFC. (Note: a credit card slip alone is not sufficient)
Step 3: Everyone eats cake and is happy.
Step 4: Sally completes an Out-of-Pocket Non-Travel Reimbursement Request Form,
attaches the QFC receipt, and submits the form and receipt to Provost F&A.
Out-of-Pocket Expenses (Non-Travel)
Step 5: F&A enters the reimbursement request details into the Ariba
eReimbursement tool and submits it for internal online approval.
Step 6: Once fully approved, A/P pays reimbursement to Innsta by direct deposit.
(Note: reimbursements for non-UW individuals are paid by check and mailed
to the individual’s permanent address.)
Procurement: Policy on Purchase of Food
FUNDING TYPE
GOF
Budgets
DOF
Budgets
Self-Sustaining/Fee
Based Budgets
Formal recognition – for
service recognition and
professional awards
Not
allowed
Limit of $200 per event.
Limit includes combined
cost of gift and light
refreshments only
Limit of $200 per event
Limit includes gift and
light refreshments only
Working meals, UW
employees - for retreats,
trainings, and meetings > 2
hours scheduled outside of
normal standing meetings
Not
allowed
Up to per diem meal
limit per person
Up to per diem meal
limit per person
Up to per diem meal 
limit per person if

allowable by

sponsor
Food Form
List of attendees
Agenda or
business purpose
Hosting non-UW individuals Not
- invited guests/visitors,
allowed
search candidates
Up to per diem meal
limit for non-UW
individuals
Up to per diem meal
limit for non-UW
individuals
Up to per diem meal 
limit per person if

allowable by

sponsor
Food Form
List of attendees
Agenda or
business purpose
EVENT OR MEETING
Sponsored Grant/
Gift Budgets
FORMS/DOCUMENTS
REQUIRED PRIOR TO
EVENT OR PURCHASE

Not allowed

Food Form (if
food is purchased)
List of attendees
NOTES:
• NO ALCOHOL PERMITTED ON ANY OF THE FUNDING TYPES ABOVE.
• For food/beverage refreshments, meals, or gift expenses that do not fall into the above scenarios, contact Provost F&A for guidance.
• Formal recognition is defined here: www.washington.edu/admin/hr/roles/mgr/ee-recognition/develop-progrm.html Voluntary separation
does not fall under the category of formal recognition. Please contact Provost F&A for purchasing guidance.
• UW Food Form: http://f2.washington.edu/fm/ps/sites/default/files/food.pdf
• Per diem meal limits: http://f2.washington.edu/fm/travel/meals#perdiem
Travel: Domestic
Scenario: Deb does Fargo
Deb DoLittle of the Provost’s Office of Bureaucracy would like to attend the 2016 annual
Professional State Workers in Academia (PSWA) conference to be held February 2-3, 2016 in
Fargo, ND. The conference ends on Wednesday (Feb 3), but Deb would like to extend her trip
through Saturday (Feb 6) so she can attend the 43rd International Snow Shoveling competition
that weekend, returning to Seattle on Sunday (Feb 7).
What does Deb need to Do?
credit: working title films
Travel: Domestic
Step 1: Deb prepares a Travel Approval Request Form and submits it for approval prior to
incurring any expenses (including the conference registration fee). Once the trip is
approved, Deb can proceed with the following steps:
Step 2: Pay conference registration fee:
o Deb asks a co-worker if she can use their UW Procard to charge the fee.
o If a Procard is not available – or if credit card payments are not accepted – then Deb
pays with her own credit card or check.
Step 3: Reserve/Pay for flights:
o Deb contacts a travel agent to book her flights.
o Booking through STA Travel, Tangerine Travel, Travel Leaders, and Passport Travel
allows for the airfare to be charged to the Provost CTA. Provost F&A must approve
use of the CTA in advance in every case. This is the easiest and most efficient way to
purchase flights.
o If Deb chose to purchase her flights online or with another travel agent, then she will
be required to pay with personal funds and request reimbursement.
Travel: Domestic
Step 3A: Comparison Airfare:
o Required when adding extra time before or after the UW business portion of a trip
for personal reasons (UW Policy).
o The comparison fare is based on flight days/times that would reflect the shorter
period of travel for the conference alone.
o Deb asks her travel agent to provide a comparison fare at the same time they book
her actual flights.
o Reimbursement is limited to the lower of either the comparison fare or the actual
fare.
Mon
2/1
Tues
2/2
Travel
Wed
2/3
Conference
Thu
2/4
Fri
2/5
(Travel)
Comparison Flights/Fare
Actual Flights/Fare
Sat
2/6
Personal Days
Sun
2/7
Travel: Domestic
Step 4: Reserve a Room:
o Lodging Per Diem: Room rate must not exceed the designated lodging per diem for
the destination (UW Travel policy).
o Exceptions: Exceptions to the per diem policy must be requested and approved in
advance of the trip by the Unit head (i.e. include in the Travel Approval Request
Form).
o Exceptions are made only for the following reasons, which must be documented
based on Travel Office rules (it’s their call ultimately):
• Conference hotel
• Lower cost overall
• Suite required
• Special event or disaster
• ADA or Safety/Health
• Non-UW guest traveler
o Deb books a room at the official conference hotel and pays using personal funds. If
this lodging was for a non-UW guest traveler, the reservation can be booked and
paid for with the Provost CTA.
Travel: Domestic
Step 5: Deb travels to the conference and learns that Fargo is way too cold in February. She
incurs the following expenses, and retains a detailed receipt for every expense:
o Taxi fares (travel to/from airports). Reimbursable?
o
o
o
o
o
o
Yes.
Meals. Reimbursable?
Yes. Meals per diem based on Fargo rates for Feb 1-5 only (business portion of trip).
Exclude meals provided by conference/hotel.
Tips for hotel concierge/bellhop. Reimbursable?
No. Personal expenses are considered part of “incidentals” in meals per diem.
Hotel room fee and taxes. Reimbursable?
Lodging per diem based on Fargo rates for Feb 1-4 only (business portion of trip). Any
lodging per diem exception must be documented.
Hotel internet. Reimbursable?
Yes – for Feb 1-4 only (business portion of trip).
Hotel restaurant or mini-bar charge. Reimbursable?
No. Meals/incidentals covered by meals per diem.
Rental car for Friday and Saturday. Reimbursable?
No. The car was not needed for the business portion of the trip.
Travel: Domestic
Step 6:
When she returns to Seattle, Deb prepares a Travel Reimbursement Request Form and
attaches the following:
o all original receipts (credit card slips alone are not sufficient)
o flight booking confirmation/itinerary showing airfare
o conference announcement or agenda showing the dates and location of the
conference.
o Documentation supporting any request for a lodging per diem exception.
Step 7:
Provost F&A creates a travel expense report in Ariba/eTravel and submits it for online
approval and processing by the Travel Office.
Step 8:
The Travel Office directs the reimbursement to Deb’s bank account as a direct deposit.
(Note: reimbursements for non-UW individuals are paid by check and mailed
to the individual’s permanent address.)
Travel: Foreign
Scenario: Max in the Outback
Max is traveling to Kalgoorlie, Australia to attend a professional leadership
survival course training, “Surviving the Outback and Higher Ed Bureaucracy”.
The program runs from Nov. 1-7. Max plans to fly in to Kalgoorlie the evening
on Oct. 31st and fly back the evening of Nov. 7 (no personal time taken). He
has found a direct flight to/from Kalgoorlie that is 18 hours long—he would
like to book business class airfare due to the length of the flight.
What does Max need to do?
Travel: Foreign
Step 1: Max prepares a Travel Approval Request Form
Step 2: Pay conference registration fee
Step 3: Booking business class airfare (18 hour flight meets the criteria for exception)
o
o
o
Max obtains approval of one time business class airfare purchase from his Vice
Provost (documented via email)
Max first tries to apply his UW frequent flier miles to upgrade. However, his travel
dates are during the blackout period, so they cannot be applied
Max works with STA Travel and books the airfare to charge to the Provost CTA. He is
sure to submit the business class approval to Provost F&A along with his booking
confirmation documenting the charge.
Max’s program involves building his own shelter in the Outback. No lodging expenses
incurred.
Travel: Foreign
Step 4: Now that Max’s travel dates are established, he submits the UW Employee
Abroad Reporting Form
Step 5: Max travels to the conference, survives, and requests reimbursement for the
following expenses using the Travel Reimbursement Request Form.
o Taxi fares (travel to/from airports). Reimbursable?
Yes.
o Meals. Reimbursable?
Yes, up to allowed per diem limit for the location.
o Dry cleaning. Reimbursable?
No. Dry cleaning is considered an “incidental” already covered in the meals per diem
allowance.
o Global data plan for personal mobile phone. Reimburseable?
Yes.
o Foreign transaction fees for reimburseable expenses paid on Max’s personal
credit card?
No. Foreign transaction fees are also considered “incidentals” covered by the per diem meal
allowance.
Travel: Provost Central Travel Account (CTA)
Provost CTA
Primary Uses:
o Airfare: UW employees and non-UW guests/visitors on UW business.
o Lodging: non-UW guests only on UW business.
Process/Airfare:
o Use of the CTA to charge airfare must be requested from Provost F&A.
o We have arrangements with several travel agencies who are set up to direct-bill the CTA
with prior F&A approval (e.g STA Travel).
o To book flights, the requestor contacts one of the agents to request an airfare quote
based on the destinations and flight preferences of the traveler and inform the agent that
the airfare will be charged to the Provost CTA.
o Once the desired flights/itinerary are selected, the booking agent contacts F&A for
approval to charge the airfare to the CTA.
Travel: Provost Central Travel Account (CTA)
Provost CTA
Process/Airfare (continued):
o The agent sends the booking confirmation and itinerary to the staff member making the
purchase and copies Provost F&A.
o The requestor forwards booking confirmation and itinerary to Provost F&A, including the
purpose of the trip.
o F&A reconciles the expense at the end of the month and charges it to the appropriate
budget.
Process/Lodging (Non-UW guests only):
o Use of the CTA to book and pay for lodging for a non-UW guest must be requested from
Provost F&A.
o The requestor selects the hotel based on the non-UW guest’s needs and forwards the
details of the stay (dates, name of guest, no. of rooms, acceptable costs) to Provost F&A.
REFRESHER: Procard
Procard: Refresher for Cardholders
Typical charges on the Procard:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Conference registration fees
Individual membership dues
Online subscriptions
Fedex/UPS courier charges
Equipment/supplies that cannot be purchased via eProcurement (e.g. Apple products)
Food for office events/meetings (on food-approved budgets only)
Absolutely NO travel expenses are allowable on the Procard
Procard holders should retain all documentation and submit transaction log and receipts at the end of
the month to Provost F&A. Acceptable documentation includes:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Proof of payment
Amount
Date of service/purchase
Name of purchaser
Business purpose of purchase
Budget # (only if the charge is to billed to a unit outside of the Provost Org)
Procurement: Invoices/Receipts
o Original invoices and receipts are required for all purchases and expenses (Provost Org
policy).
o Credit card slips are not considered receipts since they provide no itemization of what was
purchased.
o Invoices/receipts smaller than 8.5x11 in. should be taped to an 8.5x11 in. sheet. Please do
not staple – we need to scan the documents.
o If a receipt is not available or missing, the purchaser must complete and sign a Perjury
Statement.
o For goods that are shipped, the packing slip and/or shipping label should be removed from
the package in which it was shipped and included as documentation of the purchase.
source pointofsale.com
Office of the Provost
Finance & Administration
Q&A
October 27, 2015
https://www.washington.edu/cms/provost/finance-administration/hr/