Purchasing Guidelines and Procedures
SOJC Business office 2014-15
The SOJC business office needs your help with the following items that cause delays in
payments. Please refer to these brief guidelines to ensure a timely, smooth process when making
purchases and submitting reimbursements. If you would like further information on any of these
policies, please let us know or refer to the UO main website. It’s always best to consult us
before purchasing if you are unclear about whether or not it is allowable.
Business Purpose
Anything paid with SOJC funds, (wholly or partially), paid directly or reimbursed, must have a
business purpose. We may occasionally ask for further clarification as to the business purpose
of the item. Please understand this is to satisfy auditors and follow UO policies and regulations.
In general, a Business Purpose should be written so that someone reading it at some future time
(e.g. 2-3 years later) would have no questions about the activity and why it was reimbursable.
The Business Purpose should answer five basic questions: 1. Who was involved in the activity
and what is their affiliation to SOJC? 2. What activity was performed? 3. Why was the activity
done and how did it benefit SOJC? 4. When did the activity occur? 5. Where did the activity
take place?
Property Ownership
Anything paid using SOJC funds, (wholly or partially), paid directly or reimbursed, is property
of the University of Oregon (SOJC). This applies even if the majority of funds are from another
source, such as a faculty's personal income. When you leave employment at SOJC all equipment
that is property of SOJC must be returned to SOJC.
Travel
Travel is approved by the Dean’s office before we can authorize airfare or process
reimbursements—no exceptions. First submit your completed “Employee travel funding
request” form to Udobong Obotette so that he can verify the availability of your suggested
funding source. He will forward it to the Dean’s office. Attach your conference
brochure/schedule to the form and remember to fill in the “actual # of days of
conference/meeting”. We cannot complete the airfare authorization form without this
information.
The back side of the “Employee travel funding request” form contains important and helpful
travel policies and information. This form is on our website and the back is a separate worksheet
(tab at the bottom of the Excel workbook).
If you are combining personal and business travel you must get a separate quote with just the
business portion of the trip before you book your actual travel itinerary and give it to Udobong
Obotette. If the business portion quote is less $ than the ticket you want to purchase, you must
pay the difference plus the service charge at the time of booking. One day before and one day
after the conference, convention, etc. is normally allowed for travel time. If your plans differ
from this we will need to provide an explanation to the UO central business office for extra hotel
nights and meals.
Upon returning, turn in a conference program with your receipts for reimbursement.
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Sabbatical travel requires additional approval outside SOJC which may take a few weeks.
Purchasing
1. Identify funding source
Identify the budget the purchase should come out of (i.e. Academic Support Account (ASA),
Chairship, Instructional, Technology, Communications, Events etc.). Indicate budget line and
confirm available funds in that budget line. If you are not using your own budget, you should
obtain prior approval from the budget holder to use their budget. For example, if you want to
host a visiting classroom lecturer and you don’t have your own budget, you would ask your Area
Director or the Associate Dean for funding and the budget line/index to pay for expenses related
to that. As budget holders they would confirm whether there are available funds in the
appropriate budget line/ index.
2. Identify vendor and complete pre-purchase forms
For technology equipment purchases- fill out the “tech purchase request form” on our website
which will generate an order ticket with the IT staff.
UO Catering, UO Print/Copy, UO Mailing and other UO service centers should be used instead
of outside vendors, unless you have a pre-approved exception.
To hire an individual to provide services, including but not limited to, consulting, interviewing,
researching, website building, speaking (including honorariums) please talk to us prior to the
services being provided. If a contract is required it may take up to 3 weeks and must be
completed before the services are provided.
A list of vendors that will allow you to purchase via direct bill (a.k.a.”on account” or “charged to
SOJC account”) is on our website.
3. Identify how to pay: Reimbursement, Direct Bill or Procurement card
Reimbursements: As per University policy the following can NOT be reimbursed. Please
arrange for us to pay for these items directly (Direct bill) to the vendor as opposed to paying
them yourself and then asking to be reimbursed.
 Payments for services such as consulting, interviewing, researching or transcription.
 Computer equipment including tablets and hard drives, printers, digital cameras,
traditional cameras or anything with a warranty. As the owner of the property, UO must be
listed as the warranty holder. Please submit requests for technology purchases using the
“Tech Purchase Request Form” on our website.
 Printing, copying, graphic design and photo processing.
These services and supplies can fall into taxable situations or warranty issues and therefore it is
not acceptable to pay a middle-person (you). The vendor must be paid directly (direct bill)
Procurement card: This is a UO credit card that allows Business Office staff to purchase certain
items and a few services. Things it may be helpful for: Last minute conference registrations,
items purchased from websites that won’t accept checks, recruitment advertising or items
purchased from a foreign country (due to exchange considerations). Contact us if you want to
discuss this option further.
4. Prepare Receipts, Invoices, Packing slips etc. for the Business office.
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Have the budget holder sign for approval of the purchase or approve via e-mail (carbon copy
Udobong Obotette). Write budget line or index on documents. In addition, whoever received
the item(s) should indicate receipt of the item(s) purchased and the accuracy of the costs by
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writing “OK to pay” and signing their name or initials. This may be the same person if the
budget holder and receiver are the same.
All receipts, including restaurant receipts, should be itemized and original (no photocopies).
They should show exactly what was purchased, the cost for each item and not just a total
dollar amount. Reimbursements cannot be made from a carbon or photocopy of a personal
check or from a credit card statement. We need some type of receipt showing payment (i.e.
the word “paid”or “receipt”). For small receipts, please use tape (not staples) to attach to a
blank piece of paper; this allows it to go through the copy machine.
If the receipt or invoice is not specific and clear about what you are purchasing please write a
note. The bookstore receipts have abbreviated descriptions that are often difficult to decipher.
We need to know exactly what you are purchasing so it can be coded correctly. Simply
writing “book for research”, “office supplies”, “software”, “printer ink”, “digital camera”,
etc. would help us tremendously.
Charges at UO bookstore- bring original receipts to business office.
Charges at internal entities (UO Computing Center, EMU Scheduling/Events, JSMA, Motor
pool, etc.)-They do not send receipt copies so please submit the copy or email you receive to
the business office.
Charges at UO Catering- do not give them an index, ask them to “bill us” and follow the
directions below for meals.
Gifts- it is unallowable to use SOJC funds to buy gifts for UO employees (Staff, faculty,
students) for any reason.
Meals- Prior approval is needed for hosting guests (unless you are using your own budget).
For meal reimbursement or direct pay to vendor (charged on account) please fill out a travel
and entertainment log for the meal and turn it in immediately along with ALL ORIGINAL
receipts or invoices. You must submit an itemized receipt showing all food and drink. If you
don’t get one, ask for it. If you purchase alcohol, it must be on a separate receipt from the
food. The School will not pay for alcohol at lunch. If charges appear excessive (i.e. greater
than a business purpose would justify) they will be challenged and possibly denied. Spouses
are reimbursable only when there is a specific business purpose for them to attend the meal.
The state will only pay up to a 15% tip maximum.
Printing- As per University policy, everyone must use University Printing Services.
Exceptions can be made by contacting Printing Services; if approved, we need written
documentation and prior notice. Printing done outside the University should be charged on
account and not submitted as a reimbursement.
Any and all paperwork given to you by any vendor, for both direct bill and reimbursements,
including quotes, confirmations, packing slips, invoices and receipts should be forwarded to
the business office. Often times your paperwork is the only paperwork and we are not
receiving a separate copy.
5. Submit receipts within 5 months of purchase or they will not be
reimbursed. Submit by June 15 to be applied to that fiscal year.
SOJC business office website: http://journalism.uoregon.edu/business/
Jeanine Anderson
Udobong Obotette
Joseph Anderson
Phone 6-3685
Phone 6-3806
Phone 6-3550
jcand@uoregon.edu
udobongo@uoregon.edu
szelesta@uoregon.edu
214B Allen Hall
214B Allen Hall
214C Allen Hall
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