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.
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:
Banner Encumbrances will roll forward on Monday, October 16, 2023
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
Effective May 1, 2023 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.
With only about 10 weeks remaining in the Spring semester, now is the time to be thinking about products or services you need to order for summer projects. By planning ahead, you can avoid any unanticipated delays that can be caused by extended lead times. Purchasing manages over 200 approved, standing contracts that cover a wide variety of products and services. Also, if the items you need have to be competitively bid, planning ahead will allow enough time for that process which normally takes 3 to 4 weeks. Please contact the appropriate Senior Buyer to assist with any questions you have about upcoming purchases. Please refer to our Purchasing Guidelines for additional information.
Please join us on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, as Procurement Services hosts a Contract Vendor Fair in The University of Alabama Student Center Ballroom from 10:00 AM until 2:00 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, mlstockton@ua.edu.
Don’t forget to add the Contract Vendor Fair to your calendar!
As the Spring Semester approaches, please remember to plan ahead for your needs. Supply chain issues continue to be a challenge in many industries. Material shortages, delivery delays, increased freight costs, and decreased labor forces are some factors that are expected to continue to create supply chain inconsistencies.
The following are some (not all!) categories which continue to be impacted the most:
Charter buses (driver shortage)
Furniture
Imported goods
Vehicles
Staffing services
The best mitigation to the ongoing supply chain issues is to plan further ahead and place orders as far in advance of fulfillment need as practical. With FY23 budgets set, Purchasing encourages all University departments to plan their order placements ahead as much as possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to UA Purchasing for assistance with your purchasing needs.
