1. Login to your UCSF MyAccess account.
2. Click on the BearBuy link to open the application.

When an invoice requires approval, you will receive a notification email from BearBuy.

Within BearBuy, you can view your notifications by clicking on the Notifications bell icon at the top of the page. Click on an item from the list to navigate to that invoice.
 
 

To quickly access pending invoices, click the Action Items flag at the top of BearBuy.
 
 

• My Assigned Approvals > Invoices lists invoices that are assigned to you and pending your approval. Clicking the link will take you to your My Voucher Approvals folder, which contains only invoices assigned to you.
• Unassigned Approvals > Invoices lists invoices for your department that are not yet assigned to an individual approver. Clicking the link will take you to your department’s shared approval folders. You can assign invoices to yourself from the shared folders to approve.

Approval folders can also be accessed from the menu on the left, go to Accounts Payable > Approvals > Invoices to Approve.
 
 

WARNING: By default, pending invoices will be organized into folders. Be aware that you may need to use the Page arrows next to the folder header to view all of the invoices in the folder.
 

Note: Once you approve the invoice, it will be paid without undergoing any further review or approvals.

1. Go to your Action Items or Accounts Payable > Approvals > Invoices to Approve.
2. Assign the voucher to yourself by clicking the Approver icon on the right. (The voucher now appears in your My Voucher Approvals folder, indicating that it is assigned to you.)
    
   
3. Click the Voucher No. to view the voucher details.
    
   
4. Review the voucher and determine whether the invoice should be paid. Contact the person who placed the order and/or the supplier when necessary to determine whether the invoice should be paid.
5. Select the Approve button located on the right side. (Alternatively, click the Approve & Show Next button. This will approve the invoice and then redirect you to the next voucher in your folder.)
   

Rejecting permanently rejects the invoice.

1. Go to your Action Items or Accounts Payable > Approvals > Invoices to Approve.
2. Assign the voucher to yourself by clicking the Approver icon on the right. (The voucher now appears in your My Voucher Approvals folder, indicating that it is assigned to you.)
    
   
3. Click the Voucher No. to view the voucher details.
    
   
4. Review the voucher and determine whether the invoice should be paid. Contact the person who placed the order and/or the supplier when necessary to determine whether the invoice should be paid.
5. Click the down arrow to the right of the Approve & Match button and select Reject Invoice from the dropdown menu.
   
6. Enter an explanation for recordkeeping purposes. Then, click the Reject/Cancel button. The invoice is now rejected, and it will not be paid.
7. BearBuy does NOT send notifications or comments to suppliers. Your department is responsible for contacting the supplier (by phone or email) to explain why your department is not going to pay the invoice, and ask for a corrected invoice (if needed). Please notify the supplier and/or the person who placed the order so they can help resolve any issues.

Approvers can add a pertinent comment to a voucher. Comments are internal only—they will not be sent to the supplier.

1. On the voucher, click on the Comments tab at the top.
2. Click the Plus sign on the right.
3. Select a recipient for your comment (if desired). The "Prepared for" is the Shopper who created the original shopping cart and the person most likely to receive the order. The "Requisition prepared by" is the Requester who submitted the order. To select a different recipient, use the Add recipient link.
4. Enter your comments in the text box. To upload an attachment, use the Choose File link.
5. When finished, click the Checkmark.
   

1. Go to Accounts Payable > Approvals > Invoices Recently Approved By Me.
    
2. By default, the page lists invoices you approved or rejected in the Last 30 Days. Adjust the filters as needed.

It may be necessary to set a substitute approver if you are the only Match Exception Handler for a particular Procurement Dept Code and you will be out of the office. The substitute will be able to review and approve/reject invoices on your behalf. Only individuals with the Match Exception Handler role can be selected as a substitute.

Note: The substitute can't approve vouchers that were assigned to you, even if you set a substitute for your My Voucher Approvals folder. If necessary, return the vouchers to the shared approval folder.

To set a substitute:

1. Go to Accounts Payable > Approvals > Assign Substitute Approvers-Invoices.
    
2. Click the Assign Substitute to All Invoices Folders button at the top. (Alternatively, to set a substitute for only one folder, click the Assign button located to the right of the folder. To set a substitute for several folders, select the checkbox to the right of each folder, click the Substitute Actions button located above your approval folders, and then select Assign Substitute to Selected Folders.)
    
3. In the Assign Substitute pop-up box, enter the person’s name in the Substitute Name field, and select their name.
4. Then, select the checkbox to include a date range. Enter the State Date and End Date, and click the Assign button.

Note: If you do not include a date range, the substitution will start immediately, with no end. You will need to manually end the substitution when you are ready. You can manually end a substitution before the end date, or end a substitution that had no preset end date.

To end the substitution:

1. Go to Accounts Payable > Approvals > Assign Substitute Approvers-Invoices.
2. Click the End Substitute for All Invoices Folders button at the top. (Alternatively, to end a substitution for a specific folder, click the Remove button located to the right of the folder. To end a substitution for several folders, select the checkbox to the right of each folder, click the Substitute Actions button located above your approval folders, and then select Remove Substitute from Selected Folders.)
    

• Should I approve the invoice?
  • Invoices should usually be approved for payment if the person who placed the order agreed to a higher price, they added items to the order after placing the order in BearBuy, or the supplier sent a substitute item. When necessary, ask the person who placed the order or the supplier for more information.
  • In general, you may need to reject the invoice if the supplier submitted a duplicate invoice or made a mistake on the invoice. If the supplier made a mistake, consider rejecting the invoice and asking the supplier to submit a corrected invoice, or pay the invoice and ask for a refund of the difference.
• Why do I have more than one approval folder? You may have the Match Exception Handler role for more than one Procurement Dept Code. Also, once you assign a voucher to yourself, it will appear in your My Voucher Approvals folder in addition to the shared folder. (Folders will not be displayed if there are no pending vouchers.)
• I received an email notification, but I don’t see the voucher in the approval folder. What happened? Another Approver already approved it.
• How do I return a voucher that is assigned to me back to the shared folder for someone else to approve? Click the down arrow to the right of the Approve & Match button, and select Return to Shared Folder.
  

• Research and approve or reject the invoice in a reasonable amount of time
• Communicate with the person who placed the order
• Notify the supplier by phone or email if you reject an invoice
• Ask the supplier for a corrected invoice when needed
• Consider your time and your department’s relationship with the supplier before disputing a charge. It’s OK to pay an invoice that isn’t perfect, as long as you think it’s reasonably acceptable.
• Read more about How To Handle Match Exceptions