The University of California has increased the low-value purchasing authorization (LVPA) from $5,000 to $10,000. On Monday, May 21, 2018, the higher LVPA takes effect at UCSF, allowing departments to make BearBuy purchases without Supply Chain Management (SCM) Buyer review of requisitions up to $10,000.
The LVPA change does not apply to restricted purchase types such as (but not limited to) controlled substances, facility rentals, professional services/independent consultants, capital equipment, etc. This change also does not impact payment requests, voucher approvals, change order processes, or Procurement Card (P-Card).
The higher LVPA has multiple benefits for the departments:
- Departments will be able to execute more of their BearBuy transactions without the extra time and steps needed to route through central procurement.
- Central procurement and supply chain professionals will have additional capacity to support the department's more strategic procurements and request for proposals (RFPs).
To help departments prepare for the additional responsibility of an increased LVPA, new training resources on UC purchasing policies and procedures are now available on the SCM website:
- Procurement 101 Training guides
- Procurement Training recorded webinar
- Procurement Training webinar presentation
SCM encourages individuals who use BearBuy to purchase or are involved in the decision making for purchases to review these materials.
If you have questions or comments, please email BearBuy@ucsf.edu.
The fiscal year-end is rapidly approaching and Supply Chain Management (SCM) would like to remind you of important upcoming dates when buying goods and services during this time.
Please pass this message to anyone who may:
- Need to have a purchase order issued before fiscal year-end
- Need to have a lien removed or chartfield change before fiscal year-end
PURCHASE ORDERS
Approved BearBuy requisitions that are routed to SCM by close of business on Thursday, May 31, 2018, for an amount of less than $50,000 with complete documentation, will have purchase order issuance before fiscal year-end. Approved requisitions received after May 31, 2018, if complete documentation is provided, will be processed on an as-received basis, but SCM cannot guarantee issuance of POs before June 30, 2018.
To ensure requests for goods and/or services are ordered before year-end, Requesters should:
- Allow five days for SCM to review your request, ask questions and obtain your authorization for changes (if necessary) before you leave for the summer.
- Include the comment "FUND YEAR EXPIRING 6/30/2018" on the BearBuy requisition so the requisition may be prioritized appropriately.
- Send a "heads up" email to BearBuy@ucsf.edu to notify SCM about time-sensitive orders.
- Ask all vendors providing quotes to mark their fiscal year-end specials, if applicable. Mark these requisitions "QUOTE EXPIRING 6/30/2018" to aid us in appropriate prioritization.
LIEN REMOVAL (PO CLOSE) AND CHARTIELD CHANGE
Requests received in SCM by close of business Friday, June 8, 2018, will be processed before fiscal year-end provided that the information in the request is accurate and complete. Lien removal requests (PO close) or chartfield changes with accurate and complete information received after June 8, 2018, will be processed on an as-received basis. SCM cannot ensure completion of requests received after June 8, 2018, but will make best effort to process these late submissions by fiscal year-end.
To help ensure requests to remove liens (PO close) or chartfield changes are processed before year-end, we urge departments to follow these guidelines:
- Purchase Order with Expired Fund: Work closely with Contracts and Grants Accounting to check expiring funds. Forward any requests to close out Purchase Orders to SCM EARLY. BearBuy Match Exception Handlers will need to resolve all match exceptions prior to requesting closure of POs. Invoices must be paid before liens can be removed.
- BearBuy PO Lien Removal (PO close): Use the BearBuy Change Order Request Form to request lien removal. Select "Close Entire PO (and Remove Lien)" as the Type of Change.
- BearBuy PO Chartfield Change: Use the BearBuy Change Order Request Form to request a chartfield change. Select "Chartfield Change (Account Code)" as the Type of Change.
Please provide accurate and complete information on your requests. In the year-end crunch, incomplete and problematic requests may result in delay in processing due to necessary follow up.
For any questions regarding fiscal-close procedures with your POs, please email BearBuy@ucsf.edu.
Thank you for helping us to support your success.
Whether you’re looking to outfit a complete building or just need to update your current office furniture, UCSF’s new contract with One Workplace (OWP) will make your job easier. Negotiated by Supply Chain Management (SCM), highlights of the furniture agreement include:
- Improved pricing
- Dedicated UCSF primary point of contact and project managers
- Furniture design, planning and specifications assistance
- Timely ordering, delivery and installation
- Strategic workplace consulting tools to engage users and align furniture to their needs
- Ergonomic fittings and demonstrations to ensure proper usage
- Maintenance and warranty assistance services
- Removal, reuse of existing furniture and disposal that minimizes impact to the environment
- Avoids harmful exposure to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) chemicals of concern
This new contract came at the request of SCM’s partners in Real Estate, Planning, Capital Programs and Sustainability (REPCAPS) and Facilities Services. SCM ran an extensive competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process to find a furniture supplier that would provide better pricing and improved service for all campus customers. The goal was to find a partner who would recognize the buying power the University has both on large projects and as individual users.
The result is a partnership with OWP and Steelcase that is unprecedented in higher education, truly collaborative and has a common goal to create great spaces for our patients, students and faculty/staff environments.
The new contract also seeks to provide high quality indoor air through following the International Living Future Institute’s Red List by avoiding harmful chemicals of concern identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency such as formaldehyde, ozone-depleting chemicals, flame retardants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), vinyl chloride, heavy metals, and persistent bioaccumulative toxins in furnishings. OWP has experts available to ensure product selections meet this criteria.
There is a tiered discount structure based on project spend for Steelcase products, which has an extensive offering of products to meet most of the University’s design and functional needs. In addition, OWP has an extended group of 300+ suppliers and will work with UCSF to identify and access the right blend of product and service solutions to achieve project and budget goals.
This contract, which took effect in August 2017, is already being used for some large projects on campus. In the coming months, SCM will share more details about how you can buy the products, make the most of the services, success stories and lessons learned. SCM also is working with OWP on a new integrated platform for ordering furniture and services that will be accessible to UCSF campus users via BearBuy. In the meantime, please purchase as you normally do or work with Melissa Kubit, OWP’s primary point of contact for UCSF, directly on your project.
SCM’s furniture web page will be updated with more information as we roll out this new program.
If you’d like to see the wide variety of furniture options available, SCM and OWP are hosting visits to the OWP and Steelcase offices in San Francisco. There are tours scheduled for February 6, 9 and 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. There will be shuttles available to transport attendees to and from the location.
- Register for the February 6 tour (Minnesota Street)
- Register for the February 9 tour (Parnassus)
- Register for the February 21 tour (Mission Bay)
If you have questions or comments about the new furniture contract, please contact Karen Hamblett at Karen.Hamblett@ucsf.edu.
The fiscal year-end is rapidly approaching and Supply Chain Management (SCM) would like to remind you of important upcoming dates when buying goods and services during this time.
Please pass this message to anyone who may:
- Want a purchase order issued before fiscal year-end
- Want a lien removed or chartfield change before fiscal year-end
PURCHASE ORDERS
Approved BearBuy requisitions that are routed to SCM by close of business on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, for an amount of less than $50,000 with complete documentation, will be guaranteed purchase order (PO) issuance before fiscal year-end. Approved requisitions received after May 31, 2017, if complete documentation is provided, will be processed on an as-received basis, but SCM cannot guarantee issuance of POs before June 30, 2017.
To ensure requests for goods and/or services are ordered before year-end, Requesters should:
- Allow five days for SCM to review your request, ask questions and obtain your authorization for changes (if necessary) before you leave for the summer.
- Include the comment "FUND YEAR EXPIRING 6/30/2017" on the BearBuy requisition so the requisition may be prioritized appropriately.
- Send a "heads up" email to BearBuy@ucsf.edu to notify SCM about time-sensitive orders.
- Ask all vendors providing quotes to mark their fiscal year-end specials, if applicable. Mark these requisitions "QUOTE EXPIRING 6/30/2017" to aid us in appropriate prioritization.
LIEN REMOVAL (PO CLOSE) AND CHARTIELD CHANGE
Requests received in SCM by close of business Tuesday, June 6, 2017, will be guaranteed to be processed before fiscal year-end provided that the information in the request is accurate and complete. Lien removal requests (PO close) or chartfield changes with accurate and complete information received after June 6, 2017, will be processed on an as-received basis. SCM cannot ensure completion of requests received after June 6, 2017, but will make best effort to process these late submissions by fiscal year-end.
To help ensure requests to remove liens (PO close) or chartfield changes are processed before year-end, we urge departments to follow these guidelines:
- Purchase Order with Expired Fund: Work closely with Contracts and Grants Accounting to check expiring funds. Forward any requests to close out Purchase Orders to SCM EARLY. BearBuy Match Exception Handlers will need to resolve all match exceptions prior to requesting closure of POs. Invoices must be paid before liens can be removed.
- BearBuy PO Lien Removal (PO close): Use the BearBuy Change Order Request Form to request lien removal. Select “Close Entire PO (and Remove Lien)” as the Type of Change.
- BearBuy PO Chartfield Change: Use the BearBuy Change Order Request Form to request a chartfield change. Select “Chartfield Change (Account Code)” as the Type of Change.
Please provide accurate and complete information on your requests. In the year-end crunch, incomplete and problematic requests may result in delay in processing due to necessary follow up. For any questions regarding fiscal-close procedures with your POs, please email BearBuy@ucsf.edu.
Thank you for helping us to support your success.