BearBuy Roles and Responsibilities

Questions? Contact SCM Response Team

Overview

Details on all BearBuy roles.

Roles & Responsibilities

ROLEDESCRIPTION
Shopper
(Universal Role)
  • Shops for items in the BearBuy catalogs or with BearBuy Forms.
  • Adds items to their shopping cart.
  • Optional:  Fills out requisition details—accounting codes, shipping address, etc.
  • Assigns the cart to a Requester to submit.

Note: Anyone with a UCSF MyAccess account can place items in a shopping cart, but only Requesters can submit orders.

Requester
  • Reviews and finalizes their own carts and carts assigned from other users.
  • Reviews orders for accuracy and completeness, including double-checking any details the Shopper may have entered.
  • Fills out requisition details – accounting codes, shipping address, etc.
  • Optional: Adds additional Requisition Approvers to the requisition as either Pre-Approvers or Ad Hoc Approvers.
  • Submits orders into workflow.
  • Ordinary orders < $500 will not route for further approval. Therefore, the Requester must have a solid understanding of accounting/funding sources
Self-Approving Requester
  • Reviews and finalizes their own carts and carts assigned from other users.
  • Reviews orders for accuracy and completeness, including double-checking any details the Shopper may have entered.
  • Fills out requisition details—accounting codes, shipping address, etc.
  • Optional: Adds additional Requisition Approvers to the requisition as either Pre-Approvers or Ad Hoc Approvers.
  • Submits orders into workflow.
  • Ordinary orders < $5,000 will not route for further approval. Therefore, the Self-Approving Requester must have a solid understanding of accounting/ funding sources.

Note: Self-Approving Requesters do not actually approve orders, but they have a higher purchasing authority than regular Requesters ($5,000 vs. $500).

Requisition Approver
  • Orders ≥ $500 (or $5,000 for Self-Approving Requesters) route to a Requisition Approver based on the Procurement Department Code on the requisition.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Reviews requisition to ensure it is allowable, allocable, and reasonable.
    • Approves, Returns, Rejects, or Partially Rejects the requisition.
  • Cannot approve their own orders.
  • Cannot edit requisitions. (If the order needs to be edited, return the requisition to the Requester with an explanatory comment.
Optional Approvers –
Ad Hoc Approver or
Pre-Approver
  • Requesters can manually add Ad Hoc Approvers or Pre-Approvers to a requisition’s approval workflow (before submitting the requisition).
  • You must have the Requisition Approver role to be selected as an Ad Hoc Approver or Pre-Approver on a requisition. There is not a role specifically for Optional Approvers.
  • The responsibilities are the same as a Requisition Approver, except the requisition must be approved by the individual who is assigned as the Ad Hoc Approver/Pre-Approver. (The approval folder is not shared with any other users in your department; only you can approve the requisition.)
Meeting & Entertainment Approver
  • Catering orders and Meeting & Entertainment Payment Requests route to a Meeting & Entertainment Approver based on the Procurement Dept Code on the requisition.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Reviews requisition to ensure it is allowable, allocable, and reasonable.
    • Approves, Returns, Rejects, or Partially Rejects the requisition.
    • Must be familiar with UC BUS-79.
  • Cannot approve their own orders.
  • Cannot edit requisitions. (If the order needs to be edited, return the requisition to the Requester with an explanatory comment.)
Voucher Approver
  • Reviews and approves or rejects vouchers ≥ $5,000 that match the PO (within the 10 percent and $500 tolerance).*
  • Ensures that goods/services were received before approving the invoice for payment. Departments must establish how end users communicate to the Voucher Approver that goods/services were received.
  • Cannot edit vouchers.

Note: When an invoice is received, a payment voucher is generated in BearBuy and matched to the PO. If the invoice amount or quantity exceeds the PO by 10 percent or $500, the voucher will route to a Match Exception Handler for approval (not a Voucher Approver), even if the voucher is ≥ $5,000.

Match-Exception Handler
  • Reviews and approves or rejects vouchers of any amount where the invoice failed the PO matching tolerance, i.e., the invoice amount or quantity exceeds the PO by 10 percent or $500. (These vouchers will not route to a Voucher Approver, even if the invoice is over $5,000.)
  • Match Exception Handlers may need to contact end users to verify that the discrepancy is acceptable or contact the supplier to issue a new invoice.
  • Cannot edit vouchers.

Note: Change Order Requests to increase the amount on the PO will not resolve the match exception, but may prevent future match exceptions on the PO.

Role Exclusions

One person may not hold a combination of certain BearBuy roles. Below are the roles that one person cannot have:

  • Role Exclusion in all cases: The user cannot have these roles together. For example, a user cannot be a Self-Approving Requester and a Voucher Approver.
    • Self-Approving Requester and Voucher Approver
    • Self-Approving Requester and Match Exception Handler
    • Voucher Approver and Match Exception Handler
  • ​Role Exclusion within one department: The user cannot have these roles within one department, but they may have these roles across two or more departments.
    • Requisition Approver and Requester (applies if there is only one Requisition Approver in the department)

Role Changes

Everyone at UCSF has the Shopper role by default. Other BearBuy role assignments must be requested by your department Access Administrator through an Access Management System Request. Full details on how to request BearBuy roles are available through the Access Request guide that is available to Access Administrators in the Access Management System.

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