Buying

Buying Guidelines

Whether you're a veteran shopper or a newbie, there are guidelines to making purchases at UCSF. Here's a basic look at what you need to consider before you shop.

Supply Chain Management Service Levels

Buying Goods and Services

Some goods and services require a unique purchasing process. This includes items such as DEA-controlled substances, catering and consulting services. Make sure to see if what you're buying is on the list.

Buying Methods

There are two main methods for making purchases at UCSF:

• BearBuy is the University's procure-to-pay system that provides intuitive, easy-to-use catalog shopping and electonically enabled workflows. 
• The Procurement Card (P-Card) is a University business credit card that enables the timely purchase of low-value goods or services.

Considerations

There are some exceptions and restrictions when buying certain goods and services. It's a good idea to review this list before you buy. 

Contacts and Resources

Supply Chain Management partners with both on-campus and off-campus organizations to aid the University community in the purchase of goods and services. If you're looking for additional information, here's the place to go.

Forms

We've compiled a list of the most-used forms used when buying.

Policies

Before you buy, check out the University of California and UCSF policies pertaining to buying goods and services. 

Strategic Sourcing

Strategic Sourcing leverages the buying power of the University to lower costs, improve product quality and obtain better service. By using strategic and collaborative sourcing methods and partnerships, supported by tools, training and data analysis, we create significant savings for the University.

When you're ready to shop:

• Log into your UCSF MyAccess account.
• Click on the “BearBuy” link to open the application

Get the latest news and information information in our most recent Supply Chain Management newsletter.

Sign up for the monthly newsletter.

For BearBuy functionality and operational issues, continue to contact the IT Service Desk.

Phone: (415) 514-4100, option 2 (M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Email: [email protected]

BearBuy FAQs