Paying for Goods and Services

Questions? Contact SCM Response Team

Overview

Description of Accounts Payable payment process.

Preferred Purchasing Methods

  • BearBuy is the preferred method to purchase goods and services for UCSF Campus and IT. When you place an order in BearBuy, a purchase order (PO) is sent to the supplier. In general, the supplier will reference the PO Number on the invoice when they submit the invoice for payment.
  • Procurement Card (P-Card) is a University business credit card that enables the timely purchase of low-value goods or services.
  • Corporate Travel Card is available to UCSF employees who travel on official University business. The card should be used only for University-related travel expenses or local meeting and entertainment expenses.

Submitting Invoices for Payment

  • Purchase Order (PO)
    • Typically, the supplier will submit the invoice to BearBuy electronically (cXML) or through the Supplier Portal or Transcepta referencing your PO Number, and UCSF Accounts Payable will process the invoice for payment. However, there are several exceptions to this process:
      • For a facility rental PO, follow the Facility Rental Payment Processing Instructions.
      • Universities are not required to submit invoices through Transcepta. Write the PO Number on the invoice, and email the invoice to UCSF Accounts Payable at [email protected].
      • Phone carriers, such as AT&T and Verizon, will not submit invoices through Transcepta. Obtain a copy of the monthly billing statement from your phone carrier, write your PO Number on the invoice, and email the invoice to UCSF Accounts Payable at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can submit the invoice for payment using the Payment Request form in BearBuy.
      • FedEx invoices may be submitted for payment using the Payment Request form in BearBuy. Alternatively, your department may enroll your FedEx Account in the Outbound Freight Program so that invoices will be processed automatically against a BearBuy PO.
      • Foreign suppliers are not required to submit invoices through Transcepta. Follow the instructions below to request payment in a foreign currency.
      • To request payment for goods/services when a purchase order (PO) was not previously created for the purchase and the transaction doesn’t fit the limited scope of the Payment Request form, submit the invoice for payment in BearBuy using the After The Fact PO form.
  • Payment Request
    • When you submit a Payment Request or Meeting & Entertainment Payment Request form in BearBuy, you are requesting for the invoice, bill, registration fee, etc. to be paid. A purchase order (PO) will be generated for internal UCSF use only. The PO will not be sent to the supplier. Do not give the PO Number to the supplier; do not submit the invoice through Transcepta.
    • The Payment Request form is used to request payment for transactions that don’t require a purchase order (PO), including cell phone/phone lines, donation/contribution, government fees/visas, guest lodging, honorarium, journal publications, memberships, postage/small package courier, refunds, registration fees, student summer programs, subscriptions, and utilities.
    • The Meeting & Entertainment Payment Request form is intended for requesting payment of catering and other event-related expenses only when the vendor does not require a contract.
    • Before submitting a Payment Request, take care to follow any special policies/procedures related to your type of transaction:
  • Subcontracts
  • Research Subjects

Advance Payment

Payment in a Foreign Currency

  • The BearBuy system cannot support foreign currencies; however, Accounts Payable can process and pay invoices in foreign currencies when necessary.
  • When placing the order in BearBuy, enter an estimate in USD based on the currency exchange rate. The supplier will need to provide an invoice in their preferred currency. The invoice must reference the PO Number and contain the supplier's wire payment instructions. Email the invoice to UCSF Accounts Payable at [email protected]. Accounts Payable will pay the invoice by wire based on the day's currency exchange rate.
  • When submitting a Payment Request, enter an estimate in USD based on the currency exchange rate. The request will route for approval from your department, and then it will route for approval from Accounts Payable. Accounts Payable will pay the invoice by wire based on the day's currency exchange rate.

Sales and Use Tax

  • UCSF is not exempt from sales tax in most cases.
  • The supplier should include any relevant sales tax on the invoice.
  • Sales and Use Tax information
  • Claiming CA Partial Sales and Use Tax Exemption for qualifying equipment purchases
  • Note: When placing an order in BearBuy, do not include sales tax or shipping on the PO. The PO should reflect the cost of goods/services only. If any items are taxable, check the Taxable checkbox next to the line item in your cart. The supplier will calculate sales tax/shipping and invoice appropriately.

Paying Shipping for a BearBuy PO

  • When you place an order in BearBuy, the supplier will charge your department for the cost of shipping the order by adding shipping to the invoice or they will ship the order using the UCSF master FedEx or UPS account, in which case the shipping charges will be processed by UCSF's billing partner, Vantage Point Logistics (VPL) and paid separately through PeopleSoft.
  • Read more about the VPL Inbound Freight Program
  • Note: When placing an order in BearBuy, do not include sales tax or shipping on the PO. The PO should reflect the cost of goods/services only.

Payment Methods

There are five payment methods available:

  1. Virtual Card (Payment Plus): UCSF’s preferred payment method is Virtual Credit Card (Payment Plus), an automated Visa card program managed and guaranteed by U.S. Bank. It offers suppliers FRAUD PROTECTION and an option for IMMEDIATE payment, a benefit designed to accelerate payment receipt upon invoice approval. Payments are made via a one-time use virtual credit card number. For more information on our Virtual Credit Card (Payment Plus) program, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
  2. Automated clearing house (ACH): Electronic payment via ACH involves a 30-day payments term if no discount term is given to UCSF. Vendors must signup to receive ACH payments by submitting the ACH Enrollment Form.
  3. Wire Transfer: Generally used for payments to foreign vendors who can't accept paper checks. Wires are a high-risk payment method and the process takes longer due to additional oversight and going through intermediary banks. Domestic wires should be infrequent and by exception only.
  4. Paper Check: Payment by paper check is our least-preferred method of payment due to the high cost of processing and potential risks. Checks also have 60-day payment terms if no discount payment term is given to UCSF.

UCSF uses standard payment terms for all suppliers who receive a purchase order. Use of e-invoicing and Virtual Credit Card (Payment Plus) provides the best payment terms to suppliers.

Viewing Accounts Payable Information

Refer to the Payment Status training for instructions on how to search for a voucher/invoice in MyReports or BearBuy.

Resources