To purchase goods or services, create a BearBuy requisition and purchase order (PO) prior to making the purchase. POs help ensure authorization, financial controls, and policy compliance. Purchasing of goods or services without using a pre-approved PO is considered unauthorized per University of California policy.When creating a requisition in BearBuy and a supplier appears with a red stop sign next to its name, this means the supplier is not currently accepting POs. To make a purchase through the supplier, you should either:Email [email protected] and request help setting up the supplier for PO acceptance; or,Request the supplier complete the UCSF Substitute W-9 and Supplier Information form including Section 2 and return to [email protected] the supplier is set up, Supply Chain Management (SCM) will update their profile to remove the stop sign so you can create a BearBuy requisition for PO.Using the Payment Request FormA reminder that the Payment Request Form (PRF) can no longer be used for suppliers who will not accept a purchase order (PO). Invoices submitted using the PRF for goods and services will not be accepted and will be returned to the department.The PRF can only be used for the following types of payments:Cell Phone/Phone LinesDonations/ContributionsGovernment Fees/VisasGuest LodgingHonorariaJournal PublicationsMembershipsPostage/Small Package CourierRefundsRegistration FeesStudent Summer ProgramsSubscriptionsUtilities For one-time purchases of low-risk goods and services under $5,000 from a supplier, you may use a procurement card (P-Card), if you have one. Visit SCM's P-Card web pages for more information.
ChemCentral has partnered with Polycarbin to help make UCSF’s science more sustainable. Made with 71 percent lower carbon emissions, Polycarbin’s recycled lab plastics, including pipette tips (LTS compatible), microcentrifuge tubes, and conical tubes, are now available for purchase at both Parnassus and Weill Neurosciences ChemCentral stores. Join us this week on campus for free product samples.Learn more about ChemCentral.
Supply Chain Management (SCM) has reduced the frequency of issuing check payments two times a week on Mondays and Wednesdays. Other electronic forms of payment such as ACH, Payment Plus, EFT and wire, will not be impacted and will continue with normal payment schedules. Check printing requires in-office staffing. This change was made in response to University COVID-19 guidelines to enable staff to telecommute and for their well-being and the community.
BearBuy production downtime will take place between Friday, March 17, at 6 p.m. through Sunday, March 19, at 9 a.m. to upgrade from release version 22.3 to 23.1. To avoid delays, please complete all BearBuy requests prior to the system maintenance. BearBuy will be available on Monday, March 20.
The ODP Business Solutions and the Genesee Scientific punchout catalogs are now separately available in BearBuy. The new punchouts have replaced the ODP Business Solutions Supplies and Genesee Scientific hosted catalogs, respectively. The new punchouts offer the University’s contracted discounts.
On March 6, UC Office of the President (UCOP) rescinded previously issued interim guidelines advising that remote workers may be eligible to be reimbursed for travel to their university location when University business requires their presence onsite. Per the previous guidance, UCSF allowed reimbursement of these business travel expenses for remote workers. However, following UCOP's rescission, travel expenses between the remote worker’s residence and headquarters will be considered commuting expenses and will not be reimbursed for travel occurring on or after March 6. Read the Updated Interim Travel Reimbursement Guidance.With this change, UC will return to the existing interpretation of the G-28 Travel Regulations policy, which states “expenses for travel between the traveler's residence and headquarters (commuting expense) shall not be allowed.” UCOP determined additional evaluation is necessary as the nature of UC’s workforce is evolving because of the COVID-19 pandemic.UCOP will have a workgroup to assess the definitions and practices related to workplace modality and how this may interact and impact current policies and procedures. The workgroup will provide recommendations to UC President Drake on any proposed future revisions to current policies and processes.
Subcontract invoices should be pre-approved before they are submitted to Supply Chain Management for processing. This helps accelerate subcontract invoice processing times.The brief process includes: Subcontractors send invoices directly to campus departmentsCampus departments obtain invoice approval in DocuSignCampus departments email approved invoices to SCM for processing and paymentFor full details and step-by-step instructions on this process, review a recorded webinar and the subcontract invoice approval page. Please carefully follow all the steps in the instructions so we can efficiently process subcontract invoices.
When the University of California systemwide academic strike hit on November 14, 2022, Supply Chain Management’s (SCM) Logistics team stepped up to fill the void when UPS halted service to UCSF campus and medical centers, successfully delivering more than 7,100 packages.UPS notified SCM on November 18 that it was suspending deliveries and that meant Logistics would need a plan to ensure that the UCSF community received their packages without interruption. The first hurdle was sorting and delivering five truckloads of packages from the backlog when deliveries were canceled. That meant some Logistics staff worked extra hours and weekends to prioritize, sort and deliver packages.Speaking about the first days of the strike, Senior Mail Processor Israel Alvarado (pictured to the left) said, "It was a big, scary moment. We didn't know how we were going to tackle it, but we have a good team here. We worked together and just did it."As the strike progressed, Logistics staff made daily pickups from two UPS locations and offloaded them at the warehouse in Oyster Point. The team then processed all of the packages along with their normal volume from everyday suppliers."Logistics was overwhelmed with the additional packages and supplies of the gases to our medical and industrial customers and we knew we needed additional resources, but the great team we have here was up for the challenge," said Warehouse Supervisor Veimau Lakalaka. "I’m thankful to the diligent staff for providing excellent service to our UCSF community."Logistics staff was honored for their outstanding work, diligence and dedication on February 15 with a special lunch.
Occasionally, University employees seek funding to support professional development activities. University leaders are expected to exhibit good stewardship of University funds. To help support managers in exercising good judgment regarding approvals, please review the new guide on UCSF Professional Development Support.
The Central Travel Office would like to remind our travelers that you do have rights when it comes to accepting or rejecting changes to already booked tickets. Booking agencies will inform travelers of their options in the notification emails and we encourage you to carefully review these before making any decisions. If the proposed schedule change from the airline is of two or more hours, you may be eligible for a full refund which you can use to find a cheaper or more convenient flight. To learn more, read the recent email sent by UC Travel.
