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SUBMITTING SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATIONS
UCSF's standard procurement process requires us to competitively bid requisitions greater than $100,000. This requirement for formal competition helps ensure personal bias doesn't impact our use of public funds. It also ensures that our processes are fair and open, and give all businesses a chance to participate in serving our great mission.
In some cases, UCSF doesn't have much choice in who we can select. We may need specialized equipment that is one of a kind or maybe we need a replacement part for an existing item on campus. Fortunately, California law - which governs UC's policies and procurement - allows some flexibility when our procurement choices are limited. It is important to note that this isn't a free pass to skip the required competitive bidding process. Internal auditors and auditors from our granting agencies regularly review our processes to make sure we are using sole source justifications correctly. There are serious consequences for UCSF and/or your department if you fabricate sole source justifications.
To help you navigate the Sole Source Justifications process, the SCM Strategic Procurement team has provided a Sole Source Justification Guide. It offers you several valid categories that permit bypassing competitive bid requirements and provides example language to help you improve these auditable justifications.
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Reminder: Suppliers Must Use Transcepta for Invoicing
Earlier this year, Supply Chain Management (SCM) began invoice processing through our e-invoicing partner, Transcepta.
Suppliers who receive BearBuy purchase orders are required to submit invoices through Transcepta to avoid major delays in processing and payment. With the extensions of the shelter-in-place order, SCM has been contacting suppliers to sign up and submit electronic invoices, but we need you to support this effort by requesting suppliers to submit invoices for BearBuy purchase orders only through Transcepta .
In addition to significantly reducing costs associated with printing, processing and delivering paper invoices, there is no cost for suppliers to use Transcepta. Perhaps most important, electronic invoicing is touchless, which means suppliers will receive payments faster. And, by streamlining the invoicing process, the University benefits by improving and developing good relationships with our suppliers who play a critical role in supporting University research.
Remember to only use the Accounts Payable email addresses for submitting internal UCSF forms such as check request forms, relocation travel expense vouchers, signature cards and certain types of invoices such as subcontract invoices and facility rental invoices with supplemental forms. For other Accounts Payable help, please submit a ticket to the SCM Response Team.
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BEARBUY
Goods and Services Must Be Purchased Using BearBuy PO
BearBuy requisitions and purchase orders (PO) need to be created for purchasing goods and services from suppliers. MyExpense reports should not be used to reimburse such purchases. Expense reports in MyExpense are primarily intended for reimbursement of travel-related expenses.
Using a BearBuy PO ensures authorization, financial controls and policy compliance. Purchasing goods or services without using a pre-approved PO is considered unauthorized per UC policy.
It is particularly important to always use BearBuy to purchase software or computers. Some software requires IT Security Assessments to mitigate security risks to the University. Learn more about the requirements in the Buying Software and Cloud Computing Guide.
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 Supply Chain Management's P-Card pages for more information (MyAccess login required).
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IMPORTANT YEAR-END PROCESSING DATES FOR REQUISITIONS AND CHANGE ORDER REQUESTS
During the holiday season, many offices - including Supply Chain Management (SCM), our campus partners and suppliers - may have reduced staffing. To help ensure smooth processing of purchase orders and requests that need to be completed by the end of December 2020, SCM is encouraging customers to submit and approve requisitions, lien removals or chartfield changes as early as possible. Please consider submitting your requests in November to allow for processing time. SCM will make our best effort to process requisitions that are received.
Keep an eye out for our holiday processing dates in the next Supply Chain Newsletter.
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SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS
SCM COVID Store
The SCM Covid Store in BearBuy includes the remainder of our donated supply to be viewed, requested and distributed using our standard procurement and delivery process. As our donated inventory is being depleted, we are placing bulk orders for PPE with our suppliers and then placing these items in the BearBuy Covid Catalog at cost. These items are stored at Oyster Point and can be distributed in one to two business days.
Recently, the store reached the following milestones.
To access the catalog:
- Select Bearbuy from the MyAccess portal.
- Click on the SCM COVID STORE tile on the front page.
- Click on the magnifying glass icon to load all items in the catalog.
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MyExpense Guest Certification of Expenses Form No Longer Required
Beginning October 15, the Guest Certification of Expenses Form is no longer required to be submitted with Guest Policy Expense Reports created in MyExpense. This change has been made in an effort to streamline the paperwork and submission of these expense reports.
The statements previously on the form were incorporated into the pop-up certification that appears when employees submit the expense report. Please carefully read the certification. By accepting the certification and submitting the expense report, the employee electronically agrees to the statements and is responsible for the accuracy and compliance of the expense report.
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LIMIT USING THE MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSE TYPE IN MYEXPENSE
When creating your expense report in MyExpense it is important to select the proper expense type (i.e. airfare, lodging, mileage, etc.) to accurately categorize your expense. The Miscellaneous expense type should only be used when no other expense type matches your expense. When the Miscellaneous expense type is used, the expense report will require additional review, which may extend the approval time and delay reimbursement.
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Alcohol Not Allowed on Federal and State Funds
As a reminder, only a limited number of funding sources permit the purchase of alcoholic beverages. Federal and State funds may not be used to purchase alcoholic beverages. Please consider your funding before submitting expense reports or making meeting and entertainment purchases of alcohol.
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Changes to Concur Mobile Application Sign-In
Concur, the supplier of MyExpense, is changing the sign-in for the Concur mobile application to improve user experience and security.
The next time you update the Concur mobile app after November 2020, you will need to click "Take me back to the old Sign In experience" on the sign in screen to enter your PIN and login.
You can see if you set up a mobile PIN by opening the MyExpense site from your computer and navigating to Profile > Profile Settings > Concur Mobile Registration. If you see "Forgot Concur Mobile PIN" in the left-hand menu under "Other Settings," a mobile PIN is set up.
More information about the Concur mobile application is available at: Android or iOS.
For questions or support on the Concur mobile application, contact Concur User Support Desk at 866-793-4040.
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IMPORTANT RELOCATION EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT YEAR-END DEADLINES
Due to payroll tax reporting deadlines and the number of pay periods remaining in 2020, all employee relocation expense reimbursement claims must be emailed to coapmail@ucsf.edu and received by November 2 for processing and payment by the end of 2020. The expense claims must be complete, policy compliant, and have the appropriate approvals in order to be paid in 2020. Relocation expense reimbursement claims that are incomplete or received after the deadline will be reimbursed in or after January 2021.
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SCM Explores More Time Saving Initiatives for Campus
Over the next few months, SCM Strategic Procurement will be reviewing the justification thresholds for non-federal orders greater than $25,000. Currently, non-federal orders greater than $25,000 require justification of how the supplier was chosen and that the price is reasonable (also known as Source Selection). We will be studying the impact of increasing those limits to reduce the time/resources required to procure goods and services. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months.
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BEARBUY TIPS
Q: I am a BearBuy Voucher Approver. Why and when do I need to approve an invoice?
A: Voucher Approvers are responsible for approving their department vouchers over $5,000. Vouchers should only be approved if the invoice charges are accurate and after confirming the goods and services were received satisfactorily. Vouchers need to be approved for payment in a timely manner.
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BEARBUY TIPS
Q: What are the different ways invoices are electronically submitted in BearBuy and can I view an invoice copy?
A: Suppliers send invoices electronically to BearBuy in a number of ways. The availability of an invoice copy in BearBuy depends on how the invoice was submitted and whether the supplier provided a copy. The table below provides an overview of electronic invoice methods and outlines when there is an invoice copy.
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Electronic Invoice Submission Method
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Voucher Source
on Voucher
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Invoice Copy
Available
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Transcepta
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Invoice Import
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Yes, if provided by supplier
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BearBuy cXML Electronic
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Electronic
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No
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BearBuy Supplier Portal
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Supplier Portal
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Yes, if provided by supplier
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When you view the voucher in BearBuy, you can find the Voucher Source on the Voucher tab > Summary tab > General section > Voucher Source.
A copy of the invoice will only be available if the supplier submitted a copy. If a PDF copy of the invoice is available, you will typically see an Invoice link at the top of the voucher and under the Attachments tab. Click on the invoice image link to open the file.
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BEARBUY TIPS
Q: Where can I find my department-assigned buyer's name and contact information?
Alternatively, go to the PR Approvals tab on a pending requisition and click the "View approvers" link on the Central Buyer workflow step.
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