Looking to Buy Something?

We are committed to assisting you in obtaining your procure to pay commodity and service needs in a timely and professional manner. The following are guidelines to assist in this process.

Purchasing Goods/Services

Please refer to the Procure to Pay Guidelines to determine the appropriate Way to Pay for frequently purchased goods and services.

Guidance for New Employees

What Can I Buy?

The university is able to pay for a wide range of commodities and services to support the operation of the campus. Department staff are responsible for coordinating procurement activities within their department.

How Do I Get Started?

• Staff

  • Department staff will need to receive training in order to submit purchase and payment requests in the FTS system. Training will provide you with the knowledge and tools to submit your requests.

• Faculty
  • Faculty should work with their department admins to procure any goods or services they need for their instructional and research activities.
• Students
  • We do not recommend that students procure items on behalf of the university. All procurement should be coordinated by department staff. 
• Managers/MPP Employees

  • We recommend that department staff initiate procurement requests and managers/MPPs approve the transactions. This allows for proper segregation of duties. Managers must receive training in order to approve transactions in the FTS system.

How Do I Submit a Request?

There are different procurement methods available (see Ways To Pay).  Please work with your department admin to determine next steps.

• Requisition/Purchase Order

  • Requisition/PO establishes a contract between the university and a supplier for goods/services. All purchases above $49,999 must go through the requisition process.

    Contracts Services is responsible for evaluating, negotiating, and executing contracts on behalf of the university. Contracts Services oversees a variety of contracts.

• Direct Payments
  • Direct Payments allow departments to pay invoices for specific commodities and services that have been pre-approved by Contracts and Procurement Services. 
• ProCard
  • ProCard allows departments to pay for low dollar commodities that have been pre-approved by Contracts and Procurement Services.
• GoCard
  • GoCard allows departments to prepay for specific allowable travel expenses (such as hotel, registration, flights) that have been approved through the FTS Travel Authorization.
• CSUBuy
  • CSUBuy allows departments to order directly from supplier catalogs with educational contract prices.  A university ProCard is required for payment and checkout.

Other Considerations

Pre-approval may be required for the purchase of goods and services regardless of cost and method of payment. Please review Special Approvals and Special Requirements before submitting your procurement request.

Getting Familiar with Policies and Guidelines

Department staff and managers should become familiar with our Forms and Resources when making financial or purchasing decisions for their department.

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