Authorized Buying Methods

All faculty and staff are required to utilize a University authorized buying method for all purchases of equipment, supplies and services required from an external supplier. At no time is a University faculty or staff member permitted to initiate a purchase transaction with an external supplier without utilizing an authorized buying method. Purchase transactions conducted without the use of an authorized buying method or with a personal credit card are not permitted and may place the employee and University in legal and financial risk.

A Buying Decision Chart, indexed by supplier and commodity purchase type, is available to assist faculty and staff in determining which authorized buying method listed below is to be used for their product or service requirement.

Primary Buying Method: Purchase Order

An official purchase order is the University's primary buying method. When using the BEN Buys purchasing system, authorized faculty and staff are able to order from University approved suppliers (see " Supplier Selection Guide") as well as designated preferred contract suppliers that provide most commonly order products at the "least total cost."

• About the Purchase Order
• Purchase Order Step-by-Step Process Document
• BEN Buys User Roles and Responsibilities
• Final Purchase Order and Supplier Contract Approval Procedures

Integrated into the purchasing system is the Penn Marketplace, Penn's private supplier exchange, that contains online product catalogs with Penn specific contract pricing from over 175 of the University's most commonly utilized suppliers. Marketplace enabled contract suppliers offer competitively bid or negotiated pricing. Purchases from all marketplace suppliers regardless of total cost are exempt from the University's competitive bidding requirements.

• Penn Specific Supplier New Product and Promotions Showcase

Secondary Buying Method: Purchasing Card

A University issued MasterCard Purchasing Card is the authorized buying method that is to be used for incidental one-time purchases (see "Commodity & Supplier Restrictions") with an aggregate total cost of <$1,000. All purchases of restricted commodities and from restricted suppliers must be processed via the BEN Buys Purchasing System.

The Purchasing Card Supplier Portal enables authorized cardholders to order from Purchasing designated credit card enabled online ordering sites. At no time is an authorized cardholder permitted to use their MasterCard Purchasing Card for personal purchases.

• Purchasing Card Step-by-Step Process Document
• Purchasing Card User Roles and Responsibilities

Commodity Specific Buying Methods

• Fleet Fuel & Repair Purchases: The Wright Express Fleet Fuel Card is the commodity specific authorized buying method for purchases of fuel and repairs for University owned vehicles. At no time is an authorized cardholder permitted to use their Wright Express Fleet Fuel Card for personal purchases.
• Travel & Entertainment Expenses: The American Express Corporate Card allows authorized cardholders to charge business-related expenses without burdening a staff member's personal credit cards.
• Events & Meetings: The American Express Meeting Planning Card allows authorized cardholders to charge meeting and event-related expenses without burdening a staff member's personal credit cards.

Related Links

• Penn Internal Service Providers