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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."
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.
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.
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.
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