Purchasing Approval
Please follow the purchasing checklist to request purchases for your group. To ensure the most efficient processing of your purchase we recommend prioritizing vendors in Ariba, the university purchasing system. Using other vendors, especially international ones, can add time to the processing.
All student groups are required to obtain written permission of all purchasing requests by their assigned project advisor before submitting their requests to their assigned TA or GSA for review. For full detail about what each group reviews, please see appendix [number].
Purchase requests are processed on a weekly basis and due to the assigned TA or GSA by Tuesday morning each week. These are reviewed for completeness and sent to aerobuy@uw.edu for processing by Wednesday evening. The A&A fiscal team will prioritize these requests on Thursdays and Fridays. Any questions will go through your TA or GSA.
Special Considerations for Purchasing
Hazardous Materials
It is expected that any purchase requests involving hazardous materials are discussed with your faculty advisor. Groups must work with their faculty advisor to ensure necessary safety training and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are maintained for safe handling of these materials. Individuals must be trained prior to requesting the purchase.
Insurance
While most items are covered by the student liability insurance, some items, such as drones, are exempt. When planning your project, make sure to discuss insurance with your faculty advisor. Other items not automatically covered is any fieldwork for a course completed during spring break. These types of questions should go to the administrator to ensure insurance gets coordinated on these items.
International Suppliers
Please be aware that ordering from international suppliers can add time, and potentially cost, to the shipping.
Fiscal Staff
Please remember that our fiscal group is responsible for supporting the full department, which includes all research groups, operations and academics support. Most purchase requests are typically processed within two business days of receiving, adherent to the process outlined in this document. Expediting this process only occurs in extremely unusual circumstances.
Cost Principles
All purchases in the department must follow the four cost principles This means they are:
Reasonable
Allocable
Consistently Treated
Allowable
This means all purchases for a project need to be purchased and used during the project period. For junior lab and Capstone this means the purchases must be completed during the quarter of the course. Purchasing typically stops the last two weeks of Spring quarter, as there is not enough time after that point to receive and use the materials for your project. Please keep this in mind and plan accordingly.
Budget and Expense Tracking
Expense tracking
It is the responsibility of each group to appoint a treasurer to ensure that any and all purchases stay within budget. Accessing expenses and the balances for your project budget depends on which student experience you are engaging in. Please see details below for each group:
Junior Lab and Capstone
Each group is given a budget through their course instructor. They can expect to receive an update on their purchases from the fiscal group on a monthly basis during their experience. Groups should track their purchases in real time to ensure they do not go over their budget.
RSOs
Each RSO appoints a treasurer on an annual basis. The department trains this individual and grants them access to MyFD, the UW accounting system. The treasurer is expected to review their transactions on a monthly basis and approve their budget.
Purchasing Deadline
For Capstone and junior lab all purchases must be requested by the Monday before the Memorial Day weekend in May. Following this timeline helps ensure materials are received in time to use before the end of the Spring quarter.
Other Details
Package Pick Up
Packages are picked up and distributed by your assigned TA or GSA. Please work with them to determine how best to pick your packages up.