Purchasing and Inventory
Purchasing Process
The purchasing process at The University of Texas at Austin consists of the following steps:
- Define the specifications or scope of work (SOW)
- Solicit price quotes
- Issue a purchase order
- Accept delivery and document receipt
- Issue payment
Purchasing goods and services requires specific details – scope of work (SOW):
- description of good/service
- quantity needed
- quality of good/service
- date needed
- estimated cost
The department must use one of the following solicitation methods for procuring goods and services:
| Dollar Range | Solicitation Process |
|---|---|
| $0 to $15,000 | Competitive quotes are encouraged but not required. A department may solicit a quotation from a single source and issue a purchase order at the department’s discretion. |
| $15,000.01 to $50,000 | A department is required to obtain a minimum of three written quotes based on the same scope of work (SOW). |
| $50,000.01+ | Formal bidding may be required. Consult with the department’s Purchasing Office to determine the appropriate procurement method. |
Purchase orders must be issued prior to the shipment of a product or the delivery of a service to comply with university policy and procedures.
UT's Business Contracts office must approve purchases requiring a signature, e.g., a software license agreement. Department staff do not have the signature authority to bind the university to a purchase.
When the good or service is received at the proper destination, receipt is documented to allow for payment. You must mark that you received the good or service.
- The individual (receiver) receiving the shipment must be different than the buyer.
- The receiver must sign and date all invoices and/or packing slips. If the receiver verifies a shipment via email, a digital certificate must be attached to the email.
Payment for goods and services: ap@astro.as.utexas.edu
Inventory Control Process
UT manages the accounting of capital and controlled assets. An annual inventory certification process is conducted each spring. Equipment designated for inventory must have a responsible individual assigned and be located annually. The department will incur penalties for lost or missing inventory that exceeds a certain threshold of the total inventory.
Equipment with a Capital (10K or more) value and equipment categorized as Controlled Class Codes between 500-9999.99 in value should be affixed with a barcode tag and reported within 30 days of purchase. The Self Tagging Template allows you to include both new purchases and updates to existing items. Please submit the completed template to purchasing@astro.as.utexas.edu.
Surplus
When discarding UT equipment that is no longer needed, please contact the department inventory contact at purchasing@astro.as.utexas.edu for the disposal process. This includes worn, obsolete, unserviceable, and otherwise useless equipment that must be disposed of per the UT policy.
Purchasing and Inventory Resources
Contact
For questions about inventory and purchasing scenarios, UT rules, and internal policies, please contact the Purchasing and Inventory Office:
- Location: PMA 13.116
- Email: purchasing@astro.as.utexas.edu
- Phone: 512-471-7314