Purchasing Rules
GENERAL PURCHASING RULES
If you need to make a research-related purchase, ASK WNCG STAFF BEFORE PROCEEDING.
Official purchases are governed by a myriad of rules which can affect what, how, how much, and where you are allowed to buy! Contact WNCG Staff for assistance. More often than not, staff must purchase on your behalf.
GENERAL RULE: RESEARCH EXPENDITURES ARE NOT REIMBURSABLE.
See UT Austin’s HBP Part 7. PURCHASING for more.
EQUIPMENT, GOODS & SERVICES PURCHASES
If you are helping WNCG staff to coordinate a purchase with a vendor, please keep the following in mind:
DO NOT buy goods/services with personal funds and expect reimbursement! If you do, there is a good chance you will end up personally footing the bill. The Cockrell School is even stricter than UT Accounting, which means that many of the university’s already-rare "exceptions" are still not allowable out-of-pocket expenditures.
DO NOT pay sales tax. The University of Texas is an exempt state institution; we have a tax-exempt certificate on file. If tax is charged, you must work with the vendor to get it refunded.
NEVER have business purchases delivered to an off-campus address.
Whether completing a purchase that is being billed directly to the university, or in the rare case you are allowed to complete a purchase with your own funds, always have the item shipped to campus! (see: EER Mailing Address)
Software purchases are governed by UT Purchasing and Information Security.
DO NOT sign ANY contracts or agreements (aside from the standard "I promise to pay the amount above" on credit card slips).
Any contracts or statements of agreement MUST go through UT Austin's Business Contracts Office (BCO) and signed by a University designated signer.
DO NOT pay ANY deposits!
Anything requiring a deposit must be accompanied by a contract, per UT policy. This means said purchase must be pre-approved by BCO, per #5.
These rules are NON-NEGOTIABLE, per UT Accounting!
Related Processes and Exceptions
Compensation for Research Subject/Survey Participants
It is possible to do a cash advance to have funds to pay research subjects and survey participants—See the section on Compensated Research Studies. This process takes time, and the documentation must be submitted to the Shared Services office at least seven business days prior to the date the funds are needed. This does not take into account processing time needed by WNCG staff and Dean's Office for signatures. Please plan in advance!
As with the above, DO NOT buy anything/use your own cash to pay for compensated studies!
For more details, see: Compensated Research Studies
The Exceptions: Travel & Entertainment
See: Reimbursements for more information.
Travel
Payments for things related to official business/research trips CAN and often SHOULD be bought individually and reimbursed. This includes things such as airfare, lodging, meals, transportation, conference registration etc. See the section on Travel for more details.
For questions about travel-related purchases, or if you need help paying for things like a conference registration ahead of time, you can contact @Udan, Jaymie L for assistance.
For more details, see: Travel
Virtual Conference Registrations
There are a few different ways you can pay for virtual conference registrations, one of which is an out-of-pocket reimbursement. See Conference Registrations for details.
Entertainment Meals
If you have prior permission from your advisor, research-related entertainment meal expenses are reimbursable. For example, food at research group meetings, refreshments at your thesis defense, or being asked by your advisor to attend a working lunch with a research visitor.
Entertainment purchases are governed by additional rules. See Entertainment Reimbursement Rules for details.
Contact @Udan, Jaymie L with any questions.
Reimbursement Deadline
All allowable reimbursements—Travel, Entertainment, Conferences—have a 60-day deadline. This means you have 60 days after the end date of the event to be reimbursed, including all document processing times. Ideally, you should submit reimbursement requests to WNCG staff before 45 days have passed after the event. Please see the individual sections for more details.
So, aside from travel/conference fees and entertainment, just remember the general purchasing rule: