Business Resources
Handbook of Business Procedures
The University Handbook of Business Procedures (HBP) is the online source for all purchasing and expenditure rules.
College Purchasing Disallowed List
List of restricted purchases and purchasing rules implemented at the college level. Please see the CoLA Disallowed Purchases webpage.
Business Affairs Forms
These forms are Powerforms in DocuSign to assist with college purchasing needs. For more information on each form and the purpose, please see the Business Affairs Forms page.
Contracts
Contracts are legal agreements between the University and an individual or business entity set up prior to payment. Only an individual with written delegation of authority from the President of UT Austin may sign contracts on behalf of the University, which is generally someone in the Office of the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. A University contract without an authorized signature may be invalid and unenforceable. It may create individual liability for the unauthorized signer. Contract requests can be sent through the COLA Contracts Submission Form. For general contract resources and information, please review the university Business Contracts Office website. All college-specific questions should be sent to GEB-Business@austin.utexas.edu.
Co-sponsorships
A co-sponsorship is funding for a specific event or function, that is planned, hosted, and sponsored by an external organization or student group, where the University of Texas at Austin participates in the event and receives a benefit as well as recognition for the co-sponsorship. Two types of forms are used based on whether a 26-account or a non-26 account is used. Please use the COLA Co-sponsorship approval form to request approval for a co-sponsorship payment. Please attach all backup documentation using the attach icon in DocuSign. Additional information on Co-sponsorships can be found in HBP Part 9.1.10.
Entertainment
Expenditures of University of Texas at Austin funds for entertainment should support the institutional mission and must serve a business purpose. Generally entertainment expenditures include food and beverages, facility rentals, flowers, invitations, and other similar expenses. For more information on the college policy and best practices, please see the COLA Entertainment page. Additional Information on Entertainment expenses can be found in HBP Part 9.1.1.
Facilities
Staff can use UT Works to request services from facilities including cleaning, event support, moves, and other paid services. Their site explains available services in detail.
Inventory
The Inventory Services unit of Accounting and Financial Management is responsible for the overall accounting management of capital and controlled assets for the University of Texas at Austin. For more information, please see the Inventory Services website. Additional information on Inventory can be found in HBP Part 16.1.
ProCards
Purchases that support the daily business needs of the University should utilize the appropriate procurement method. Trained and certified UT Austin employees are issued credit cards, also known as ProCards, from the state-approved bank to be used only for the purchase of allowable low-dollar and low-risk goods and services for university purposes. For more information, please see the Procard Office website. Additional information on Inventory can be found in HBP Part 7.8
Purchase Orders
A Purchase Order is a prior approved document used to obtain goods and services that holds the vendor to a guaranteed price and supply without a contract. For contacts, please see the Purchasing Office website. Additional information on Inventory can be found in HBP Part 7.4.
Travel
All travel for University of Texas business must be preapproved and reimbursements must adhere to university guidelines. For more information on the college policy and best practices related to authorization, arrangements, payment and reimbursement, please see the COLA Travel page. Additional Information on Travel can be found in HBP Part 11.
UT Market
UT Market is a subsystem of the Financial Resource Management System (FRMS), is an electronic procurement system that enables shoppers to browse for products across multiple suppliers, select items for purchase by placing them into a virtual shopping cart, and assign the cart to an authorized departmental buyer. Buyers make the decision to check carts out of UT Market and turn them into requisitions in FRMS Procurement. Final approved requisitions are then electronically dispatched to suppliers as purchase orders. Authorized departmental shoppers and buyers enter UT Market from the eCommerce tab in FRMS:https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/frms/utmarket/ecommerce/.
Additional information on UT Market can be found in HBP Part 7.5.1.