Business Services

Procurement

Rutgers University Procurement and Payment Policy 20.1.11 states that the procurement of goods and services will be conducted in an open and competitive environment to ensure that prices paid by Rutgers for those goods and services are fair and reasonable and that procurements for Rutgers follow best-in-class ethical business practices.

Procurement of goods and services must be processed through RU Marketplace, the university-wide automated e-Procurement system. Employees must NOT use personal funds and then submit a request for reimbursement of the purchased items or services, except for alternate methods described in the University Procurement Services Procedures Manual.

Purchasing from a University- contracted supplier is the preferred purchasing method at Rutgers. Obtaining multiple bids are no longer necessary when purchasing from these preferred vendors for any amounts. If you choose to acquire goods and services from non-contracted suppliers for purchase amounts of under $50,000, one quote is required. Requestors must obtain at least two quotes for goods and services that are $50,000 or more, but less than $250,000. Purchase amount of $250,000 and over must go through a competitive proposal process. Full information can be found in University Procurement Services – Buying Process.  Our business staff can assist you with navigating through the procurement policies and documentation requirements.

The first step in procuring most goods and services is to complete a Purchase Order Request form, attach a quote from a vendor (if applicable), and send to business_admin@ejb.rutgers.edu. Our business staff will submit your purchasing requests through the RU Marketplace.

Vendors can only begin their service or supply goods once a purchase order has been issued except for alternate methods allowed under certain types of procurement requests. Some purchasing requests may need more processing time and require more documentation. It is highly recommended that you contact the business staff at least two weeks in advance for most types of purchases and four weeks or more for any purchase amount of $50,000 and over. Moreover, for vendor contracts that need to be reviewed and signed by the Procurement Office, the requisition must be submitted to RU Marketplace at least 60 days before the performance start date to allow sufficient time to review the contract and negotiate. See Professional/Business Service Matrix. Please contact the business staff as soon as possible to ensure that vendor can begin providing goods or services when needed.

The business staff will process your purchase requisition according to the types of purchases below. Full information can be found in University Procurement Services – Type of Purchases.

Types of Purchases

Punchout Orders

The business staff can order goods and services for you through the RU Marketplace “punchout” catalogs which is the quickest and easiest way of ordering goods such as office supplies, small equipment, lab materials, etc. Some of the punchout suppliers in RU Marketplace are Amazon Business, Office Depot, Dell, CDW-G, B&H Photo, Dupli Graphics, etc.  You may send an email to the business staff at business_admin@ejb.rutgers.edu with a list of items you want to purchase along with Purchase Order Request form.

Quick Orders

A Quick Order is a type of purchase order for goods under $50,000 that does not require the review of University Procurement Services. Quick Orders may only be used to purchase goods. Certain items and services cannot be purchased through a Quick Order, even if the total costs are below $50,000. Please visit Type of Purchases – Quick Orders for complete list of restrictions. You must obtain one (1) quote from the vendor and send to business_admin@ejb.rutgers.edu along with Purchase Order Request form. The business staff will process the purchase order through RU Marketplace.

Internal Purchase Orders (IPO)

Rutgers has different department units that provide goods and services. Examples are Rutgers OIT for software purchases, Rutgers Catering and Rutgers Supply Warehouse just to name a few. See details on the internal purchase order process. The business staff will assist you with this type of requisition.

Professional/Business Services

If you need to engage the services of a professional service provider or business service provider, you may be required to complete the forms below in addition to the vendor quote.

You must download these documents and complete them electronically. Please send the completed forms and quotes to the business staff to attach them to requisition order in RU Marketplace. Please be mindful that in order to ensure timely processing of purchase orders, and to ensure that vendor performance will begin when needed, all contracts must be submitted at least 60 days before the contract start date to allow sufficient time to review the order and negotiate, if necessary.

Please refer to Professional Services Matrix for complete guide.

Printing Services/Promotional Items

Rutgers has several contracted suppliers for digital and offset printing services such as folded brochures, catalogs, flyers, newsletters, annual reports, etc. Obtaining bids is not needed for using one of these preferred contracted suppliers. If you choose to acquire services from a non-contracted vendor, you will need one quote from your chosen vendor and one from the contracted vendors below.

CRW Graphics | Directed Online DBA: Edward Sanders – Directed Online | Garrison Printing Co. | Jersey Printing Associates Inc | JON-DA Printing Co Inc | Matt Industries Inc DBA Dupli nvelope & Graphics | Mckella 280 Inc | MIK Media LLC DBA: Elevation Printing Services |  Office Depot | Roelynn Litho | The Printer, Inc DBA : BC & B Graphics

This list may change without notice. Please visit Print Services for the current list.

Promotional Items

Use the swag portal to find items for promotional giveaways, apparel, display materials, and lots more. The swag portal offers discounted pricing, free standard shipping, excellent customer service, and design support to the Rutgers community. The portal can be accessed using your NetID and password to log in to swag.rutgers.edu or via the Branded Swag by Consolidus punchout tile in RU Marketplace. Please refer to the quick start guide for guidance on how to use the portal.

For further assistance, please contact Karyn Olsen karyno [at] rutgers.edu .

Check Requests

Some goods and services such as honoraria and scholarship payments are made by check request instead of purchase order via the RU Marketplace. You must supply documents (e.g., vendor invoice) to support the check request and explain all charges. See more details on the check request process. Send your request to business_admin@ejb.rutgers.edu along with the Purchase Order Request form and supporting documents for processing.

Procurement Card (PCard)

PCards simplify the purchase of goods and services (typically less than $2,500) that cannot be purchased through contract suppliers and punch out suppliers in RU Marketplace.  The PCard may not be used for purchases funded by Federal Grant awards.

To request the use of a Pcard, please complete PCARD Request Form then send it to business_admin@ejb.rutgers.edu.

Please visit University Procurement, Payment and Travel Policies for full information on the allowable and non-allowable uses of Pcard as cited below:

ALLOWABLE USES OF UNIVERSITY PCARDS

The following are common examples of approved items for purchase using the PCard but check with the business staff first to make sure the vendor does NOT accept purchase order (PO) for ordering goods and services.

  • Catering
  • Emergency office, maintenance, or operational supplies
  • Facebook, LinkedIn, or other online forums used for ads (approval from Communications and Marketing required)
  • Guest lodging
  • Newspaper, journal
  • Recurring charges for website domains or other online services e.g.: Mailchimp
  • Postage
  • Professional memberships, application and license fees
  • Printing and binding services
  • Registration for conference and seminars
  • Utilities

UNALLOWABLE USES OF UNIVERSITY PCARDS

University PCards shall not be used to purchase these goods and services

  • Alcohol
  • Animals
  • Capital equipment
  • Cash advances, cash back on purchases, cash refunds on returns
  • Cell Phones
  • Charitable contributions
  • Chemicals
  • Computers
  • Contracted services from an individual
  • Employee relocation and relocation related expenses
  • Employee travel
  • Personal entertainment (meals, movie and event tickets, sporting event tickets, golf, etc.)
  • Gasoline
  • Gift cards
  • Hazardous/radioactive materials
  • Independent contractors or sub-contractors
  • Individual personal meals
  • Medical/surgical supply items
  • Non-qualified scholarship/fellowship payments (money to aid a student in the pursuit of his/her studies
  • Personal purchases
  • Pre-payment for purchase orders
  • Prizes and awards
  • Purchases from contract or punch out suppliers participating in RU Marketplace catalog
  • Purchases with a potential risk or exposure to liability for the University such as items that present special health, safety, occupational or environmental risks (e.g., radioactive material, animals, controlled substance, ammunition, etc.)
  • Rental agreements
  • Retreat expenses
  • Services performed by an individual, sole proprietor, single member LLC, or a partnership
  • Sponsorships / Donations
  • Tangible gifts for employees valued at $100 or more
  • Temporary employment
  • Tuition payments

This is not a complete listing of prohibited uses for the PCard. In general, purchases that require advanced documentation such as insurance, service level agreements, and pricing quotes should be paid via requisition.

Other Helpful Links

Business Services and Human Resources

University Links

Contact Us

Keri Ferreira

Department Administrator

Stephanie Crozier

Business Specialist

Madelaine Corcoran

Director of Budget & Business Services

Theresa Kirby

Associate Dean of Administration

Olu Odukoya

Business Specialist

Vivian Percoco

Office Assistant

HR inquiries and other personnel matters to:

hr_admin@ejb.rutgers.edu

Procurement requests, travel & expense reimbursement, and other business-related inquiries to:

business_admin@ejb.rutgers.edu

Timesheets for hourly and student employees should be sent to:

timesheets@ejb.rutgers.edu