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 Fall 2009 |
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From the Office for Business and Community Economic Development The University of Minnesota's Office of Business & Community Economic Development (BCED) would like to extend an invitation to attend the first Small Business Networking Fair on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 from 8 A.M. to 12 P.M. in the Great Hall of Coffman Memorial Union. The Small Business Networking Fair is an opportunity for end users/buyers of products and services to meet and network with qualified women and minority owned businesses. Many of these businesses have already proven to be great suppliers to the University of Minnesota. Vendors in the areas of catering, printer/copier services, IT, printing, travel, temporary staffing and more will all have displays. The involvement of University departments is an important part of making this a successful event. Additionally, this event is completely free to University faculty and staff. Simply register at http://www.ced.umn.edu/Registration-SBN-Fair.html and select the "General Registration" option. BCED would also like to extend an invitation to the 2nd annual Awards Incentive and Recognition (AIR)Luncheon that will follow the networking fair and run from 12-1:30. The event will be held in the Mississippi Room of Coffman Memorial Union. The AIR luncheon will provide a public opportunity to recognize University staff and departments, as well as Minnesota companies that have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Regents policy on Small Targeted Business and Urban Community Economic Development. Pre-registration and payment is required for the luncheon. Register by visiting http://www.ced.umn.edu/Registration-SBN-Fair.html and selecting the "General Registration" option and the number of lunches you'd like to reserve. This AIR program and Networking Fair are focused efforts that help to support the University's mission to contribute to the expansion and economic growth and development of urban, and underserved communities and to support community building that fosters stability and balanced growth. In the coming weeks University departments will be contacted by BCED to enlist their support for the AIR Program. In the meantime feel free to contact Aron Khoury at khour0012@umn.edu or at 612-625-8460 or visit the event website at http://www.ced.umn.edu/Events.html.
From University Stores The office supplies program through the University Stores and Office Max has been restructured to provide 400 value-priced office supply items that can satisfy most of the office supply needs for University departments. The whole range of office supply items continues to be available, but the value priced items offer the best value. Some examples of these items are:
Please contact Lynn Hein for more information at 612-624-6543 or Purchasing Services Wins Award for Excellence The National Purchasing Institute has awarded University of Minnesota Purchasing Services the "Achievement of Excellence in Procurement" award for 2009. Recipients of the award must demonstrate innovation, professionalism, e-procurement, productivity, and leadership attributes in public or non-profit procurement. Job Aid: Professional Service Providers Process Overview A new job aid, Professional Service Providers Process Overview, is available to steer you to the appropriate process to use when purchasing professional services and paying for provider expenses for various dollar amounts. Please note that there are some new easier options to pay provider expenses and to buy professional services under $600 per calender year. The job aid available at Training Services site, under Create Requisitions, and Purchasing links to it from our Purchasing Services-EFS page. FedEx U-Wide Agreement FedEx and the University of Minnesota have recently renegotiated the U-Wide agreement in place to cover delivery services for air, ground, and international shipments. Rates for all classes of service have been reduced, and these lower rates will save the University over $140,000 in the next 12 months. This agreement is the most economical method by which to ship small packages. The U of M rates can be found at http://uwidecontracts.umn.edu/attachments/Fedex_New_Rates.pdf. All rates are exclusive of the current FedEx fuel surcharges. If you are not an existing FedEx customer please keep in mind that you are required to have a separate FedEx account number for your shipping area. Call 1-800-463-3339, and press 72 to set up University of Minnesota account. Most accounts start with "Univ of MN/(your department name)". You can also set up your new account online. (New Accounts set up on-line will be activated in 2-4 days.) Please send your new account number in an e-mail message to our FedEx representative, Deb Imelmann Bennett at dimelma@fedex.com so the account will be properly linked to the U of M master account, 6644. This Master account number is valid for University of Minnesota accounts only. The U of M discounted rates will not apply until you send your new account number. Any questions regarding FedEx services can be directed to our FedEx representative, Deb Imelmann Bennett at 612-396-1519 or dimelma@fedex.com. Taxes on Purchases Don't Pay Tax on P Card and PO Purchases The University is tax exempt on most purchases. Exceptions: Taxable items are airfare, lodging, prepared food, candy, soft drinks, motor vehicles, waste disposal services, or construction materials purchased by a contractor. University Purchase Order forms and the University Procurement Card refer to the tax exempt status of the University. If using the University Procurement Card, remember to ask for the tax exemption, as the purchase will not automatically ring up as exempt. If the vendor requires it, a State of Minnesota Certificate of [Tax] Exemption is available on the Purchasing Services website under Forms/Documents. Taxes Do Apply to Out of Pocket Purchases The financial policy "Purchasing Goods and Services" permits employees to make out of pocket purchases in special situations. When making an out of pocket purchase, the employee should NOT attempt to invoke the University's tax exemption. Since the employee, not the University, is making the purchase, the employee must pay the sales tax. As long as the employee is following policy and submits the appropriate documentation, the University will reimburse him/her for the purchase and the sales tax. Neither the purchase price nor the sales tax will be reimbursed for any purchase which does not follow policy or lacks the appropriate documentation.
From the Real Estate Office Your department has asked you to begin planning for an event to be held off campus, maybe even in another city or state. Where do you start? For advice and assistance, the University's Real Estate Office (REO), located at 424 Donhowe Building on the Twin-Cities-Minneapolis/East Bank Campus, is only a phone call away at (612) 625-5345, and can provide expert help in the following areas:
One thing to keep in mind when you start your planning is that conference/meeting expenses (e.g. space rental, room nights, catering, audio-visual, business services) do not require competitive bidding or the issuance of a purchase order (See Purchasing Goods and Services, Appendix E: Non-Purchase Order Related Payments). The only supporting documentation required is either the University's standard agreement or the facility's agreement or contract, and, if required, evidence of prior review and approval from the University's Real Estate Office (REO) and/or the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Following is a list of key issues for you to address when making arrangements for University conferences and events at hotels and conference centers:
Once you have selected a hotel or conference center for your event, the facility may ask you to sign a contract. Typically, the hotel or conference center will provide you with its form contract, but because the University policy requires contract review and approval by the Office of General Counsel (OGC), you might consider asking the hotel or conference center to use the University's standard hotel contract, found in the Contracts Library, to speed up the process. If the hotel or conference center is willing to use the University's contract (without any changes to the contract form) instead of its own, no additional OGC review is required. REO's review and approval is only needed if the contract for your event has a value over $10,000. Also, pre-approval contracts specifically developed for University events at the Radisson Metrodome Hotel and the McNamara Alumni Center can be found in the UWide Standard Contract Library. To ensure that you are using the most current contract form it is best to download the appropriate contract from the Standard Contracts Library each time you need to use a contract for an event. What if the hotel or conference center will not agree to use the University's standard hotel contract? In that case, the following procedures MUST be followed:
Note: If Purchase Order (PO) is desired, either by the department or the hotel or conference center, enter a requisition and attach a copy of the signed contract after all the necessary REO and OGC reviews and approvals are completed. If you are unable to determine the value of the contract or need assistance determining who is authorized to sign a hotel contract for your department, please contact Ginger DeRosier or Patricia Paul-Ogeide Ukhurebor in REO at (612) 625-5345 or if you need assistance from OGC, contact Bev Moe Carpenter at (612)626-7797.
From Disbursement Services On average, 1500 to 1700 payments are being made using Single Payment Vendor numbers. While this is a very efficient way to make payments, users should ensure that it is the best way to make a payment. Reminder: Some of the most common mistakes made using the SPV's are:
Reminder: SPVs must not be used for the following:
The policy and procedures for making accounts payable payments using a single payment vendor number (SPV) are available in the U-wide Policy library. Non-PO Related Payments List Updated Please note that the Non-PO Related Payments List has been updated as of August, 2009. Now included are Professional Services for non-recurring payments or honorariums under $600. Also, "Postage meter replenishment" has been revised to read "Postage and postage meter replenishment."
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