Buying Goods & Services | Procurement
Pre-Purchase Approvals
Ways to Buy (Methods)
Making Purchases in Oracle
Purchasing Categories in Oracle
Required Reviews & Approvals
Before initiating a purchase, check whether your goods or services require special reviews, permits, or departmental approvals. Procurement cannot issue a purchase order until all required documentation is complete.
Review & Approval Matrix
Ways to Buy
Discover the various methods available for making purchases at the university.
On-Campus Purchase
The university offers a wide range of essential goods and services through on-campus providers. In some cases, you must use these resources instead of off-campus options. Many requests are submitted via the
UCR Work Order System Portal
Campus Dining Services
Provides dining and catering for on-campus events; required source for most campus food purchases.
UCR Bookstore
Office supplies, apparel, technology, and course materials available to departments.
Digital Print Services
Printing, copying, and mailing services for campus units.
Facilities Services
Handles building maintenance, installations, and work orders. Submit via
Work Order System Portal
Fleet Services
Vehicle rentals, fueling, and maintenance for university operations.
Communications Services
Phone, data, and network connectivity solutions for departments.
Mail Services
Campus and external mail distribution, shipping, and delivery support.
Off-Campus Purchase
Use these options only when on-campus resources cannot meet your needs. Before purchasing, confirm required approvals under Pre-Purchase Approvals & Guidance.
Procurement Card (PCard)
Preferred and efficient method for unrestricted purchases under $10K.
Issued through US Bank to authorized employees.
Learn more about the PCard program
Oracle Procurement / Financials
UCR’s eProcurement platform for catalog ordering and purchase orders.
Complete required procurement training and coordinate with your System Access Administrator (SAA) to assign Procure-to-Pay roles.
Access supplier catalogs and request forms via the
Oracle Procurement homepage
to make purchases.
More Purchasing Guidance/Policies
Reference policy numbers:
• Purchase Requisitions (750-60)
• Blanket Orders & Sub Purchase Orders (750-03)
• Low-Value Purchase Authorization Program (750-39)
• Petty Cash (200-72)
• State Surplus Letters of Authorization (750-81)
• Consultant Agreements (750-27)
Making Purchases in Oracle Procurement
In Oracle Financials, navigate to
Procure to Pay > Purchase Requisition
to access the supplier catalogs and use the appropriate request forms described below.
Type
When to Use
Punchout Catalogs
Use this option to expedite purchases and payments. UC or UC Riverside has negotiated price discounts and preferential service terms with these suppliers.
Non Catalog Requisition < $10K for Goods and Services
Use for goods or services totaling
$10,000 or less
, excluding taxes and additional charges. Requisitions over this limit will be automatically rejected.
Non Catalog Requisition > $10K for Goods and Services
Use for goods or services totaling
more than $10,000
. These requisitions will route to a
professional buyer
for review and approval.
Non Catalog Requisition for Lump Sum Purchases
Use for
lump sum purchases
(also known as a
blanket PO
) not exceeding one year. Ideal for multiple shipments, invoices, or recurring services.
Critical Processing Details
For punchout catalog purchase orders (POs)
, departments are required to enter a name in the “Suggested Buyer” field. This name should reflect the department transactor responsible for submitting or approving the requisition. The field should not be left blank. If it is omitted, departments will be asked to update the purchase order before it can be processed. This requirement applies specifically to punchout (catalog) orders and does not apply to non-catalog requisitions, where it may be appropriate to leave the field blank. When the "Suggested Buyer" field is left blank, the system defaults to assigning a central procurement buyer’s name to the PO. This creates confusion, as it may appear that the central buyer initiated the order. A technical fix is not currently possible, so manual entry by departments remains necessary. Departments should also keep in mind that punchout purchases are limited to $10,000 or less and must comply with established procurement thresholds and policies.
Avoid PO Rejections on Orders Over $10K.
To ensure compliance with procurement policies, all purchase orders
(POs) over $10,000
must be routed to a procurement services buyer for approval. The safeguard helps maintain policy adherence and supplier agreements. However, some departments inadvertently bypass this process by manually updating the buyer field to their name. When this happens, central procurement must reject the PO, leading to delays and extra work. To prevent rejections:
Do not change the buyer field
on requisitions over $10K—the system will assign the correct procurement buyer automatically. If a PO over $10K is rejected, check the buyer field and correct it before resubmitting.
The
Non-Catalog Requisition for Lump Sum Purchases
form is the preferred option for structuring purchase orders (POs) that require multiple payments. Be sure to indicate the payment schedule in the item description—for example, monthly or quarterly. If you used the
Non-Catalog Requisition for Goods and Services under $10K
and multiple payments are needed, adjust the
quantity and unit price
to reflect the number and value of expected payments. If the PO is left at the default “1 each,” Oracle will assume payment is complete after the first invoice, which will block any additional payments unless a change order is submitted. For example, when a purchase order is created with “1 each,” Oracle treats the first payment as the final one. Any future invoices will be rejected unless the PO is modified.
Leave the Buyer Field Blank on Service Requisitions.
When creating service requisitions, the Suggested Buyer field must be left blank for any service purchases, regardless of the dollar amount. This applies even if the amount is under $10K. Services are treated as restricted categories requiring procurement services buyer review, and it is crucial to adhere to this guideline. Help text appears on requisitions indicating when to leave the buyer field blank to assist you.
Purchasing Categories in Oracle Procurement
Review a detailed table of purchasing categories available in Oracle Procurement, including taxability and usage examples. Make sure to consult the corresponding commodity-specific guidance to understand any necessary approvals and specific instructions for your purchase.
Purchasing Category Essential Guide
Column
Guidance
Restrictions
(Restricted Categories)
Restricted
: These are considered higher-risk items that cannot be purchased using a PCard, regardless of their value (
unless Procurement Services grants an exception
). They must be purchased using Oracle Procurement and often have specific ordering processes, preferred suppliers, and/or mandatory approvals to ensure compliance with university policies.
Unrestricted
: These are considered lower-risk items that can typically be purchased with a PCard or in Oracle without prior review or approval. They usually do not have specific ordering requirements and are generally straightforward to procure within established guidelines.
Approvals/Purchasing Instructions
This column links to
commodity-specific guidance
, which provides information on the specific ordering process, preferred suppliers, and/or mandatory approvals for that purchasing category to ensure compliance with university policies.
Ship to Locations
(Tab)
Ensures all purchase orders include accurate and approved ship-to addresses to facilitate smooth delivery and compliance with university protocols.
Taxable/Non-Taxable Indicator
(Visible in Oracle)
To better understand taxability, it is important to review the
UC Sales & Use Tax Manual
, Section 4: University as Purchaser, starting on page 125. Where there are known issues with tax in Oracle procurement, it is recommended to use PCard for payment.
The selected purchasing category drives tax. The requisitioner selects the appropriate purchasing category on the request forms. Each category includes a tax status indicator: “T” for taxable and “N” for non-taxable.
Categories for catalog and punchout items are mapped based on the UNSPSC provided by suppliers and cannot be changed.
Visit the
Research Equipment Partial Sales Tax Exemption
webpage to learn about the reduced sales/use tax rate on equipment purchased for research.
In the distribution section of the requisition/checkout page, checkboxes indicate qualified tax reductions and exemptions.
Use tax will be applied if an item is taxable based on the purchasing category, but the supplier’s invoice doesn’t include sales tax.