Overview
There are many UC policies that may come into play when making a purchase on a procurement card. UCOP has a policy search engine page on its website where you can access all of their policies, searchable by name, subject area, or audience:
Please refer to the following most commonly needed policies for procurment card users to reference.
BUS-43: Purchases of Goods and Services; Supply Chain Management
BUS-43 is the general purchasing manual outlining the process of making purchases at individual UC campuses. This policy contains information on a wide variety of purchasing topics, not just Card Program purchases, but the following policy is the most relevant for procurement card use:
Part 6: Material Management Procurement Card Programs section is devoted specifically to Card Program activities.
It is worth taking a few minutes to read over this section of BUS-43 to understand the overall idea of how UCOP identifies procurement cards functioning, and the general guidelines we need to follow.
BUS-79: Expenditures for Business Meetings, Entertainment, and Other Occasions
BUS-79 is the primary UC policy document outlining what is and is not allowable in regard to hosting business meetings or providing entertainment, including the purchase of food and beverages, room rental, catering services, decorations, and AV expenses, and other expenses associated with entertainment and events at UC Berkeley. Following are some of the key points of BUS-79:
- Identifies limits of per person meal rates for entertainment
- Contains information on which entertainment expenses require additional approval
- Defines what does and does not constitute a proper business purpose for entertainment and events
- Specifically lists several event types that are not allowable per policy
It is a good idea to review BUS-79 when you have time to do so in depth, but you can also get more targeted advice regarding policy by visiting the entertainment Understand Policy page.
G-28 Travel Regulations
G-28 determines allowable travel expenses for staff and academic employees of the university, as well as non-employees, including students, visiting scholars, prospective employees, and independent contractors. It outlines specific rules governing how much can be spent on travel purchases, including:
- Daily limits on meal and incidental expenses while traveling
- Limits on how much can be spent on lodging (hotel room nights)
- Rules governing the circumstances in which business or first-class airfare can be purchased
G-28 covers the full scope of travel and is very helpful in understanding the travel-specific policies that affect the Travel and Entertainment Card (not yet available) and Travel Study Card. This being the case, it is not necessary for the policy to be read in depth, but instead it should be carefully reviewed for any expenses that you are not sure are allowable under policy. You can also access a short breakdown of the relevant points of this policy by visiting the Key Points of the Travel Policy page.
G-41: Employee Non-Cash Awards and Other Gifts, and G-42: Gifts Presented to Non-Employees on Behalf of the University
Procurement cards might be used to purchase gifts on behalf of UC Berkeley, and there are slightly different policies and limits depending on whether the person receiving the gift is a UC Berkeley employee or a non-employee (student, visitor, guest, donor, etc.). These policies are relatively short.
Although you would need to visit the policy itself for specific limit amounts, you can find a short breakdown of the key points of these policies on Supply Chain's Gifts to Employees and Non-Employees page.