Bren has its own dedicated Purchasing Coordinator who should purchase or be consulted before purchasing anything for your class or department throughout the program year. This will save you valuable working time. We encourage you to place your orders through the finance department via purchasing@bren.ucsb.edu. Items for purchase would include all office supplies, print materials, books, electronics, furniture, supplies for business meetings, etc.

 

Policy

The Bren School has the ability to place orders in almost any manner, including online and over the phone, so most orders should be placed by the Bren School Finance Team. However, in some circumstances, it may benefit the university to have an individual purchase items and subsequently receive reimbursement. Such occasions might include a discount for students that the university is not eligible to receive. Purchases made in this manner should be coordinated with the Bren School Finance Team. Likewise, because of its size and buying power, the university may be eligible for discounts, such as those available at FedEx, for which individuals do not qualify. Purchasers should consult with the Bren Financial Team at purchasing@bren.ucsb.edu or 805-893-4172 prior to making purchases to ensure discounts are being taken advantage of.

It is possible that purchases made without prior authorization from the Bren School Financial Team may not be reimbursed. Reimbursement requests for purchases that do not conform to UCSB policy will not be reimbursed and the purchaser will be personally responsible for the charges incurred.

UCSB Policy
Detailed information about UCSB Purchasing Policy and Procedures can be found here: UC Business and Financial Bulletin BUS-43 – Material Management

Insurance
University property is automatically covered by insurance against theft with set deductibles for forced and unforced entry. Additional insurance can be purchased if desired. Details on the UC insurance program are available here: ehs.ucsb.edu/riskmanagement/property-insurance 

 

Purchasing Timeline

  • Purchaser (a.k.a. Faculty/Student/Staff) researches items to be purchased.
  • Purchaser submits a purchasing request to the Bren Finance Team by sending an email to purchasing@bren.ucsb.edu.
  • Bren Finance Team places the order with the appropriate vendor and sends an order confirmation email to the purchaser.
  • Once the order has been received, a notification e-mail is sent to the purchaser with instructions to pick up the ordered items.
  • The Bren Finance Team receives an invoice from the vendor and subsequently pays the vendor directly through the UCSB accounts payable system.

 

Submitting a Purchase Request

All purchasing must be processed through the Bren School Financial Office. This is done by emailing purchasing@bren.ucsb.edu. We request that you provide ample time for shipping and delivery so you are not spending additional funds on overnight shipments. The Purchasing Coordinator will need the following information for your order:

  • Which Project Code to charge, (i.e. ESD19)
  • The date needed (when a required delivery date is important)
  • A web link to the item(s) you wish to purchase
  • If there is not a link available online, please provide detailed information with vendor phone number and address, the quantity you require, part number, description, and pricing

 

Reimbursements

Business Expense (Miscellaneous) Reimbursements should always be a last resort, you should reach out to our purchasing alias (purchasing@bren) to request a purchase through Gateway or the Department Flexcard.

Entertainment Expenses are not payable through Gateway or the Department Flexcard and will be reimbursed. Approved reimbursements are requested and paid through Concur. Prior to starting your reimbursement report in Concur you will need to set the purchasing team up as your delegate to review your reports.

 

How to Select a Delegate

Delegate Overview Video (1.34 min)
How to Add a Delegate (No video) 

  1. Log into the UCSB Concur site, using Net ID and Password.
  2. In the upper right corner, click on Profile, and then Profile Settings.
  3. Viewing the column of options on the left-hand side, locate and click on Expense Delegates. Please note; the ‘Request’ and ‘Expense’ categories share delegates. Permissions are assigned to both ‘Request’ and ‘Expense’ by selecting a delegate here.
  4. Click Add.
  5. Search for and select a delegate by employee name, email address.
    1. Purchasing - Phil Watt (phil@bren.ucsb.edu)
    2. *If you do not see the employee you want to add as a delegate, please contact your department manager. 
  6. Specify the delegate is to perform the following tasks, Can Prepare, Can Submit Requests, Can View Receipts, and Receive Emails. With these boxes selected, the delegate is allowed to prepare and submit requests, prepare expense reports on the traveler’s behalf, view receipts, and receive the same email notifications as the traveler.
  7. Please note that the delegate cannot submit the expense report on the traveler’s behalf. 
  8. After delegates have been established, click the Save to update the settings.

 

Miscellaneous Reimbursements

These reimbursements would be for anything not entertainment-related (i.e. not food or expenses for a business meeting).

Create a Business Expense Report

View the videos and review the instruction as stated below:
How to create a Business Expense Report
How to Create an Expense Report (Video- 1:33 min) 
Understanding a Concur Header (Video - 1:19 min) Note; this process contains much of the same information as the previously used worksheet.

  1. Click the Expense option from the top of the screen. 
    1. Under ‘Manage Expenses,’ click Create a Report from the appropriate selection in the ‘Report Library.’
  2. Fill out the required fields, including;
    1. Policy (Business Expense)
    2. Business Expense Name (Date of purchase - vendor - Project code)
    3. Report Type (Business Expense)
    4. Business purpose (Type a detailed reason for the purchase)
    5. Payee Type (choose from dropdown menu)
    6. Department - Be sure to click on the filter icon and choose “Either” then enter our Bren department code ESMS
    7. FAU (Full Accounting Unit) - This is the associated funding account (e.g., start-up, retention, grant). Make sure to enter the correct four-letter department code and your project code (ESMS-project code). Ex: ESMS-SU99 or ESMS-GP999
    8. Selecting the correct Funding Sub. - Select sub 3 (Miscellaneous expense)
    9. Create Report
  3. Upload receipts. Uploading Receipts Video (1:15 min) 
    1. How to Itemize an Expense on Concur Mobile (No video)
    2. Uploading Receipts on Concur Mobile Video (1:19 min) 
      1. Pro Tip: Upload receipts into Concur before starting your expense report.
  4. Save and closeout. Do not SUBMIT the report, email Purchasing@bren.ucsb.edu when your claim is ready for review.
  5. Once you receive the email notification from Concur you MUST log back in and submit your report.

Reimbursement checks will be mailed to the address provided or direct-deposited if a direct deposit has previously been established.

 

Entertainment Reimbursements

These reimbursements would be for anything food-related, such as business dinner, lunch meeting, or reception. UCSB has a very strict Entertainment Policy that may restrict or deny your reimbursement claim. That policy can be found here: UCSB Entertainment Policy

Create an Entertainment Report 

View the videos and review the instruction as stated below:
How to Create an Expense Report (Video- 1:33 min) 
Understanding a Concur Header (Video - 1:19 min) Note; this process contains much of the same information as the previously used paper report.

  1. Policy (Travel and Entertainment)
  2. Click the Expense option from the top of the screen. 
    1. Under ‘Manage Expenses,’ click Create a Report from the appropriate selection in the ‘Report Library.’
  3. Fill out the required fields, including;
    1. Event/Trip Name (Date of event - Purpose of event - Project code)
    2. Report Type (Entertainment)
    3. Request/Trip purpose (choose from dropdown menu)
    4. Business purpose (Type a detailed reason for event/meal/meeting)
    5. Request/Trip start and Request/Trip end dates (Select date of event/meal/meeting)
    6. Payee Type (choose from dropdown menu)
    7. Group Travel (yes or no)
    8. Travel to AB 1887 restricted states (yes or no)
    9. Expense provided to Spouse/Dp/Child/Dep care (no)
    10. Destination City/Country (Event location for Entertainment)
    11. Department - Be sure to click on the filter icon and choose “Either” then enter our Bren department code ESMS
    12. Host Name (For entertainment or employee morale events)
    13. FAU (Full Accounting Unit) - This is the associated funding account (e.g., start-up, retention, grant). Make sure to enter the correct four-letter department code and your project code (ESMS-project code). Ex: ESMS-SU99 or ESMS-GP999
    14. Selecting the correct Funding Sub. 
      1. For Entertainment and Miscellaneous expense reimbursements- Select sub 3
  4. Upload receipts. Uploading Receipts Video (1:15 min) 
    1. How to Itemize an Expense on Concur Mobile (No video)
    2. Uploading Receipts on Concur Mobile Video (1:19 min) 
      1. Pro Tip: Upload receipts into Concur before starting your expense report.
  5. Enter Attendees and their affiliation with UCSB.
  6. Save and close out. Do not SUBMIT the report, email travel@bren.ucsb.edu when your claim is ready for review.
  7. Once you receive the email notification from Concur you MUST log back in and submit your report.

Reimbursement checks will be mailed to the address provided or direct-deposited if a direct deposit has previously been established.

 

Package Delivery 

Packages are delivered to Bren daily from various vendors. Packages are checked in daily to the Purchasing Coordinator located on the third floor of Bren Hall, 3524. The Purchasing Coordinator will notify you once your package has been checked in and is available for pick-up. You will be able to pick up packages daily from 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm. If you have a time-sensitive package (for example, something that needs refrigeration right away) please email purchasing@bren so that the Finance Team is alerted and can assist accordingly.

 

Forms

Bren ENT Reimbursement Form

Bren MISC Reimbursement Form 

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