Any purchase should be submitted to the Purchasing Office on a P.O. Request Form prior to buying the item.

Please use one Purchase Order Request Form per vendor when ordering several items.

Attach all quotations or other descriptive information to the Purchase Order Request Form.

Computers and other equipment purchased with University controlled funds remain property of the School of Social Sciences.

Certain items will need justification letters in order to meet audit requirements. These can be in narrative or paragraph format and need not be lengthy. They can be sent as an email or as a memo.

• Single Source-to be used in the case there are more than one source, but you must use a specific source. This should include the reasons for the exception to competitively shop for the item(s). Usually, price is not alone acceptable. Matching existing items, electrical interfaces, availability and/or warranty issues are most frequently approved.
• Sole Source-to be used when there is only one manufacturer or supplier in the world (or within reason) for the item(s) needed.

You do have other options for purchasing items. As an example, you may purchase an item at the UCI bookstore and have the item recharged to your account and fund. You may also purchase items under $500 (including shipping and tax) yourself and seek reimbursement from Susan Spiegel  in the Social Sciences Business Office sspiegel@uci.edu or (949) 824-3852).

Remember: You are not allowed to spend more than $100 per day per vendor. If you go over this requirement, you will need to include an exception note explaining why it was necessary to go over the amount and the item require approval from Social Sciences Dean Maurer.