To: Campus Unit Finance Leads
From: Beau Jimmerson, Chief Procurement Officer
We recognize that campus units are currently in extraordinary situations that may require a temporary change to purchasing processes. In order to facilitate approvals required in the COVID-19 Campus Procurement Guidelines released March 19, 2020, effective immediately, units must complete an approval form for all purchases greater than $50,000 and general procurement items which meet the criteria below. Forms must be approved and signed by you as the Campus Unit Finance Lead and then routed for approval to Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Jonathan Pruitt, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Nathan Knuffman and Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Budget Stephen J. Agostini.
We recognize that there are urgent requests and the form has been designed to identify the urgency of the request and allow units to provide a justification of need. We also ask units to confirm that there is someone available to accept delivery of goods and services. Per the guidance released last week, the following general procurement items will need to be submitted for approval by Steve Agostini, Nate Knuffman or Jonathan Pruitt:
- A purchase greater than $50,000.
- Contracts where the University would be required to advance or spend more than $50,000 over the life of the contract.
- Capital improvement payments greater than $50,000
- P-Card expenditures exceeding existing individual purchase limits.
- Consulting agreements.
- Cash advances greater than, or cumulatively exceeding $5,000.
- Vehicle leases or purchases.
- Furniture purchases.
- Unit renovations (Non-Capital Improvements).
- Meetings or entertainment expenses greater than $1,000.
The attached form should be used for purchases that meet the above criteria and should be attached to the applicable request. The fillable PDF form and this memo will also be available on the Finance Operational Updates page.
Once completed, email the form to your Campus Unit Finance Lead for approval, who will then route the request form to specialpurchaseapproval@unc.edu for approval and payment. Once you receive an approval this MUST be attached in ConnectCarolina to the requisition or voucher, as applicable. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Procurement at purchasing_team@unc.edu.