Purchasing

Purchasing

IU Purchasing has established policies, procedures, and best practices to ensure flexibility, value, and protection for faculty and staff purchases as well as compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies. Consult an administrative assistant or the Luddy Bloomington Director of Purchasing with questions. Additionally, the IU Purchasing Support Form is available for questions directed to IU Purchasing.

Before making any purchase, please contact an administrative assistant or the Luddy Bloomington Director or Purchasing, Sarah McAfee, to ensure the purchase complies with all IU and Luddy purchasing policies. Make sure you clearly communicate to the administrative assistant any complex or unique aspects of your purchase, especially if you have a critical or short deadline, or if your preferred vendor is not yet an IU approved supplier.

Unless the purchase complies with all policies, you may not be reimbursed. Do not use personal funds to make IU or grant-related purchases.

Per IU policy, anything purchased with IU funds, including faculty research funds, is the property of Indiana University. Unless the specific source of acquisition states otherwise (usually grant related), everything acquired through an institutional process becomes Indiana University property and, by definition, is state property. Upon departure from IU, all IU property must be returned to Indiana Univeristy. Please work with your supervisor or departmental chair to turn over all IU property before you leave the university. Failure to follow appropriate policies and procedures regarding the use of university funds and resources or in obligating the university to financial or legal transactions could put the university in financial and legal risk. Sanctions for failure to comply could result in disciplinary actions up to and including employee termination. Violation of state statutes could result in civil or criminal penalty.

No confirming or after-the-fact orders are allowed. A confirming order is a purchase, letter-of-intent to purchase, or request for scheduling an order without having a valid purchase order number. An after-the-fact order is an order submitted to Purchasing for goods that have already been delivered or services that have already been provided without having a valid purchase order number. These are against IU policy.  For example, do not schedule location rental or catering and then wait until after the event and receipt of invoice to request a PO. All purchases must be reviewed and approved by IU Purchasing. Please note: no individuals at Luddy School are authorized to sign contracts/leases/agreements with entities external to IU. Only IU Purchasing, delegated by the IU Treasurer, has signature authority.

Equipment/Software/Hardware/Furniture

Luddy uses a ticketing system to track all IT and Facilities requests/purchases. Submit a Service Request form.

Purchasing IT Equipment or Software

• In order to be compliant with UITS and IU Purchasing Guidlines, the IT team has staff with authorized purchasing authority who work closely with central IU Purchasing staff to take advantage of negotiated vendor contracts, educational discounts, and IU tax-free status.
• If you wish to purchase IT equipment or software, simply complete the Service Request form and choose ‘Purchase Request’ from the pull down menu or email the Luddy Help Desk with your purchase request.
• Do not purchase items with personal funds. Reimbursement may not be possible. 

Books

Contact an administrative assistant or the Luddy Bloomington Director or Purchasing for assistance. Luddy has an account with Amazon for free shipping without sales tax.

Professional Services

Professional services, such as consulting, transcription, or subcontracts, can be complex to set up as providers will need to pass the IRS independent contractor test (to ensure they do not qualify as an IU employee) before being allowed to be an IU supplier. Since these arrangements are complex, please allow plenty of time to set these up before services are provided. Contact your department’s administrative assistant or the Luddy Bloomington Director or Purchasing for assistance arranging professional services.

Dues, Memberships, & Subscriptions

Faculty may use funds in their faculty research account to pay career-related memberships, subscriptions, and dues. Send your invoice and payment request to an administrative assistant or the Luddy Bloomington Director or Purchasing, Sarah McAfee,. Please note that all memberships require campus approval, so allow sufficient time for membership applications to be processed.

Sales Tax

IU’s sales tax exemption varies. Most equipment and supplies purchases are exempt. Student hospitality is exempt, but other hospitality expense may not be exempt. For more information on what items are exempt from Sales Tax when purchased by IU, please visit the IU Sales Tax Matrix. Download the IU Sales Tax Exempt certificate here.

Flower & Gift Purchases

Consult an administrative assistant or the Luddy Bloomington Director of Purchasing, Sarah McAfee.

IU Policy generally does not allow gifts to employees.  Exceptions include retirement gifts or hospitality/bereavement flowers. Please contact an administrative assistant prior to purchasing a gift for a non-employee. University funds may not be used to purchase flowers for non-official functions, personal office decorations, or for personal occasions such as birthdays, weddings, or illnesses. However, flowers may be purchased under special circumstances.

Bereavement

• Can be flowers, chimes, or memorial gifts
• $150 total limit
• Must use IU Foundation funds - Use account 2948745
• Relationship:    
  • Spouse
  • Child
  • Grandchild
  • Parent (or an individual who stood in ‘loco parentis’ to an employee when they were under 18
  • Sibling
  • Grandparents
  • In-law relative of the same degree
  • Step relative of the same degree
  • Other relative of who the employee is the sole survivor

Employee Appreciation

• Only allowed in the form of hospitality aka meals
• Must use IU Foundation funds - Use account 2948745

Personal Life Events

• Graduations, baby showers, weddings, get well, etc.
• Cannot use IU or IUF funds
• ‘Pass the hat’ to collect funds for gifts