Purchasing FAQ

Purchasing

Office Supplies: pens, pencils, stationery, manila folders, tapes, staples

Due to a contractual agreement with the university, all office supplies must be purchased through TODAY’s Business Solutions.

To submit your requests for new office supplies:

1. Log into UT Market (EID Required), click TODAY'S Business Solution, look for the items you need, place them in a cart, and assign the cart to Xochi Gostomski (eid: xg2279)

2. Contact Jennifer Kryska via e-mail or in person. You may also write down your office supplies order in the TODAY'S Business Solutions Order Form available in UTA 5.52, where ordinary office supplies are kept. Orders are placed every other week to minimize delivery.

Please do not purchase standard office supplies using your own funds. You will not be reimbursed.

Non-Office Supplies: equipment, supplies, books, services provided by a company

UT Market is the preferred shopping destination for many non-office supplies as well. Faculty and staff are therefore advised to check there before shopping elsewhere.  

The next most preferred option is to shop using your authorized Amazon Business Prime account.  Details on how to obtain and use this account access can be found here. 

For goods and services that can't be found in either UT Market or Amazon, you may submit a purchase request via email to purchasing@ischool.utexas.edu.  Please remember to include specific links to your desired items/sources and to specify your intended funding source (startup account, grant x, etc).

Technology: computers, hardware, software

Please review to the technology procurement page: Technology Procurement

To ensure timely processing of your order, please submit your request to iSchool purchasing  weeks in advance.

• Order with a value of $15,000 or less can be purchased quickly. Please submit your request at least three to five business days in advance. Depending on the vendor, nature and value of the order, we will either use the departmental procurement card to acquire the goods or process a purchase order.

• Order with a value of $15,000.01 to $50,000 requires that we solicit a minimum of three informal bids/quotes from at least one ethnic minority-owned business and one woman-owned business when available. Please submit your request at least five to ten business days in advance. Sole source/exclusive acquisition requests can be made.  Allow additional time for final approval by UT Purchasing Office and for delivery.

• Order with a value greater than $50,000 requires formal competitive bids/quotes solicited by the UT Purchasing Office. It takes several weeks to complete the formal bidding process, and issue a purchase order.

For more information on UT Austin Purchasing guidelines and procedures, please visit UT Purchasing Office.

Common causes of processing delays include: use of a vendor not already set up in the UT Vendor database, missing order information, and use of federal funds.

Please contact iSchool Chief Business Officer if you have any questions or concerns.

Professional Services, Consulting...

Prior approval through a Purchase Order, Business Contract, or Exempted Services Form is required for one-time, short-term, or sporadic services provided by an individual or unincorporated sole proprietor in any fiscal year. The nature, scope, and frequency of the services provided will determine if the individual providing the services will be treated as an independent contractor or a short-term casual employee.

For further information, please reference the Independent Contractor (IC) Overview & Guidelines webpage or Purchasing Office’s FAQ

Please contact iSchool Purchasing, for first steps in this process. All forms must be approved prior to the performance of the services.

Mechanical Turk

Please complete the Amazon Mechanical Turk Request Form (PDF) if you are interested in using this service.