Planning a Purchase
Student groups/teams must use & claim University funds for expenses incurred to conduct University/team business, which are reasonable and appropriate.
Pre-approval must be obtained from team captains, leadership, and/or faculty advisor before making the purchase depending on individual student group/team's structure and internal policy.
Any purchases over CAD$3,500 required a purchase order (PO) processed by a UBC employee. Students are expected to consult with the Finance Teams first before making large purchases using personal credit cards.
Facebook Marketplace, while popular for personal transactions, is not the best option for purchasing items for student groups/UBC activities due to several inherent risks and limitations. The platform lacks the formal oversight and buyer protections found in traditional retail environment. This can result in issues such as:
- Receiving damaged or misrepresented items
- Difficulties in obtaining refunds
- The absence of warranties
- Exposure to safety concerns when trading with strangers.
If, after exploring all options, Facebook Marketplace is the only source for the necessary items, students need to obtain pre-approval from the approvers. Once approved, ensure to retain screenshots of the item listings along with proof of payment for reimbursement. Interac e-trasfer will be preferred over cash payment. If cash is the only acceptable payment method, obtain a written receipt from the seller includes seller’s name, contact information, date of the transaction, a description of item purchased, and the amount paid.
Student Purchases (Paid Out-of-Pocket or with personal funds) claiming UBC Funds
- Ensure pre-approval have been obtained from the team’s designated approvers and/or Faculty Advisor before making the purchases. Pre-approval is for approving the selected goods/services and budget.
- Understand what source of funding will be paying for each purchase to streamline the reimbursement process.
- Obtain and retain appropriate supporting documents to claim reimbursements after the purchases have been made. When the purchases will be claiming UBC Funds, the supporting documents need to follow UBC audit trail requirements. Take below actions to retrieve and retain supporting documents:
- Take a picture of the physical paper receipts immediately after received.
- Search email inbox and locate the receipt that show the item details as well as proof of payment.
- Log in to the vendor account (if applicable), download the receipt or invoice that show the item details as well as proof of payment. Credit Card slip or redacted credit transaction/statement can be provided in lieu of invoice/receipt that does not show proof of payment.
- Connect with the vendor to obtain a receipt and invoice that meet the UBC standards with an explanation that you are obtaining receipt for business reimbursement.
- The following types of documents are not considered to be supporting documentation for reimbursements:
- Quotes
- Work Orders
- Sales Orders
- Packing Slips
- Statements
- Credit Card Slips / Bank Statements
- Order Summary (from online purchase, such as Amazon, Staples, Home Depot, etc.)
The above documents may provide some information about the transactions, they often lack the necessary details required for proper verification and audit purposes.
Appropriate Supporting Documents
Supporting documents can be submitted in PDF or JPEG format for reimbursement. Below is a list of appropriate supporting documents:
- A receipt is required to support the reimbursement requests. The receipt should show a detailed breakdown of the items or services purchased, including their individual costs, quantities, description, and any applicable taxes or fees along with company information and proof of payment.
- Invoice + Proof of Payment. When receipt is not available, invoice showing the same detailed breakdown along with proof of payment can be accepted.
- Shipping Confirmation + Proof of Payment. When receipt and invoice are unavailable and unattainable, Shipping Confirmation showing the same detailed breakdown along with proof of payment can be accepted
Providing the appropriate documentation for the purchases help streamline the reimbursement process in an efficient way and ensure compliance with UBC policies.
Departmental Store Purchases
For course and team related activities, engineering students can use the services of the ECE purchasing office. They are located in MCLD 1032 - on the first floor, near the MacLeod Atrium. Below are instructions for how to purchase with and ship to this office.
To place orders through ECE Purchasing:
- Email purchasing@ece.ubc.ca with the following information:
- Your name, student number, and the course/project/team that the purchase is for
- A speed chart to which the order can be charged, and contact information of anyone required to approve the order (e.g. supervisor or accountant)
- Note: Do not CC anyone on your initial email. See "note on tickets" below.
- Supplier name, part numbers, descriptions, and quantities. Be as clear and descriptive as possible (i.e. include URLs, use an Excel spreadsheet if needed).
- Estimated order price.
- CC finance team for reference and confirm available balance.
- CC APSC Finance finance@apsc.ubc.ca if the ECE purchase will be claiming PAF.
- We will confirm receipt of the email and send you an email notification when your order arrives.
To place your own orders and ship to ECE Purchasing:
- Email purchasing@ece.ubc.ca explaining that you will be placing your own order to ship to ECE.
- Include name, purpose (which course/project/team), and a speed chart to which COD charges (tax/duty) can be billed.
- You will receive an automated email reply with 1-2 minutes with a 6-digit number (e.g. "RT #123456").
- Place your order as usual, using the RT number you received as the name in the shipping address and in the purchase order field, if any.
- ECE uses this as an internal tracking number so that they know who the package belongs to when it arrives. You will receive an email notification when it arrives at UBC.
- Use the following shipping address: