Buying goods

Contact the Technology Solutions Centre. They can acquire desktop and laptop hardware and accessories for faculty and staff using institutional discounts.

Approval must be obtained from the Technology Solutions Center prior to purchasing computing devices.

Your department can create an account with UVic’s preferred office supplier platform, Staples Business Advantage, for ease of office supply purchasing.

For items restricted for purchase by eWay, check the other options listed below this chart.

Contact UVic Facilities. They must grant approval before furniture, finishes, or similar goods are purchased, and have resources to expedite your purchasing process.

UVic Occupational Health, Safety, and Environment (OHSE) must pre-approve purchases of dangerous goods. This includes various acids, drugs, radiating equipment (x-rays and lasers) as well as marine engines and boats.

Review their Biosafety, Radiation Safety, and Laboratory Safety pages for specific information, or contact them directly.

What should a quote for goods contain:

• cost per item
• number of items
• shipping cost (might be included or listed as a separate item)
• currency 
• terms & conditions 
• shipping terms (denotes at what point the ownership of the goods transfer to UVic) 
• date of validity (some quotes have an expiry date, be sure to submit the WebReq before it expires)
• vendor contact name & e-mail address
• company name & address (for issuance of Purchase Order & cheque)  

Don't have a vendor yet? Check our preferred supplier list or request assistance. 

Buying goods does not require a service agreement, but it's important to understand that any purchase does create a legal contract between UVic and the vendor. The terms of this agreement may be as simple as the price, list of goods and date of delivery, but even UVic Purchase Orders have a set of standard Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) that apply to every purchase.

Vendor quotes and invoices often include T&Cs that don't protect you or UVic to the degree required by university policy and provincial law. If we pay an invoice with these terms without submitting a counter-proposal, we may be bound by those terms, just as if we had signed a contract by hand.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to the Purchasing Officer assigend to your department. 

If the cost of the goods are below $5,000 and the goods are not on the restricted items list the purchase can be made by a UVic ccard or direct paid by Accounts Payable 

For goods over $5,000 and/or listed on the restricted items list please submit a Webrequisition (FAST WR) 

• attach quote
• If amount is not is Canadian dollars note currency (issue WebReq in amount of currency requested but note "amount is in xx$")
• attach e-mail correspondence (if applicable)
• In comment section of WebReq note: company name & address unless it is clearly listed on the quote
• In comment section of WebReq note: vendor contact name & e-mail address
• submit WebReq to account holder or delegate for spending authority approval
• submit WebReq to Purchasing

Purchasing will assess if the WebReq requires further approval by stakeholders such as:

• Research Accounting
• Technology Solutions Centre
• Risk & Insurance
• Occupational Health & Safety
• Marketing
• Privacy Office
• General Counsel

Once all the approvals are in place Purchasing will place the order.

This may be accomplished in a variety of ways depending on the goods or the vendor: 

• Purchasing to issue a Purchase Order (PO) and sending it to the vendor 
• In some cases a Services Agreement may be required, Purchasing will decide and lead the process
• The vendor may request payment by credit card, Purchasing will handle     

Depending on how the order was placed payment may be via:

• Purchasing ccard
  
  
• Purchase Order:
  • the vendor will note the PO# on the invoice and send to payments@uvic.ca
  • the invoice will be routed to a signing authority for approval
  • signing authority will review the invoice for accuracy (goods have been received, invoice is correct) and approve for payment
  • Accounts Payable will pay the invoice  

NOTE: When unsure how a WebReq was processed you can search for the WebReq # in FAST WR and review the notes. 

Most purchases over $75,000 require a public competition: Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Quotations (RFQ), or similar.

In exceptional circumstances, and only in accordance with trade agreements, a direct award request may be considered and may require publicly posting a Notice of Intent (NOI).

Qualifying for Direct Award