Accounts Payable

As we begin a new academic year, we would like to share several important reminders and best practices with all P-card holders and supervisors.  Please take a few minutes to review this important information to ensure that all P-card transacations and processes follow established procedures.

• Attached Document for P-card Reminders for FY27

Recently, Procurement held their second session in their Supplier Spotlight series.  This series is designed to highlight strategic supplier partners that assist UMBC in conducting it's business for the campus community.

This session was with BISM: Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, a preferred provider by the State. BISM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the blind and low-vision community by educating, training, employing, and empowering them to be confident and lead independent lives. Their manufacturing and retail businesses are the largest employers of blind and low-vision individuals in Maryland.  To find out more go to www.BISM.org

A recording of the session (37 minutes) can be viewed at this link.  A transcript can be viewed here.

Be on the lookout for information about future sessions in this series.

Dear UMBC Campus Community,

As of today, Procurement has introduced the new Unauthorized Procurement Justification form. The purpose of this form is to identify and document any unauthorized or “after-the-fact” purchases to ensure full compliance with university procurement policies and applicable regulations.

Unauthorized purchases occur when an individual enters into a transaction without proper delegated authority or outside established procurement procedures. This includes committing university funds or receiving goods or services without following the required purchasing processes. A common example is when a software or cloud service is purchased on a P-card prior to receiving proper approval, or when an order is placed before a Purchase Order (PO) is officially issued in the PAW Procurement System.

Please review the following important policy reminders regarding these transactions:

• Personal Obligation: Under UMBC policy, unauthorized purchases may be considered a personal obligation of the individual making the purchase.
• Payment Responsibility: The University is not obligated to assume payment for such transactions.
• Case-by-Case Review: Submission of this form constitutes a formal request for the University to review the circumstances and determine whether it will assume the payment obligation on a case-by-case basis.
• Form Requirements: The document requires the requester to provide the detailed facts of the violation, an explanation of price reasonableness, the benefit provided to the university, a corrective action plan, and required administrative approvals.
• Consequences: Repeated violations of these procurement policies may result in disciplinary action and/or personal financial liability. In addition, required training and loss of purchase privledges are possible.

The fillable form is available for immediate use when documenting non-compliant transactions. Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to upholding UMBC’s fiscal and procurement standards.

Sincerely,

Department of Procurement and Strategic Sourcing

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Earlier today, Procurement held their first session in their new Supplier Spotlight series.  This series is designed to highlight strategic supplier partners that assist UMBC in conducting it's business for the campus community.

Today's session was with Club Colors, a company that specializes in supporting custom merchandise, custom apparel, and promotional products.

A recording of the session (34 minutes) can be viewed at this link.

Be on the lookout for information about future sessions in this series.

Big News from UMBC Procurement!

We are beyond excited to unveil the very first edition of our brand-new newsletter: Procurement Purpose! 

Consider this your go-to source for everything happening in our world. We’re moving fast, staying sharp, and we want to keep you in the loop with all the latest wins and updates from the UMBC Procurement Department.

Inside This Issue:

• Our New Mission Statement: See the vision that’s driving our department forward.

• The Dream Team: Celebrating our newly certified Procurement professionals! 

• On the Road: Go behind the scenes of our recent Department Field Trip.

• Essential Updates: Key info you need to stay ahead of the curve.

Dive In Now

Ready to see what we've been up to? Click the link below to read the full issue:

We hope you enjoy the read as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Stay tuned for more regular updates!

Happy Reading,

The UMBC Procurement Team

• Attached Newsletter for Procurement Purpose 1st Edition

The below is an updated post from a June 2025.

UMBC Procurement & Strategic Sourcing is excited to announce we have implemented Dedicated Delivery with Amazon Business for the entire UMBC campus (1000 Hilltop Circle).  This does not apply to Shady Grove, Rita Rossi Colwell Center, or either Research Park location.

Dedicated Delivery (DD) is a shipping option that consolidates packages going to a single business address onto pallets. With DD, Amazon optimizes for consolidation over speed, delivering purchases together on a pallet, during the same time window every day, and enabling faster drop off with one pallet scan from the delivery driver instead of multiple scans for parcel deliveries.  

This is a much more sustainable, consistent, and reliable delivery method. Packages will then be sorted at the UMBC Warehouse and delivered across campus by staff from Retriever Card Center & Mail Services to the final delivery location on campus.

When placing orders with Amazon Business you should select the FREE Dedicated Delivery option at checkout whenever available so orders will arrive on a DD pallet (as shown below).  

Please note that there are some items that are not eligible for DD. Hazmat, heavy, bulky, or merchant-fulfilled items are ineligible for DD and will continue to be shipped via parcel delivery.  In addition, this is only for items that are both fulfilled by Amazon

It is our hope that this change will significantly decrease any errors with Amazon package delivery and increase customer satisfaction.

Please be sure to select this delivery option when it is available for Amazon Business purchases.  Thank you.

• Attached Inline Image for Using Dedicated Delivery for Amazon Business

• Attached Presentation for Green P-card Purchasing

The university is currently on Credit Hold with Apple due to outstanding balances. To help us resolve this quickly and restore normal ordering, we need your assistance.

If you have received an Apple order, please take a moment to ensure that a receipt has been entered in PAW. Promptly recording receipts allows invoices to be paid without delay and helps us maintain good standing with our vendors.

Your cooperation makes a big difference. By working together and keeping our orders up to date in PAW, we can resolve this credit hold and continue uninterrupted access to Apple products and services.

Thank you for your attention and partnership in keeping our processes running smoothly.

• More Information about Action Needed: Help Us Resolve Apple Credit Hold

You're invited to our 2nd Annual Procurement Open House. 

• More Information about Reminder: Procurement Open House

PLEASE NOTE THAT ACCOUNTS PAYABLE WILL NOW PROCESS ALL EMPLOYEE REIMBURSEMENTS WITH DOCUMENTATION/RECEIPTS OLDER THAN 60 DAYS AS TAXABLE INCOME TO THE EMPLOYEE THROUGH HRSTM:

Accounts Payable is implementing the IRS accountable plan for employee reimbursements to ensure compliance with federal tax regulations.  Employee reimbursements that are business related and submitted for reimbursement within the 60-day IRS Safe Harbor will be treated as non-taxable to the employee.  Travel related reimbursement should be submitted through Concur, while non-travel reimbursements should be submitted through PAW on a payment request.

The PAW payment request (PR) process now includes questions related to employee reimbursement when choosing "Reimbursement" in the PR screen:

If the documentation or receipt shows that the goods or services being reimbursed occurred more than 60 days prior to the submission date, Accounts Payable (AP) will contact the requester to determine whether there are extenuating circumstances for the delay. If no extenuating circumstances apply, the AP professional will guide the requester on the process for submitting the reimbursement through payroll as a pay adjustment

Please direct any questions or concerns to Gayle Chapman at chapman@umbc.edu

We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to this important process change.

• More Information about 60-Day Safe Harbor - Reimbursements