Department Buyer: Roles and Responsibilities

These guidelines clarify the roles and responsibilities of department buyers.

Roles

When purchasing goods and services, two key roles come into play:

• Procurement & Contracts' role: The Procurement & Contracts director has the ultimate authority to purchase goods and services for UCSD. The director can delegate to departments the authority to buy certain goods and services. In departments, this responsibility falls on department buyers.

• Department buyer's role: A department buyer has the delegated authority to purchase materials, supplies, services, and repairs when these goods and services:
  • Don't exceed $2,500, including tax, freight, and handling charges
  • Don't qualify as equipment
  • Aren't for restricted items
  • Don't require a signed contract

Department buyers receive purchasing authority by delegation from the Procurement & Contracts director, who receives authority from the Regents and president of the university. With this authority, department buyers must comply with all applicable federal, state, and university policies and procedures.

Policy violations

Department buyers who violate policy may be subject to disciplinary action including written warnings, mandatory training, loss of purchasing authority, probation, termination, and criminal prosecution.

Examples of activities that violate policy include purchases that:

• Are fraudulent transactions
• Are made by non-authorized employees
• Use unauthorized buying methods i.e. a valid Purchase Order or Express Card is not provided to the supplier at the time of purchase
• Exceed the buyer's authorization
• Consist of restricted goods or services
• Are for personal use or benefit
• Violate policy on employee-vendor relationships
• Involve signing a contract that commits funds for purchase

Responsibilities

Department buyers' responsibilities include placing orders by using the following processes:

• Marketplace
• Express Card
• Express Order
• FinancialLink Department Order

Resources

• Authorizations and Training
• What Department Buyers Need to Know
• How to Become an Online Buyer for Your Department
• Responsible Buying Practices

Buy & Pay

Department Buyers

• Authorizations & Training
• Roles & Responsibilities
• How to Become One
• Supplier Scams
• Ship to Codes