Faculty and Staff

Express Order: General Procedures and Guidelines

Last updated October 19, 2009 8:39:44 AM PDT
Give more feedback

Find information to help you use and understand UCSD's Express Order process for buying and paying for goods and services. There are other options, too, so check each vendor's page for special considerations.

How it works

UCSD low value buyers (or their designees) order from approved Express Order vendors by phone. A few Express Order vendors have secure Web sites where UCSD customers can query product information, view product catalogs, and place orders.

When placing an order, you will be asked for:

  1. Your buyer code (or designated buyer code). This authority must be granted or secured before you use the Express Order process. This code can be:
    • Obtained by completing the Purchasing Authorization Form (PDF)
    • or
    • Provided to you by an assigned departmental buyer with authority for the index that will be used
  2. The vendor's Express Order account
  3. Your name as the person placing the order
  4. Your phone number
  5. Shipping or service address
  6. Index to be charged

  7. What you want to order (such as product part number, description, quantity, and price)

Recordkeeping

Vendors will assign a release number to each order. Keep a record of this number and use it to track receipt of the ordered goods and services and to reconcile charges. Some vendors will send a fax or e-mail confirmation of the order. Refer to the guidelines for each Express Order vendor for more specific details regarding order confirmation.

Daily order limit

You may place more than one order with a vendor on a given day, but your total order cannot exceed $2,500. Separate releases are required for the use of each index number.

Electronic transaction files

On a scheduled basis, vendors submit electronic files to UCSD which contain all specified data for all transactions and releases generated for the period.

Electronic file review

Disbursements review the files. They communicate any problems to the vendor and edit the files before uploading them into IFIS to initiate payment and posting.

Payment and posting

UCSD processes the file, validates data fields and defaults the accounting distribution and other pertinent data from the index code and the established Express Order vendor profile. Problem data elements on releases are suspended from the vendor's file; these releases will appear on subsequent statements and are paid to the vendor when corrected.

Web statements and reconcilation process

Departments must promptly reconcile Express Order transactions by comparing charges to packing slips and other documention. To help you in this process, Web-based statements can be accessed in two ways:

  • To view all transactions associated with a specific Document Reference Number, access the Web-based statement through the FinancialLink Operating Ledger Transaction Detail. Click on the vendor name in the Description field and the system will drill down to the statement.
  • To view a Web-based statement based on criteria you select (Vendor Name, Accounting Period, Index or Buyer Code) go directly to the Express Order Statement Page, select your criteria and submit.
  • Vendor payment: Vendors are paid electronically for all validated releases.
If you have questions, contact Terri Hawley, (858) 534-8534.

Buy & Pay

Express Order

Departments

Disbursements

Procurement & Contracts