How you buy things

[Rickertsen2]

How does your team buy things. We typically have to either buy items on a team members credit card and get re-imbursed or go through the procurement office. Do any schools out there have "purchasing cards" that allow you to buy things directly?

[Brian S]

We have to fill out purchase requests, get our adviser to sign them, then turn them in to the ME office. they order it and email us when stuff shows up. For smaller stuff in town we normally just buy it and eat the cost. A purchasing card would be nice, but there is no way we will ever get one. They won't even give us an advance on travel money, we have to pay it out of pocket and then get reimbursed after we get back.

[kapps]

Most of our money comes from SGA. We have to fill out a purchase request form listing the stuff that we need, prices, and venders; then get it signed and turn it into the SGA office. This usually takes a couple weeks to get parts. Like Brian said, cheap stuff around town, we usually eat the cost out of our own pockets. We also hold a bank account at one of the campus banks where the president and treasurer can make withdrawals. This money belongs to our club and we can do with it as we please. It usually goes towards the shop or if one of the teams needs a part and can't wait for it.

[Rob Comer]

Since we're funded through an endowment, we have 2 purchase cards but they have a low limit on them. If we need to buy anything over a couple hundred bucks the program director has to do it.