Activity & Service Fee Purchasing Guidelines

General Purchase Guidelines
Off Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request
On Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request
Contractors -Performer, Speaker or Event Equipment Rental Purchase Request
Printed Items, Promotional Items Purchase Request
Online Purchase Request
Technology Purchase Request
Campus Department Purchase Request
FAU Trademark Business Cards or Name Badge Purchase Request
General Merchandise, Amazon, Office Depot Purchase Requests
Staff Travel Purchase Request

General Purchase Guidelines

  1. In order to access A&S Funding, individuals from SG, A&S funded departments, programs and student organizations (RSO) approved for A&S fee funding, must complete Fiscal Training.
  2. All Activity and Service Fee (A&S) purchases must be pre-approved via Owl Central prior to doing business with a vendor.
  3. Purchase requests must be submitted to the Activity and Service, Accounting and Budget Office (ASAB), at least 7 business days prior to an event, with the exception of on campus food vendor purchases which must be submitted at least 5 business days prior to an event. Requests submitted outside of the provided timeline must include a non-routine justification signed by a Student Affairs and Enrollment Management (SAEM) representative; advisors will assist students with this step.
  4. All purchases made in the State of Florida must be tax exempt.
  5. With the exception of pcard purchases, only do business with vendors registered with FAU (Only professional staff have Pcards).
  6. Unless prior permission is given for staff to be reimbursed, all purchases are made via Pcard, with on Campus vendors or via the University’s Requisition/Purchase Order process.
  7. Purchases made for giveaways and prizes are subject to a $100 maximum per item and a list of recipients must be provide to the Activity and Service, Accounting and Budget Office.
  8. All promotional item purchases must be made with vendors that are licensed and registered with FAU.
  9. With the exception of printed items from the on campus, Toshiba office, printed and promotional items cannot be made on pcard.
  10. All purchases for performers, speakers, and equipment rental must be accompanied with an executed contract signed by the vendor and FAU legal representation. It can take up to 2 months to obtain an executed contract. SAEM’s contract process must be followed. No student or professional staff should sign a contract.
  11. Except where food waivers/permits have been obtained, all catering purchases must be made with FAU’s on campus food vendor, Chartwells. Davie Campus does not have Chartwells but must still have food permits.
  12. All beverage purchases must be Coca Cola products.
  13. All office supplies must be ordered from Office Depot.
  14. Office supplies cannot be ordered from Amazon.
  15. Food items requiring food waivers/permits cannot be purchased using a Pcard. Pre-packaged foods can be purchased on Pcard.
  16. A&S Funds cannot be used to purchase food/refreshments for standing meetings. Do not use the word meeting in your purchase request; the request will be denied.
  17. A&S Funds cannot be used for fundraisers, gift cards, vouchers, cash awards or scholarships.
  18. A&S Fees cannot be used to purchase alcohol, firearms, drugs, weapons or used for political campaigns.
  19. A&S Fee purchases should not be personal in nature and should provide benefit to the general student body.
  20. Staff travel must be pre-approved via an Owl Central purchase requests. If traveling with students, an approved Notification to Travel letter must be included with the request.
  21. A Spend Authorization must be submitted and approved in Workday prior to travel for all staff travel approved for funding and the approved funding paper must be attached. Each professional staff traveling must complete his/her own Spend Authorization.

Off Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request

To make a purchase with an off campus food vendor, use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Verify that your vendor is registered with FAU At least 30 days prior to your event contact ASAB, asab@fau.edu, to verify that the vendor is registered with FAU. If your vendor is not registered ASAB will assist you with getting the vendor registered.
  2. Obtain Quote from Vendor
  3. Obtain a Food Waiver and a permit from the Business Services Office Food Waivers and permits should be requested at least 17 business days before your event to allow enough time to submit your purchase request to ASAB. Business services requires at least 10 business days to process food waivers and permits. Click here to obtain a Food Wavier Application and click here to obtain a permit. (Only a permit is required for the Davie Campus)
  4. Obtain an approved event registration The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  5. Submit your purchase request to ASAB Your purchase request must be submitted via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Itemized Vendor Quote
    3. Approved Food Waiver/Permit
    4. Approved Event Registration
    5. New Supplier Application and W9 for new vendors not currently registered with FAU or current vendors wishing to update their information. If supplier is an individual, an Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by a professional staff in your department.
    6. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  6. ASAB will notify you regarding your approved purchase along with next steps to follow to complete your purchase request.

On Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request

To make a purchase request with an on campus food vendor, use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain Quote from Vendor At least 20 days prior to your event visit www.fau.catertrax.com to obtain a Chartwells quote.
  2. Obtain an approved event registration The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  3. Submit your purchase request to ASAB Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central at least 5 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Itemized Vendor Quote with agreement #
    3. Itemized Vendor Quote with agreement #
    4. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  4. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase request.

Contractors-Performer, Speaker or Event Equipment Rental Purchase Request

A performer, speaker or event equipment rental purchase is used when you bring a performer, speaker, or artist to campus or you rent equipment such as staging or lighting for an event. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain Contract Endorsed by FAU Purchasing You should obtain the contract at least 2 months prior to your event. For more information on obtaining or submitting contracts to be endorsed by purchasing, student organizations and SG should contact their advisors; all others should visit the SAEM’s contract webpage at /student/sa-contracts.php. If a vendor is not a corporation or an LLC, in addition to the contract an Employee vs Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by the RSO or SG advisor, department advisor or director were applicable.
  2. Verify that your vendor is registered with FAU
    Contact ASAB, asab@fau.edu, to verify that the vendor is registered with FAU. If your vendor is not registered ASAB will assist you with getting the vendor registered.
  3. Obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made the same time you begin the contract process for the event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  4. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Approved Event Registration
    3. Contract endorsed by vendor and FAU legal
    4. Employee vs Independent Contractor Checklist (were applicable)
    5. New Supplier Application and W9 for new vendors not currently registered with FAU or current vendors wishing to update their information. If supplier is an individual, an Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by a professional staff in your department.
    6. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  5. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase along with steps to following in order to complete your purchase request.

Printed Item or Promotional Item Purchase Request

Printed items are publications, flyers, and posters. Promotional items are giveaways such as cups, pens, and t-shirts. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain printed item approval. At least 45 days prior to your event, obtain approvals you may need as follows:
    • RSOs – send an email to involvement@fau.edu to obtain approval for printed items.
    • SG – send an email to mahlerr@fau.edu to obtain approval for printed items.
    • All Others – submit a ticket to SAEM Marketing to obtain approval printed items.
    NOTE: Printed and promotional items must be made with vendors that are not only registered with FAU but that are also licensed. For a list of vendors, search key words Licensee by Client from the FAU homepage.
  2. Obtain quote
    At least 30 days prior to your event, obtain a quote from a licensed vendor registered with FAU. (NOTE: If the purchase is not for an RSO or SG, obtain quote from SAEM Marketing).
  3. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  4. Submit your purchase request to ASAB Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  5. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  6. Approved Event Registration (were applicable)
  7. Itemized Vendor Quote
  8. Approval for printed materials
  9. Copy of markup
  10. New Supplier Application and W9 for new vendors not currently registered with FAU or current vendors wishing to update their information. If supplier is an individual, an Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by a professional staff in your department.
  11. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made after the event has passed.
  12. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase.

Online Purchase Request

Online purchases are used to make purchases online on a purchasing card, except where the pcard guidelines prohibit. Only professional staff can use their pcard to make these types of purchases. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:
PLEASE NOTE: Food (other than prepackaged snacks), promotional, publication, or printed items (other than Toshiba on campus) can NOT be ordered online or purchased via P-card. Amazon and Office Depot orders must be submitted as general purchases.

  1. Provide list of items to be purchased At least 20 days prior to your event, fill the shopping cart on the website in which you would like to make the purchase and print out the cart. The print-out must contain the name of the website on it, itemized cost, and a total.
  2. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  3. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB vial Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  4. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  5. Approved Event Registration were applicable
  6. Copy of online shopping cart
  7. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  8. ASAB will notify you regarding your approved purchase along with next steps to follow in order to complete your purchase request.

Technology Purchase Request

A technology purchase is the purchase of computers, software, etc. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain a quote from Student Affairs Information Technology Submit a ticket to Student Affairs Technology at the following link to request a quote for the items you wish to purchase: /student/technology/ (only a professional staff can submit a ticket).
  2. Submit your purchase request to ASAB Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central and must contain the following:
  3. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  4. Vendor Quote from SA Marketing
  5. New Supplier Application and W9 for new vendors not currently registered with FAU or current vendors wishing to update their information. If supplier is an individual, an Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by a professional staff in your department.
  6. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  7. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase

On Campus Department Purchase Request

An on campus department purchase request is used to pay or reimburse an on campus department other than Toshiba and the campus bookstore. Toshiba can only be paid with a pcard and the bookstore via pcard or requisition; use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain Quote from Department
    At least 30 days prior to your event, obtain a quote from the department providing the service or goods. For postage, obtain estimated cost at https://postcalc.usps.com/.
  2. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department’s Owl Central page.
  3. Submit your purchase request to ASAB Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  4. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  5. Department Quote
  6. Approved Event Registration were applicable
  7. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  8. ASAB will notify you of regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase.

FAU Trademark Business Cards or Name Badge Purchase Request

Use the following steps below to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB for official FAU Trademarked business cards or name badges:

  1. Obtain Pricing Pricing can be found on the ASAB Business Card Form. Click here to download a name badge form.
  2. Submit your purchase request to ASAB via Owl Central Your purchase request must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Approved business card proof or name badge form
  3. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order in to complete your purchase.

General Merchandise, Amazon, Office Depot Purchase Requests

General purchases are those purchases that do not fall in any of the above categories; Use this to make Amazon and Office Depot order. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Verify that your vendor is registered with FAU
    At least 45 days prior to your event, contact ASAB, asab@fau.edu , to verify that the vendor is registered with FAU. If your vendor is not registered ASAB will assist you with getting your vendor registered.
  2. Obtain Quote from Vendor
  3. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization or department Owl Central page.
  4. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  5. Completed Expense Justification Form (Not Required for RSOs)
  6. Itemized Vendor Quote
  7. Approved Event Registration were applicable
  8. New Supplier Application and W9 for new vendors not currently registered with FAU or current vendors wishing to update their information. If supplier is an individual, an Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by a professional staff in your department.
  9. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made after the submission deadlines.
  10. ASAB will notify you of your approved purchase along with steps to following in order to complete your purchase request.

Staff Travel Purchase Request

Use the following steps to submit pre-approval for Staff Travel expenses:

  1. Gather your estimated trip cost to include but not limited to: Airfare, hotel, ground transportation, etc. Obtain this information at least 30 days prior to your trip
  2. Obtain approved Notification to Travel (includes waivers)
    At least 30 days prior to travel, if students are traveling, obtain an approved Notification to Travel at www.fau.edu/studenttravel
  3. Obtain copy of event agenda or proof of event
  4. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB via Owl Central and must contain the following:
  5. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  6. Copy of event agenda or proof of event
  7. Estimated Cost (if charter bus is being used, a copy of the executed contract)
  8. Approved Notification to travel and waivers forms were applicable
  9. New Supplier Application and W9 for new vendors not currently registered with FAU or current vendors wishing to update their information. If supplier is an individual, an Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by a professional staff in your department.
  10. Non-routine Justification form signed by a SAEM member, for those purchases being made after the submission deadlines.
  11. ASAB will notify you regarding you purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase.