EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, AND SERVICES

There are multiple ways to make purchases for your research lab using university payment methods. Purchasing items using your personal funds should always be discussed with your account manager first to avoid the risk that your purchase may not be reimbursable, per university purchasing guidelines.

The two main (and preferred) ways to procure research supplies and equipment are through university purchasing credit cards (PCards) or purchase requisitions. If you or an employee in your lab will be making purchases regularly each month, please contact biolaccounting@boisestate.edu to discuss whether it would be possible for them to obtain a PCard. PCard holders are required to adhere to purchasing guidelines in order to remain in compliance and keep their PCard status. For items or services that cannot be purchased with a PCard, please see your account manager to process a purchase order for your lab.

Janitorial Supplies and Services

Supply Requests

Janitorial Supplies and Services

Trash cans and bags, nitrile gloves and other janitorial type supplies can be purchased through Central Receiving.

The Facilities team has a regular cleaning schedule for each building. If you have any concerns or require additional cleaning services, please send an email to svcreqs@boisestate.edu with your inquiry.

Supply Requests

To purchase office supplies for your office or research lab, please use the Supply Request Form in order for our staff to collect the necessary information for your purchase. Orders will be delivered to the Biology office unless an alternative address is requested on the form.
Other uses of this form include:
- PCard purchases in which the designated purchaser or PCard holder for your lab is unable to place the order in a timely manner
- Purchases which surpass the PCard purchase amount limit for your PCard

Research Posters

Poster printing is available through the Biology office. Please use our Poster Request Form to submit final copies of posters for printing. Use of this printer is limited to research and academic purposes. Please allow at least two business days for poster printing. Carrying cases are not available through our office, so please plan accordingly in order to avoid damaging your printed poster.

If the DBS poster printer is out of service, please use/check out a Pcard to print at the Library. DBS does not provide a funding string or reimbursements for this.

Shipping

Shipping services also require the use of approved vendors whenever possible. Our preferred vendor is FedEx due to the fact that our department has a online business account platform which our staff can use to determine shipping estimates or create outgoing/incoming shipping labels.

To request a shipping quote, please email bioinfo@boisestate.edu with you shipping details (to/from addresses, est. weight and dimensions, any special services requested).

To request a shipping label, please complete our FedEx Label Request Form. We realize research collaborators may sometimes request our FedEx account number in order to bill your lab for a shipping expense. Because our FedEx account number is linked to our department PCard, our department is now allowed to share this number. Please share the form link with your collaborator and request that we instead send them a shipping label to use.

Approved Vendors

Items should be purchased from Approved State of Idaho contracted vendors whenever possible. For items that require usage of university-affiliated logos (ie department logo, Boise State "B", university research center logos), please also review the List of Approved Licensees provided by the Marketing and Communications department. If your purchase requires you to use an off-contract vendor, please consult your funding string account manager to get prior approval before purchasing. Failure to do so may affect continued PCard use or reimbursement approval.

IN PROGRESS: Commonly used vendors.

Insurance

Equipment that is less than $2500 will not go on the University’s managed inventory list (or be automatically added to the insurance policy). Equipment $100-$2499 can be added to the university's Inland Marine Policy. Please note it is up to each lab to ensure these items are added.

PCard Common Topics

Declined Bank Card

Check your P-Card online account (CCER). It includes a ‘View Declines’ tab available to cardholders. Check this tab weekly to be sure your transactions are posting throughout the month.

When a transaction is declined it is most often related to incorrect entry of expiration date. Check the expiration date on your card carefully! Two other issues most often at fault are:

Blocked Merchant Category Code (MCC)
Insufficient funds

Lost or Stolen Card:

Contact Bank of America immediately to report lost, misplaced or stolen cards. Bank of America Cardholder Call Center (24/7), 1-800-300-3084

Amazon Purchases

Amazon is not an approved state vendor, and the same policies will apply for purchasing off contract. If you are making an allowable purchase using Amazon, please ensure you are using a tax-exempt Boise State business account for your purchase. If you do not have this type of account, please contact pcard@boisestate.edu from your Boise State email address with your request.

Suspicious Activity

If you have a charge on your P-Card statement you didn’t authorize, contact department P-card Administrator.

If a merchant will not credit a charge or charges the wrong amount, the cardholder needs to contact the merchant directly for resolution. If the cardholder is unable to resolve the issue contact the department P-Card Administrator for assistance.

Lost receipts

The cardholder must contact the merchant and ask for a duplicate receipt to be faxed directly to the cardholder/cardholder’s department. In the rare case where this is not possible, the cardholder must document what was purchased including – the business purpose, amount of transaction – and sign a statement that the receipt is unobtainable due to whatever reason supplied by the merchant. Attach any packing material supplied with the purchase (e.g. packing list, printable internet page detailing purchasing) as well.

Note: Cardholders who are missing receipts may have their P-Card temporarily or permanently terminated, as this would be considered a violation of P-Card Policy.

Tax Exempt Certificates

Per PCard policy, we are not allowed to issue blank tax exempt certificates. Pre-filled tax exempt certificates can be obtained by emailing bioinfo@boisestate.edu. In your email, please include the vendor's name and address, and we will send you a completed tax exempt certificate to use with your purchase.

Works Guidelines

You will receive an email from your PCard administrator regarding PCard sign off due dates.
It is recommended to reconcile charges on your account at least weekly to ensure accurate reconciling and to collect the proper documentation to include in your monthly PCard statement.
Common Works Tasks:
- How to Run a Cardholder Statement - Job Aid and Video
- How to Reconcile PCard Charges - Overview and Instructions

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