ME310 Administrative Survival Guide (v2022.0)
At Stanford University, each team has a project account containing the funds budgeted for its corporate project. The local team's project budget is $8,000.
Each global partner team has a separate and roughly equivalent budget. Global students should contact their local teaching team for their own purchasing and reimbursement processes. The global partner’s budget is independently overseen by their local teaching team and university administration.
When coordinated purchases of components and services are desired, these must be negotiated with global teammates and have the approval of teaching teams at both Stanford and the global university. The overall project team should maintain awareness of its total expenditures across both local project budgets, at Stanford and the Global University.
The procedures and information presented below applies to Stanford students.
Each team must create a budget (anticipated spending) for each quarter, using the Team Planning Budget Spreadsheet.
Each team needs to keep a running Expenses Spreadsheet of all expenses and update it weekly. Please use the Google Docs spreadsheet template provided by the ME310 Program Administrator. This must be updated actively and reviewed by the teaching team before they approve any new purchases. The spreadsheet should also keep track of where the purchase was incurred (i.e. at Stanford or Global school).
One team member at Stanford should be designated as your official Team Treasurer (or CFO). The nominated CFO will receive all of the team’s disbursements (via direct deposit) during the entire academic year and complete the global travel reimbursement in early spring quarter.
CFO responsibilities include:
Keeping the spreadsheet current by updating the running ME310 team Expenses Spreadsheet weekly
Collecting all ME310 team project prototyping related receipts
Completing the Expense Reimbursement Form and receiving approval from the appropriate budget monitor
Meeting with the ME310 Program Administrator once a month (on a determined week)
to submit receipts for the team which require reimbursement.
to review budget status
Keeping a digital copy of all receipts and the approved Expense Reimbursement Form for your team’s records
Each member of the team will have an acting co-CFO assignment, assisting the CFO in the monthly reimbursement process, at least once during the 2023-24 academic year. When assuming the acting co-CFO role, this team member will assist the CFO in completing the monthly reimbursement form.
NOTE: Two team members, the CFO and an assisting team member (backup co-CFO,) must sign/approve each Expense Reimbursement Form. The signing co-CFOs will accompany the CFO at the monthly reimbursement meetings with the ME310 Program Administrator to review the team’s Expense Reimbursement Form (The ME310 Program Administrator will announce dates/times for available appointments.)
The team's CFO must be selected by November 11, 2023, and must meet with the ME310 Program Administrator before November 19, 2023. Team affidavits and Stanford University ME310 Administrative Guide Acknowledgement Forms will need to be signed and submitted by November 18, 2023.
A (suggested) prototypical quarter by quarter spending allocation for the $8k budget:
$300 - Autumn Quarter
$2.2K - Winter Quarter
$5.5K - Spring Quarter
Please see the ME310 Program Administrator before purchasing or agreeing to purchase anything! There are many ways to buy things; some ways are better than others depending on the circumstance. If you commit to a purchase (e.g. Pcard, out of pocket over $150, personal items, contracts, etc) without authorization from the ME310 Program Administrator, you will be personally liable for the cost! All chemicals including any sort of adhesives (i.e. epoxy, super glue, etc) will need to be purchased through Stanford University directly. These chemicals can no longer be reimbursed with your project funds and/or paid for via Pcard. For all future ME310 purchases for these materials, please send the ME310 Program Administrator the link to the chemical(s) you need for your ME310 project including the quantity/size your team requires. Please CC Naveen and Vishal in your email request (310-geniuses@lists.stanford.edu). If the purchase for your request is over $150.00, please complete a ME310 Purchase Authorization Form and have a ME310 Course Assistant review/sign it for approval. Please attached the signed/approved form to your email request so that I may purchase your chemical request in a timely manner. All chemical purchases will need to be pre-approved by EH&S as the chemicals will to used/store in the ME310 Loft. If your team will be using any type of chemical in order to advance the progress of your ME310 prototype, PLEASE reach out to the ME310 Program Administrator at your earliest convenience*
01/FEB/2022 UPDATE:
Stanford encourages that we continue to use Amazon Business/iProcurement for all ME310 prototyping course purchasing needs*
In the event that prototyping materials are needed sooner that what Amazon Business can deliver in order to meet time-sensitive ME310 deadlines, our course is permitted by ME Finance to:
-Use the Pcard to make ME310 purchases via Amazon.com directly. For this request, please email the ME310 Program Administrator with your request and she will make the purchase on your team’s behalf (with the ME310 Pcard) and have the order shipped to your residence or Peterson Building. In your ME310 purchasing request email, please share:
-The link(s) to the item(s) you need to have purchased in support of your ME310 project :-)
-The count/quantity/color of each item /:0)
-Any additional information that could benefit your ME310 purchase request < : }
-Purchase prototyping materials “in person”/out of pocket and request reimbursement for these expenses per “Expense Reimbursements” tab below. For “out of pocket” purchasing requests that are needed for to meet time-sensitive ME310 deadlines, please request preapproval by the ME310 Program Administrator for requests under $150. If your team’s out of pocket expense is over $150, please request Naveen and Vishal's pre-approval via email (310-geniuses@lists.stanford.edu). If your team’s out of pocket expense is over $500, please request George Toye’s pre-approval via email (toye@stanford). Kind Reminder: Chemicals cannot be reimbursed and no reimbursement over $2,499.00 is permitted.
The CAs (Naveen Ravindar and Vishal Singh) act as Budget Monitors for your project. No matter how you make a purchase, one thing will remain the same – every PCard expenditure of any amount, and out-of-pocket expenditures over $150 must be approved by your Budget Monitor IN ADVANCE using the Purchase Authorization Form. They need to review your updated Expenses Spreadsheet before approving any proposed transaction above $150. Please send all Purchase Authorization Forms for review/approval to 310-geniuses@lists.stanford.edu
For purchases over $500.00, you must have George Toye's approval. For this approval, you must be sure to have updated your Expenses Spreadsheet as well as your complete spending plans through to end-of-year for review.
For purchases under $150 that do not require TTeam approvals, please note that these purchases must be related to your ME310 prototyping endeavors (Please use good judgement). If the purchase is not, the expenses will be declined for reimbursement. Please purchase wisely. Note: Out of pocket reimbursement total amount cannot exceed over $150 per student in a monthly reimbursement cycle without getting a CA approval first. If in doubt: ASK before you purchase it!!!
For purchasing all future PRL prototyping supplies in BLDG 610/Room 36, please see the NEW process below. Please note that this is only for ME310 students.
-In the PRL, please collect all the prototyping materials you need for your ME310 assignment*
-Once you have the item(s), please contact the onsite PRL Course Assistant and inform her/him/them:
You are in ME310
The name of your team
Your name
-The PRL Course Assistant will then give you the GRAND TOTAL of the prototyping supplies you would like to purchase
-Please note, the PRL Course Assistants will not be giving you a receipt. So please update your ME310 Team Google Drive Expense Sheet with the description of what you are purchasing including the GRAND TOTAL. Monthly, your Team CFO & ME310 Program Administrator will review your PRL expenses to ensure that your team is within budget and all PRL expense are accounted for $ =)
Overview of Purchasing Options (in order of administrative ease):
Method
Amount of Purchase
Lead Time
Procedure
Purchasing Card (PCard)
Up to $4,999
1) Complete Purchase Authorizaton Form
2) Enter expense in your Expenses Spreadsheet and note as PCard
3) Get approvals on Purchase Authorizaton Form
4) Submit to 310-geniuses@lists.stanford.edu with mailing address & shipping rate by 3:00 PM each day.
5) The ME310 Administrator will make the purchase on your behalf
6) Once delivery arrives, please confirm it was received in good condition via email
Expense Reimbursement
Up to $1,000
Instant purchase, reimbursement can take up to a month, after receipts are submitted to the ME310 Administrator.
1a) If $150 or less, go ahead and purchase.
1b) If more than $150, complete Purchase Authorization Form, get approval, then purchase.
2) SAVE YOUR RECEIPT
3) Enter expense in your Expenses Spreadsheet, reimbursement needed
4) Fill out Expense Reimbursement Form for all expenses that month
5) Submit to the ME310 Program Administrator at monthly Treasurer meeting
Purchase Order (PO)
Over $2,500
A couple of days, minimum
1) Fill out Purchase Order Form
2) Enter expense in your Expenses Spreadsheet and note as PO
(DO NOT COMMIT TO PURCHASE UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED APPROVAL FROM THE ME310 PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR)
3) Get G.Toye Approval
4) Submit to the ME310 Program Administrator
5) Procurement Department places order
Up to $2,500
A couple of hours, unless the vendor is new to Stanford System
1) Fill out Purchase Order Form
2) Enter expense in your Expenses Spreadsheet and note as PO
3) Get CA or G.Toye Approval
4) Submit to the ME310 Program Administrator
5) You contact vendor to place the order with provided RPO
For vendors who will take a credit card, you may borrow the ME310's Purchasing Card (PCard) for purchases up to $4,999 including taxes, shipping, handling, and any additional fees (CANNOT EXCEED $5,000). You’ll need to complete a Purchase Authorizaton Form, update your Expenses Spreadsheet by adding a line for your proposed purchase, and get a CA’s/George Toye’s approval on it for all purchases, even those for less than $150. Once you have completed the ME310 Purchase Authorization Form and send it to 310-geniuses@lists.stanford.edu for review/ approval. Please CC the ME310 Program Administrator for each request. Update your team’s Google Drive expense form with the total cost of the item(s) you intend to purchase. Please confirm the shipping address of the item(s) that your team has requested to purchase via Pcard and the rate of shipping. ME310 Purchase Authorization Forms are due by 3:00 PM each day. If the Purchase Authorization Form is received after 3:00 PM, they will be reviewed for the next business day. Once the ME310 Program Administrator has received approval from 310-geniuses@lists.stanford.edu with the all the information above (i.e. shipping address, shipping rate, etc) the ME310 Program Administrator will then make the purchase on your team’s behalf and have it shipped to your requested address. Upon the order’s arrival, you will email the ME310 Program Administrator to confirm you have received the shipment in good condition.
The $4,999 transaction limit is firm. Large transactions may not be split into smaller ones to get past the $5,000 limit.
DO NOTs / CAN NOTs
PCards shall not be used for travel, parking, or gasoline for personal vehicles.
No live animals, bugs, or living organisms (Please consult with the ME310 Program Administrator BEFORE making purchase)
PCards shall not be handed off to another ME310 student, or a CA, or anybody else.
PCards may not be used for any purchase other than what was originally approved.
PCard cannot be used for purchasing chemicals of any sorts. Please contact the ME310 Program Administrator for any/all future chemical purchases for your ME310 project.
Pcard can only be used for Amazon purchases IF the materials are needed ASAP (but Amazon Business is PREFERRED for ALL Amazon purchases).
Pcard cannot be used for purchasing electronic equipment, computing equipment, cloud computing services, mobile devices and accessories.
Pcard cannot be used for foreign vendors.
MUST DOs
Only Stanford students and staff may use the PCard.
'''
Breaking these rules will cancel your PCard privileges.
Sometimes the best way to purchase something (especially small items) will be to pay for it yourself, and be reimbursed. Please see the Procedure below. The following guidelines are based on University financial policy and apply to faculty, staff and students alike.
The team Treasurer (CFO) will be responsible for all expense reimbursements for the group. Reimbursement checks are payable to the Treasurer who in turn reimburses the team members. Each team member needs to sign an affidavit authorizing the reimbursements to be paid to the Treasurer. Only Stanford students and staff can be reimbursed at Stanford.
If purchase is $150 or less, go ahead and purchase. If purchase is more than $150, complete Purchase Authorization Form and get Budget Monitor approval before purchase via email (310-geniuses@lists.stanford.edu). If over $500, please obtain George Toye's approval via email (toye@stanford.edu).# Save all receipts in your Google Drive Folder titled for the month that it was purchased (e.g. All April receipts go into the April Google Drive Folder. All receipts must clearly show what was bought and that payment was made. (Sometimes invoices are given instead of receipts; these must indicate PAID, or BALANCE DUE = $0 and cannot be handwritten notations unless you also supply a credit card receipt.) On-line receipts are OK provided they indicate it is a RECEIPT (not Invoice) and that the total is shown as PAID.
Complete an Expense Reimbursement Form. Update your Expenses Spreadsheet to include your purchased items and upload it into the April Google Drive Folder.
Treasurer needs to make an appointment with the ME310 Program Administrator during your team's designated reimbursement week to review all the monthly contents of the team's Google Drive. Be prepared to spend a few minutes reviewing everything with the ME310 Program Administrator.
Reimbursement checks will take up to four weeks and possibly longer later in the year due to backlog at Travel & Reimbursement.
Notes:
Travel vs. Non-travel:
Non-travel Reimbursement requests are accepted once per month.
Travel reimbursements should be submitted immediately upon return from your trip.
Timeliness: All reimbursements need to be approved within 60 days of the purchase or they will be considered taxable income. Based on that policy, all receipts must be submitted to the ME310 Program Administrator within 30 days of purchase, to allow time for her to enter them in Stanford's financial system.
"'Appointments:''' Don't miss your reimbursement appointment! If it's absolutely impossible to keep your appointment, please reschedule with the ME310 Program Administrator ASAP rather than holding them for the next month!
Purchase Restrictions:
Furniture is not an allowable purchase unless is it directly related to your project prototype fabrication.
Gift cards/prizes/gifts are not allowed to be purchased with the Pcard and will not be reimbursed.
Purchase Orders over $4,999 from vendors already established with Stanford, can usually be created with just a few hours notice after receiving your approved Purchase Order Form. If the vendor is not already in Stanford's system it can add two days to the process. Purchase Orders over $4,999 require a lead-time of at least a couple of days.
If you wish to have a vendor fabricate material for your prototype, please request a quote for the vendor’s services and include it with your Purchase Order Form upon review for approval (DO NOT COMMIT TO THE PURCHASE WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM THE ME310 PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR YOU WILL BE HELD LIABLE FOR THE EXPENSE). Fabricated materials cannot be put on the PCard or be reimbursed. Once the ME310 Program Administrator receives your quote & approved form, she will contact the vendor to begin the work upon Stanford’s authorization.
Complete a Purchase Order Form and update your Expenses Spreadsheet to include the anticipated purchase amount. Take the Purchase Order Form and your spreadsheet to your Budget Monitor, who will verify that funds exist to cover your purchase and that the purchase makes sense for your project. Sign your PO Form and bring it to the ME310 Program Administrator for processing.
Student teams may charge one working meal per quarter to their project budget.
Required Qualifications:
Working meals must be approved in advance by your budget monitor and cannot exceed $25/person (including tax and tip).
Meals must include the team’s coach and/or corporate liaison.
No alcohol will be reimbursed.
Snacks for the ME310 Loft will not be reimbursed.
Required Process:
BEFORE THE MEAL: Fill out the Working Meal Form and update your Expenses Spreadsheet, assuming $25/person, and get your Budget Monitor’s signature. (This is your approval in advance.) Take the working meal form with you and have the attendees sign it. Submit the signed form to the ME310 Program Administrator.
AFTER THE MEAL: Submit the signed form to the ME310 Program Administrator along with your receipt, for processing the reimbursement.
A. Local Errands (reimbursed monthly)
If you wish to be reimbursed for mileage while driving your personal vehicle for ME310 errands locally, like going to Ace Hardware, Walmart, etc., keep an individual Monthly Mileage Log with the date of the trip, starting & ending odometer readings, and purpose of the trip. ME310 highly advises that students have their prototyping materials shipped/mailed instead of going in person to purchase their prototyping materials.
If it is necessary for you to go in person to purchase your prototyping materials in support of your ME310 assignments, please remember to wear a mask in public, use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) in store, and to wash your hand for 30 seconds upon returning to your residence).
To receive compensation for local errands mileage, you will turn in the mileage log to the ME310 Program Administrator at the monthly Treasurer (CFO) meeting.
B. Special Events: (Currently Not Permitted At This Time. Please contact the ME310 Program Administrator for more details.)
Turn in the paperwork right after the trip is completed because this is considered a travel reimbursement. If you wish to be reimbursed for mileage while driving your personal vehicle to events for ME310 business, you need to keep a mileage log. Example of event mileage is a visit to San Francisco museums for your ME310 project needfinding. Include the following information for each trip:
Date of trip
Starting & ending odometer readings
If odometer readings not available, then please provide a Google Maps mileage printout (with name of store or company visited & its address). The University will pay a standard rate per mile for official travel by private automobile based on the actual driving distance by the most direct route (not more than 105 percent of the mileage listed on Google Maps).
Purpose of trip
Mileage is reimbursed at the [JAN-1-2023] rate of 65.5 cents per mile, and is in lieu of all actual automobile expenses such as fuel and lubrication, towing charges, physical damage to the vehicle, repairs, replacements, tires, depreciation, insurance, etc. (Traffic ticket and parking ticket expenses will NOT be reimbursed).
It’s in a row of mailboxes in the Design Office (Room 114, Bldg 550) which is open 10:00am-2:00 PM, M-F, when Loran Loosli is present. Mail and small packages will be put there. Large boxes will be left on the floor. Loran will attempt to notify you by email when you have mail but it’s OK to check if you're expecting a delivery.
Small items may be sent to the Design office. Make sure “ME310” and your team’s name, are part of the address, per the example below. Check for packages regularly.
ME310, Student Name & Team Name
Building 550, Room 114
416 Escondido Mall, MC 4021
Stanford, CA 94305-2203
Delivery of LARGE items requires advance coordination. Some things to remember:
“Inside Delivery” is required (or your delivery may be left outside the building!)
Bldg 550 has no loading dock or forklift available, but there is an elevator that goes up to the ME310 loft
Coordinate receiving so that a member of your group is in the ME310 loft at time of delivery
Many vendors have duplicate addresses for Stanford. BE SURE when you place an order that you specify the delivery address as Building 550. It is a nightmare when large packages get delivered to the wrong building – it can take an extra week or more to locate orders delivered to the wrong address.
When you receive a package, unpack it as soon as possible (most shippers are liable for damage only if it’s reported within 48 hours) and make sure it is what you ordered and that it is in good condition. If so, write RECEIVED on the packing slip, sign your name and date it, and give it to the ME310 Program Administrator. He will then enter the receiving information on-line so the vendor can be paid. If you have a problem with any item you receive, talk with the ME310 Program Administrator right away.
For high volume copying, please use the Canon copier in the ME310 Loft or use FedEx Kinko’s Copy Center at Tresidder and off-campus vendors like Kinko’s or Copy America in Palo Alto. The 310 copier is the most cost effective way to make copies. Please use whenever feasible. The Design office copier is not generally available to students.
Sometimes you will find a Stanford student who can provide some expertise you do not have on your team, or who can do work that you don’t want to spend your own time on.
A. If the work will be done in the Product Realization Lab (PRL), email Design Group Manager Kristin Burns (kburns@stanford.edu) for information on the process BEFORE any work begins. You will be personally liable for any shop labor charges not pre-approved by Kristin.
B. If work will not be done in PRL:
Get a quote for the maximum number of hours they will spend on your project.
Complete a Purchase Order Form and update your Expenses Spreadsheet.
Get signatures of the student doing the work, the team treasurer, and your Budget Monitor.
Take the completed form to the ME310 Program Administrator for review and approval. The ME310 Program Administrator will need to meet with the student doing the work to process the appointment.
Once the appointment is in the system, Kristin Burns will notify the student that they can begin the work. Caution: NEVER have a student do any work until they receive authorization from Kristin Burns.
As the student works, they enter their hours in Axess Time Card to charge the team’s account for the hours worked.
Independent Contractors: Outside Companies To order contracting services from an established firm, just fill out the Purchase Order Form, update your Expenses Spreadsheet, and get Budget Monitor Approval. Submit to the ME310 Program Administrator who will create a Rapid Purchase Order (up to $2,500) or Standard Requisition (over $2,500). When considering using an outside vendor, get several quotes before deciding which one to use. Another option is to see if a PRL TA can do the job – it may be a lot cheaper and easier to deal with, and benefit a fellow student!!
Note: The independent contractor may not be an approved vendor in the Stanford database. Please check with the ME310 Program Administrator who will be verify in the Stanford database to see if the independent contractor is registered. If not, please allow an additional 2 days of processing*
It's important, so we'll repeat: All this needs to be done *BEFORE* any work begins. There are often restrictions about students taking on additional assignments that are impossible to know without checking with payroll or the person's home department. We don't want to get into a situation where the person has already done work but it is impossible for us to pay them!
ME310 students cannot use the PCard or be reimbursed from the following vendors:
Domino’s Pizza (240 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306)
American Apparel (All location & online purchases)
Ebay
PayPal
Ike's Sandwiches (All Locations)
Alibaba
3D printing has been a growing demand for the ME310 project process. ME310 will sponsor each student with a full academic year pass (i.e. Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarter) to the Stanford Product Realization Lab Room 36 for ME310 rapid prototyping needs. Please consult with Annalisa Boslough (PRL TA/ ME310 Alumni) or Daniel Somen (PRL Room 36 Manager) for all PRL 3D printing needs/inquires. For 3D printing tasks that PRL Room 36 is unable to perform, please use ME310 preferred 3D printing vendor Fictiv (San Francisco, CA). Please contact Jackie Liao (jackie@fictiv.com) or Andrew Hudak (andrew@fictiv.com) who will be happy to help bring your finalized 3D printing needs into realization (Note: Both Jackie and Andrew are ME310 Alumni).
Madhavi Hegde
ME310 Administrator
Bldg 550, Room 151, email: mghegde@stanford.edu
M.T.Th - 10am-6.15pm (Campus)
W,F - 8.30am-5.pm (Home)
phone: (650) 721-2896 fax: (650) 723-3521
• General ME310 help
• ME310 student & teaching team reimbursements
• ME310 purchasing
• Design Review planning and logistics
• ME310 finances
Kristin Burns
Design Group Manager
Bldg 550, Room 153, Online M-F, 6:30am-1:00pm
email: kburns@stanford.edu
phone: (650) 723-4288 fax: (650) 723-3521
***Appointment Preferred***