Process Owner/Key Contacts
Contact our Purchasing Coordinator, Daniel Williams, at cemspurch@umn.edu or 612-625-4877
For Purchase Approval questions, contact the Finance/Accounting Team at cemsfinance@umn.edu
About
There are three primary methods of purchasing in CEMS and they are listed below in order of preference:
UMarket - University-negotiated deals with some of our most common vendors and free shipping. Most efficient for the University, fast and cheap (usually the least expensive option). Go to umarket.umn.edu to shop UMarket. CEMS policy requires purchases $500 and over on sponsored funds or $1,000 or over on any funds to be approved first by the supervisor/PI before processing to a requisition. Please check with your supervisor or PI for more restrictive group policies.
Purchasing Card (at research group discretion) - If a member of your group has a purchasing card, this is often as fast as UMarket and may be the best option for smaller, urgent purchases. This is typically used for lab supplies. Most purchasing cards held by members of research groups are limited to $500 per transaction and $2,500 per month. Administrative staff may have higher limits (typically $2,499 per purchase and $10,000 per month).
CEMS Intranet Purchase Request (aka "E-Purch") - This option exists for situations in which a purchase must be made from a non-UMarket vendor and for which a purchasing card held by a group member is not appropriate. In some cases this method may result in a purchasing card purchase by our purchasing coordinator.