Purchasing
Sylvia Leung (sylvia.leung@ubc.ca) is the Buyer for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. She is the first point of contact for assistance with any purchasing requests including:
- Placement of orders
- Sourcing of vendors, UBC contracted/preferred vendors
- Assistance in obtaining price quotes
- Queries regarding UBC Procurement Policies
- Tracking order status
- Customs clearance procedures
- Or any other queries related to purchasing
Purchasing Procedures
All computers and related equipment (smartphones, tablets, iPads, laptops, desktops) purchased with UBC funds must be approved by the LFS Learning Centre (it@landfood.ubc.ca) to ensure fair pricing, features, and that your purchase is compliant with UBC policies and guidelines. The Learning Centre provides assistance and advice on encryption, data backup and preservation schemes, competitive pricing, and suggestions for support.
All purchases remain the property of UBC.
When the equipment is being replaced the old equipment can be purchased by individuals at market value (the average of 3 prices for similar used equipment). Please see the Procedures for Repurchase of Work Computer for more info.
Phone and computer Repairs
Before any repairs to UBC owned computing devices are made, users must consult with the Learning Centre or bring the device to us for an initial evaluation. Smartphone Repairs that include replacement battery and/or screen replacement should use OEM parts and be done at an official authorised service centre (e.g. Apple, Google, Samsung).
All goods/services totalling < CAD $ 3,500.00 (after taxes)
- Submit an ORDER REQUEST FORM to Sylvia (lfs.purchasing@ubc.ca)
Order Request Form and Instructions on how to fill out may be found below.
- Sylvia will place the order with the vendor and notify the Requestor with estimated delivery time
All goods/services between CAD $3,500.00 to CAD $75,000.00 (taxes included)
- A Purchase Order is required to be issued to the vendor
- Follow the steps on the UBC Finance Procurement page to submit your Purchase Order.
All goods/services greater than CAD $75,000.00 (exclusive of taxes)
- Subject to a competitive Tendering process before a PO may be issued
- Follow the steps on the UBC Finance Procurement page.
Instruction for Filling Out the Order Request Form
Please fill out one Order Request Form for each vendor. Email completed form(s) to Sylvia Leung (lfs.purchasing@ubc.ca) as a MS-Word attachment. Forms:
Some notes on filling it out:
Purchase Order #
Leave blank for Sylvia to fill in.
Authorized Signature
For orders under $1,000.00, the Grant Holder’s signature is NOT required. Individual Grant Holder can decide on a policy for his/her group. If the Grant Holder’s signature is required, the requester will need to print the forms out for their supervisor to sign before forwarding the order to Sylvia. An email “okay to order” (in lieu of an actual signature) from the Grant Holder accompanying the order form to Sylvia will also suffice.
All orders over $1,000.00 will require an “authorization” from the Grant Holder. This could either be a signature on the Order Form, or an email okay from the Grant Holder accompanying the order form.
Requestor
Name of person who should be notified to pick up when the shipment arrives.
Company
Name of the Vendor selling the product (eg. FISHER SC., VWR, SIGMA)
Address/Tel/Fax
Vendor contact information. Don’t need to fill in as Sylvia usually have all the company contact info on file. Please provide a phone number or website address if it is a new vendor we’ve never dealt with before.
Quantity and Unit
Example “one each” or “one pack (5 each/pack)” or “one case (2 packs/case with 5 each/pack)” – just a note to watch out for those “units” so you don’t end up with one CASE (10 items) when in actual fact you only wanted one EACH.
Cat. #
Most important! To ensure you get the exact brand and quality/grade you wanted (especially chemicals). Please check the company catalogs or websites (eg. VWR, FISHER, SIGMA, etc) for catalog numbers. If you’re not sure who the distributor of the product is, then please take the product number off the bottle or packaging and they can be cross-referenced at the time of ordering.
Item
Short description to ensure it actually matches the catalog number.
Total Cost
As a check when the order is placed. The vendor will usually confirm the actual price at the time of ordering. If the vendor’s stated price is vastly different than what is on the order form, Sylvia will recheck with the requester before completing the order transaction.
Delivery Address
By default, everything will be delivered to either the MacMillan Building, Rm. 208 – 2357 Main Mall or the FNH Building, Rm. 230 – 2205 East Mall. Requesters will be notified to pick up at Receiving.
If you need shipments delivered to a different place (ie. West Vanc Lab, Biol Sc, Agassiz, Summerland), then please change the DELIVERY ADDRESS on the order form(s). Full street address required, couriers will not deliver to PO Boxes. Please forward all receipts and invoices back to Sylvia as soon as you receive the shipment (signed and dated as received). Receipts/invoices are required to ensure vendors are paid promptly and financial statements are reconciled in good order.
Note
All attempts will be made to process orders within 24 – 48 hours of receiving the order forms. Your patience with unforeseeable delays in order processing is greatly appreciated. If it’s something requiring immediate RUSH processing, please tag your email with a “high priority” marker. Most companies in Canada deliver within 5 – 7 days from the time we place the orders (VWR and FISHER SC may deliver within 2-3 days), those in the USA may be up to 7 – 10 days for delivery (due to the extra Customs clearance processes). If it’s something you URGENTLY need rushed, please make a note of that on the order form and Sylvia will try to request a “rush, courier, overnight” delivery on it. Please be aware there will usually be an extra courier cost added on for the rush shipping (could be up to $30 or more in some cases).
If you or your group would like a demonstration of the procurement process or learn how to fill out the eProcurement Form, please contact Sylvia to set up a time.