Procurement Card Use

Restricted Purchases

Purchases of the restricted items listed below and purchases in excess of $4,999.00 or more must continue to be processed in accordance with established procurement and disbursement policies and procedures.

The Procurement Card is not to be used for the following commodities:

  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Animals
  • Business, travel, and entertainment related expenses
  • Cash advances of any type
  • Cellular phones and related monthly charges (including video/teleconferencing, e.g. Skype, GoToMeeting)
  • Clothing (including for promotional use)
  • Computers (any value, including iPad, iPod, Netbooks, Nook, Kindle)
  • Construction and Renovation Services (includes anything that requires installation)
  • Contract Agreements of any type that involves a signature
  • eBay or any other auction website
  • Equipment (Valued over $4,999.00)
  • Food & Beverages consumed at vendor’s location (ie., eating in at a restaurant or eating at an off-campus location)
  • Furniture of any type
  • Gasoline (except for State vehicles)
  • Gifts/Donations (including flowers for life events and milestones)
  • Gift Cards – MUST receive prior approval
  • Internet Service Providers
  • Items prohibited from purchase under grant or research contract
  • Leases & Lease-Purchases or any other time payment
  • Moving Services
  • Personal use items (IE attaches, Folios, Pen/Pencil Sets etc.)
  • Precious metals
  • Prescription drugs and controlled substances
  • Printing Services
  • Radioactive materials
  • Rental of vehicles
  • Reimbursements of any type
  • Signage
  • Telephones
  • Vendors listed on Huskybuy

*Exemptions to these restricted purchases may be granted on a case by case basis upon the approval of the Director of Procurement Services or his/her designee.

If you have any questions regarding a restricted purchase please contact Nancy Patrylak, Procurement Card Program Administrator @ 486-2622 or e-mail to Nancy.Patrylak@uconn.edu or Elise Fiorentino at (860) 486-5924 or Elise.Fiorentino@uconn.edu

Approved Purchases

The following are examples of the types of items that may be purchased with the card:

  • Advertisements
  • Animal feed and bedding (purchase of animals is prohibited)
  • Catering Services (Held at UConn locations only, where a signed contract is not required)*
  • Conference Registrations with Department Dean/ Director approval
  • Dues and Professional Membership(s). (Business, Technical, Professional and Institutional memberships only)
  • Floor and Window Treatments
  • Food (Take out or grocery store purchases for student activities & official business meetings only) *
  • Gasoline (State vehicles only)
  • Hardware supplies
  • Internet Purchases for Approved Items Only (must be a secure site)**
  • Lab chemicals must follow procedure ***
  • Maintenance Service/Repairs
  • Office, Laboratory and Educational supplies (items not available through Central Stores) ***
  • Postage (non metered mail up to $50.00 value)
  • Software and computer supplies
  • Subscriptions (Departmental use only)
  • Tools, fixtures and miscellaneous apparatus

* Must have formal agenda, Business Meal Pre-Approval Form signed by the department head & detailed receipt as backup documentation for all food purchases. Food may only be purchased for an event held at a UConn campus location.

** The risks of using the ProCard over the Internet are similar to the traditional risks involved when using it in person or over the telephone with one important exception. When cardholders make a purchase over the Internet, the information exchanged between the cardholder and the supplier may be transmitted through a network of possibly dozens of sites. For this reason, it is important to encrypt (scramble) the data exchanged so only the supplier can decrypt the information. To minimize your liability, it is important to ensure that the supplier is running a “secure” server for purchases so any information entered is likely to be meaningless to sites in between. If the supplier has a “secure” server, the cardholder should be directed to this site prior to entering information including Procurement Card number and expiration date. A dialog box informs the cardholder they are switching to a “secure mode”. In addition to the dialog box, the web browser should have a visual aid indication a secure/non-secure mode. In addition to a “secure” site, Purchasing recommends that if a purchase is made over the Internet, it be with a company you have used via traditional methods in the past. If you are uncomfortable giving your number over the Internet, some companies leave the option of placing your order on the Web and following up with a card number on the telephone.

*** Laboratory Chemicals for delivery to the Storrs and Depot campuses (with the exception of the Chemistry Department) should be ordered through KFS whenever possible to ensure the integrity of UConn’s Laboratory Chemical Inventory Program. If a Procard must be used, CS Chem, Attn: P.I.’s Name, Building/Room#, 3 Discovery Drive, Unit 6114, Storrs, CT 06269-6114, US must be provided as the shipping address to the vendor so that items are shipped to Central Stores where they will be bar-coded and repackaged for same day delivery to their final destination.  See Lab Chemical Orders Placed with ProCard.  (Note: this restriction does not apply to the ordering of compressed gasses; microbiology media such as agars, broths and serums; buffers; test kits; radioisotopes; drugs and cleaning products.)