The process of documenting and requesting payment for unauthorized purchases is changing as of Friday, January 17, 2025.  You can also join us at our next Hot Topics session on 2/11/25 to learn more.

What’s Changing?

• Confirming Orders will now be known as Unauthorized Purchases.
• A Requisition will no longer be processed for supplier payment requests for unauthorized purchases. The Payment Request Form will need to be completed for these payments.
• The Confirming Order Justification Form will be discontinued, and a new Unauthorized Purchase Statement document will be required for all unauthorized purchases, both for supplier and employee payments.
• Approval will no longer be required from a Dean or Vice Chancellor. Instead, a signature from the Assistant Dean/Associate Vice Chancellor will be required, but only if the unauthorized purchase is greater than $10,000.

What’s Not Changing? 

• Definition of unauthorized purchase
• AggieExpense is still to be used for employee reimbursements.
• Supporting documentation will still be required – typically the invoice or receipt.
• Departments will retain their discretion on whether to reimburse a purchase or not.
• Departments will retain their discretion on reimbursing only the amount that would have been spent, had the appropriate purchasing process been followed.
• Financial department approval is still required.

New Process as of 1/17/25

1. Review the appropriate purchasing methods to ensure the correct purchasing procedure is followed in the future.
2. Complete the Unauthorized Purchase Statement in DocuSign (also available on the Supply Chain Forms web page). 
   • The Unauthorized Purchase Statement can be initiated by either the employee who made the unauthorized purchase (declarant) or another employee within their department. Either way, it will require the declarant to digitally sign the statement in DocuSign.  An automated email will be sent to the declarant for their signature.
     • When completing the Unauthorized Purchase Statement, there is a required checkbox if the purchase was greater than $10,000. If checked, the initiator must enter the name of the applicable Assistant Dean/Associate Vice Chancellor. DocuSign will then generate an email to that individual for their review and signature as well.
3. If the supplier was already paid and a payment is requested for a UC employee, complete a Professional Expense report in AggieExpense. 
   1. Attach the completed and signed Unauthorized Purchase Statement and supporting receipt documentation to the report. 
   2. The expense report will route for review and approval by the AggieExpense Department Approver, the financial department approver assigned to the account, and central Accounts Payable.
4. If the payment is due to a supplier, complete the Payment Request Form (also available on the Supply Chain Forms web page), and select the Payment Type of Unauthorized Purchase. All fields outlined with a red box are required.  Refer to the instructions on completing the Payment Request Form.
   1. Append the completed and electronically signed Unauthorized Purchase Statement document to the Payment Request Form.
   2. Append the supporting receipt documentation/receipt to the Payment Request Form.
   3. Email the completed Payment Request Form to invoicing@ucdavis.edu. The Invoicing team will review the request and approve, if all required information and supporting documentation has been included.
   4. Accounts Payable will create an Invoice in Aggie Enterprise that will route to the fiscal officer on the account cited on the Payment Request document.
   5. Track payment status in Aggie Enterprise.