This page provides an overview of the steps an employee new to purchasing and their supervisor should complete, in order to ensure successful departmental purchasing.

Talk with your supervisor to determine your role in the department and the high-level purchasing process. 

• Will you be purchasing goods?  Services? Both?  Goods are generally more straightforward for purchasing, while service procurement often requires insurance and additional tax documentation and may be restricted if the requested service is available from a campus unit/service.  
• Will you be the primary purchaser for the department?  Or will you be the back-up when the primary purchaser is unavailable?  If you are the primary purchaser, who will be your backup?
• What financial accounts or projects will you be using? Work with your supervisor and/or staff that oversee those accounts/projects to learn the purpose of the account(s), any applicable purchasing restrictions, and when that account(s) should be used.
• How are items received within the department? Are goods received in one central location and distributed by departmental staff, or are most goods shipped directly to the requesters?

Supervisor should work with the department security liaison for Aggie Enterprise access.

• Aggie Enterprise is the university financial system . There are 2 (two) roles required for purchasers:
  • UCD Purchasing Requisition Entry JR 
  • UCD Purchasing Inquiry JR 

Sign up for applicable email lists.

• The SCM Newsletter and procure-info are recommended.  The newsletter is sent once a month and includes tips and tricks for purchasing and using other Supply Chain Management (SCM) services. The procure-info email list includes periodic messages regarding purchasing policy and procedure.

Bookmark the Aggie Enterprise SCM website.

• This online resource has dozens of step-by-step guides on all things purchasing and accounts payable.

Complete the Purchasing 101 online training.

• The online training takes about 45 minutes to complete.  It provides a good foundation and overview on why purchasing policies and regulations exist, and how to ensure your purchases are compliant.

Complete the online Aggie Enterprise training. 

• The following online modules should be completed (each is about 15 minutes):
  • Aggie Enterprise Purchasing Intro
  • Catalog Purchasing
  • Non-Catalog Purchasing 
  • Purchasing Basics (in person) class is 2.5 hours (new classes will be available in February and March 2025)

If you will be the primary or back-up purchaser, complete the online Procurement Card training and apply for the Procurement Card.  

• The card can be helpful for purchasing goods under $10K not available in one of the Aggie Enterprise supplier catalogs.

Once your access has been granted to Aggie Enterprise:

• Set up Requisition Preferences
• Bookmark the Aggie Enterprise purchasing guides.
• Start purchasing! Use the catalogs in Aggie Enterprise as much as possible, as this will ensure UC-negotiated pricing, terms and conditions, and generally quicker turnaround time. 

Attend Supply Chain Management Office Hours as needed.

• These are drop-in sessions that allow you to quickly get answers to your questions.