Administration & Finance

Employees expecting to travel on University business should obtain an UMass Corporate Travel Card for charging travel related expenses.  Contact Hillary Osgood, Procard & Travel Card Program Manager at 5-1748 or visit the Procurement website. 

In general, employees should not purchase non-travel related goods and services with personal funds and instead utilize the procurement processes available to the campus.  In the event that a purchase requisition or Procard is unavailable for an unexpected expense, the reimbursement must be documented, include a business purpose, and be authorized.  A department’s certified travel preparer submits business reimbursements using the same process as travel submissions.  Reimbursements for purchased services are not allowed.

Key facts for Department Administrators:

• Expenses must follow the University Business Expense Policies.
• This policy provides guidance on various types of business expenses including business meals and meetings, gifts, moving expenses and others.
• All expenditures must be accompanied by an original receipt and documentation must include date, location and description of business purpose and name and title of any persons in attendance.
• Approval requirements for expenditures can be found in the Business Expense Policy referenced above.

The UMass BuyWays platform is an intuitive, user friendly procurement tool for purchasing goods and services departments require. BuyWays will provide users with an easy route to all of their purchasing needs without undue restrictions or approvals. All purchase requisitions and purchase orders go through the BuyWays system to insure prompt processing of all orders. Encumbrances will automatically continue to be maintained in the PeopleSoft Financial System. To learn more contact Gary Duggan, Associate Director in the Procurement Department at 5-0361.

If you wish to take credit cards as a method of payment for your department activities call Patty Roper, Director of Applications & Compliance, at 5-2119 or via email at pci@admin.umass.edu. There are strict payment card industry standards (PCI) the University must follow to align with the PCI industry standards. Helpful links concerning these policies, campus credit card processing options and other information are outlined on the A&F Systems e-commerce page.

Anyone who believes fraud has occurred should contact either the campus Controller, Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor and/or directly the University Auditor’s Office or the Campus Police Department. Employees are protected under Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 149, section 185, from retaliatory actions by their employer.

Fraudulent acts include:

• Embezzlement, misappropriation or other financial irregularities
• Forgery or alteration of documents (checks, time sheets, contractor agreements, purchase orders, other financial documents, electronic files)
• Improprieties in the handling or reporting of money or financial transactions
• Misappropriation of funds, securities, supplies, inventory, or any other asset (including furniture, fixtures or equipment)
• Authorizing or receiving payment for goods not received or services not performed
• Authorizing or receiving payments for hours not worked

The fraud policy is distributed annually to all employees.