Purchasing Services

Please contact swdesk@berkeley.edu with any questions related to the procurement of services by companies or individuals. Please allow at least 20 working days between submission of complete documentation and start of work. 

Unless you have delegated authority to negotiate and execute (sign) contracts on behalf of The Regents of the University California, you may not sign purchasing contracts or other agreements. Only campus contracting officers may sign contracts. 

For any consulting projects over $99,999.99, consult with the School's assigned buyer, Kathryn Wight, kwight@berkeley.edu, as the project may require competition by law.

Vendoring

Any supplier doing business with the UC must be set up as a vendor in the campus Vendoring system. If the supplier has done business with the UC previously, they should already be in the system (see Benefits of Existing Agreements). If it is the supplier’s first time doing business with the UC, please contact swdesk@berkeley.edu so we can generate an invitation to the Supplier Onboarding Portal.

Purchasing (hiring) Professional Services  

Wherever practicable, UC contracts and procurements between $10,000 to $250,000 should be awarded to an SB/MB or DVBE. Only one (1) informal quote is required for purchases from $10,000 – $100,000. Only two (2) informal quotes are required for procurements between $100,000 – $250,000.

For additional information please review the Small Business First Quick Reference Guide and the Small Business First Program.

To purchase or hire services, please complete the Social Welfare Purchasing Services Form, including uploading the required documents listed below. The form will route to swdesk@berkeley.edu to be entered into BearBuy.

Required documents from the requestor:

  1. SSW Purchasing Services/Independent Contractor Request Form
    1. Must be signed by the requestor
    2. Must be signed by PI on designated funds (if other than requestor)
  2. Source Selection & Price Reasonableness Justification Form required for all Federally Funded orders that are ≥ $10,000 & State-funded orders that are ≥ $50,000.
  3. Classification Worksheet for Federal Tax Purposes (for individuals or Sole Proprietor)
  4. UC Berkeley Statement of Work Template or Simple Scope of Work Template
  5. Information about the Data Security of the order: N/A, P1, P2, P3 or P4. If P2, P3, or P4 is chosen as Data Security Level, please provide applicable document(s) from Data Classification Guideline, the DS Appendix1_Data Information, and the supplier's Data Security Plan (no form or template available).
    1. Learn more about the Vendor Security Assessment Service provided by the Information Security Office (ISO) for P3 and P4 data.

Required documents from the Supplier:

  1. Certificate of Insurance (the certificate must name “The Regents of the University of California” as additionally insured)

  2. Conflict of Interest Certification 

  3. Supplier’s Proposal/Quote

Submit completed documents to swdesk@berkeley.edu (preferred) or SW Desk mailbox in 120 Haviland, we will submit in BearBuy.

Once the PO has been generated, we will email you with the PO# (the supplier should keep the number on record as well), and the supplier may begin work. Suppliers should not begin work until the PO has been generated.

After-the-Fact Payment Requests

If you are submitting a request after services have already begun or been completed, an After the Fact Justification must be provided along with the rest of the required documentation, whether the services are provided by a company or independent contractor. The Dean's exceptional authorization is required for all After-the-Fact purchases.

After-the-fact requests should be a rare and exceptional occurrence.

Additional Purchasing Process Information: 

Supply Chain Management: Independent Contractors

Supply Chain Management: Doing Business with UC Berkeley

Supply Chain Management: Vendoring

Supply Chain Management: After the Fact Justification for Unauthorized Purchases