School of Medicine Financial Processes and Policies

Please refer to this guidance for any institutional spending that is being facilitated by the Office of Finance and Administration. Due to the financial climate we are facing in FY22, all spending is heavily monitored and the university has implemented more steps prior to spending institutional funds.

1. Department requests initial approval to spend from OFA. If approval is granted by OFA, department obtains a quote from supplier.
2. OFA initiates a requisition. The approval process may also take up to 5 business days (potentially longer if it routes to the university treasurer).
   • For purchases under $2,500, approval by SOM Finance Partner is required.
   • For purchases between $2,500 – $49,999.99, approval by SOM Finance Partner and 2 GUMC CFOs is required.
   • For purchases $50,000 or above, approval by SOM Finance Partner, 2 GUMC CFOs, and the university treasurer (in consultation with EVP/COO committee).
3. If no contract is required or if contract is already in place, OFA can issue a purchase order. (If a contract is required, please refer to contracts process).
4. OFA will send purchase order to department requestor to provide to supplier. After goods or services are completed, vendor sends invoice to department requestor and/or OFA (invoice must ultimately be forwarded to OFA).
5. OFA processes invoice for payment by Accounts Payable.

OFA is responsible for facilitating all School of Medicine contracts under the guidance of the university’s Procurement Services. University policy requires contracts for several types of transactions:

• When a purchase exceeds $10,000
• When a goods purchase includes services (e.g., equipment installations, technical services, etc.)
• When a supplier requires a signed agreement.
• On-campus catering that includes alcohol from an external vendor
• Off-campus student events sponsored by university funds
• When an independent contractor performs over $2,500 worth of services or more per year
• Chartered transportation for groups of 8 or more.
• When a supplier collects and processes payment information on behalf of SOM.

(Time frame: anywhere from 4-12 weeks; please plan ahead for your purchasing needs to ensure there is enough time for the process to be completed; technology contracts tend to take longer.)

Department is responsible for:

• Providing OFA with bids per university’s bidding requirements (new window) or sole source justification (new window) (note: bids or sole source justification is not required for catering, specialized medical or scientific equipment, library resources, or specialized academic/research services provided by an independent contractor).
• Providing OFA with statement of work and justification of expense.
• Providing OFA with supplier contact information.
• For technology contracts, department should coordinate with SOM’s technology manager to ensure compliance and feasibility within UIS guidelines.

OFA will collect all paperwork, ensure completion, and submit contract request in GMS.

Steps:

1. Documentation routes to contract manager, who performs initial review and will reach out to OFA or requesting department with concerns; will also engage other university stakeholders depending on nature of contract (UIS for technology, Tax for independent contractors, etc.)
2. Contracts manager, or other university stakeholders, may also facilitate dialogue with supplier regarding terms depending on the agreement.
3. Once reviews are complete, contract manager routes agreement to senior contracts manager for signature in DocuSign.
4. After senior contracts manager signs, contract is routed to supplier for signature to supplier and to GU’s chief procurement officer (if the contract is a Georgetown template, supplier signs first; if agreement is supplier terms, GU signs first).
5. Once agreement is countersigned, contract is returned to contracts manager; contract manager uploads signed agreement in GMS.
6. When contract is uploaded in GMS, contracted obligations can be initiated and OFA can issue a purchase order at this time.

Departments must seek approval from OFA prior to offering any honoraria payments or stipends. Your request to OFA must be written, and must include:

• Recipient name and email address
• Affiliation (university employee, Medstar Georgetown, external visitor, etc)
• Proposed amount
• Reason for payment/description of services
• Dates of service

COVID-19 note: packages are routed to Central Mail Services on Wisconsin Ave. Supplies ordered through GMS can only be sent to university addresses. If you need office supplies during the telework environment, please reach out to OFA.

Each School of Medicine department can have at least one requisitioner. Requisitioners have the ability to order supplies through GMS. The university has agreements with Staples, Amazon (should not be used for items that can be purchased from Staples), CDW-G, Fisher-Scientific, Apple, Grainger, and VWR. The requisitioner role can be requested through OFA; OFA can also provide training on the mechanics of navigating GMS.

There are circumstances in which an employee may incur work-related expenses that require a reimbursement (transportation, incidentals, travel expenses). Please refer to the Financial Affairs website (new window) for robust GMS guidance for the spend authorization and expense report processes.

1. Employees must submit a spend authorization in GMS prior to incurring the expense.
2. After the spend authorization is approved, employee can proceed with purchase.
3. Submit itemized receipt(s) via GMS expense report.

Expense report reimbursements are processed every Thursday for Friday disbursements. These payments are not tied to pay dates. Funds are disbursed on Fridays after the expense report has routed through the entire approval chain.