Purchases to Support Research Activities

Public Agencies (CFI, NSERC, Genome, etc.) regularly provide UBC’s researchers with funding to support their research. These agencies, as publicly-funded entities, insist on the necessity to observe the university’s usual procurement policies in order to protect the public interest by using funds effectively and economically.

To ensure that the funds granted to Principal Investigators are spent in accordance with the above, granting agencies may conduct audits on the procurement process that led to the acquisition of certain goods and services.

If purchases include in-kind contributions (free additional items, cash contribution), agencies may also investigate to determine whether this contribution was calculated based on the fair market value of the item.

For information and resources on buying and paying for goods and services, working with UBC preferred suppliers, accessing UBC Okanagan’s Amazon Business account, or finding Indigenous Suppliers, view the Buying and Paying section.

Purchases under $3500

A UBC credit card is the easiest way to complete purchases for goods and services under $3,500 (inclusive of tax), and reduces the need for out-of-pocket expenses.  UBC offers four types of cards:

1. Individual – Goods and Services
2. Individual – Goods, Services, and Travel
3. Individual – Gas
4. Departmental – Goods, Services, and Travel*

*Departmental cards are for booking group travel events and booking on behalf of infrequent travelers or guests.

Transactional limits

Transactional limits apply to purchases on the UBC Visa. The transaction is blocked if the amount being charged to the card (including taxes, shipping and exchange rate) is above the limit.

Different limits are set based on the supplier’s Merchant Category Code. UBC Visa card limits are set separately for suppliers, whose primary business is goods and services in contrast to travel and entertainment.

To learn more about card eligibility and card holder responsibilities, visit the UBC Finance Portal.

Learn How to Apply for a Card in Workday

Purchases over $3500

A Purchase Order (PO) is required for all purchases above $3,500 (CAD), inclusive of taxes.  Sending a PO to a supplier constitutes a legal offer to buy products or services. Acceptance of a PO by a seller usually forms a one-off contract between the buyer and seller. No contract exists until the purchase order is accepted.

Workday is the intake process for all goods and services requiring a PO including those requiring a competitive bidding process. Suppliers must be set up in Workday before a requisition can be submitted. Before initiating any requests, please review UBC’s purchasing process.

Resources links:

Explore resource links for purchasing goods and services, as well as shipping, importing and exporting:

For additional information, please contact Procurement.