New CatBuy Feature, Scientific Supplier Trade Show and other BFS News

New CatBuy POCR Feature Launched
On Oct. 1, Campus Purchasing requested department buyers discontinue sending change order requests through email or fax and instead use the new Purchase Order Change Request (POCR) feature implemented in CatBuy. Campus Purchasing offered two webinar training sessions in September following initial announcements and a demonstration of the feature during monthly purchasing meetings. POCR is live and will help streamline, improve cycle time and serve as online documentation for all change orders.

Department buyers who missed the online training or would like an instructional reference can download a step-by-step guide through the POCR process. Questions or concerns may be directed to Denise Garcia (ext. 4085) or Jackie Mendez (ext. 4669).

Scientific Supplier Trade Show on Oct. 23
Whether you buy, use or are interested in supplies and services that can assist with your research, class or lab work, the Scientific Supplier Trade Show should be on your calendar. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 23 on the second and third floors of the Science and Engineering Building. 

The trade show provides an opportunity for faculty and staff to interact with vendors such as JH Technologies, Thermo Fischer Scientific and Technical Instruments who are already partnered with UC Merced to provide solutions to make research-related work easier and more effective. UC Merced’s Sponsored Projects Office, Contracts and Grants Accounting and Travel Services units will be present to offer helpful information about relevant policies and procedures and to answer questions.

There will be snacks and giveaways, so don’t miss out. Download the event flyer to spread the word.

Upcoming Meetings and Training

• Anyone handling cash for a university job is required to take cash handling training. These trainings are only offered periodically, so sign up now for the session Oct. 15.

• Learn about Campus Purchasing policies and procedures and full accounting units (FAU) on Oct. 15 and 16. These classes are required prerequisites to the CatBuy Training. Go to the training schedule for more details.

• Take the CatBuy/BruinBuy training on Oct. 17 to gain access to and learn more about UC Merced’s purchasing system. Details are at the training website.