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Expenditure guidelines set for rest of fiscal year

04/14/20

In an April 2 email to the Texas Woman’s community, Chancellor Carine Feyten wrote of the need to start thinking in terms of containing costs and freezing non-essential expenditures in anticipation of likely state budget challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis.

The chancellor requested that Jason Tomlinson, vice president for finance and administration, and Carolyn Kapinus, provost, develop guidelines for spending for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Tomlinson shared the guidelines in an April 13 email, writing, “Now is not the time for alarm, it is just time to be practical. What we conserve now will make future challenges less painful.”

Expenditure guidelines

In general, any essential expenditures should be confirmed by the vice president of your area. Each vice president will define the appropriate process for their organization.

Travel

  • All foreign and domestic travel continues to be suspended until further notice. 
  • To reduce liability all air cards, coaches’ cards and recruiters’ cards have been inactivated.
  • Exceptions may be granted by either the provost or vice president for finance and administration in consultation with the chancellor.

Contracts

  • Both new and renewal contracts will be reviewed. Only contracts for critical items that are essential for ongoing operations will be executed.

Purchase Orders (PO)

  • New Requisitions to be converted to Purchase Orders (PO) should only be for critical items that are essential for ongoing operations.
  • All requisitions must receive approval by email or in writing from the associated vice president and must be attached to each requisition. (Requisitions related to contracts do not need this level of prior approval as contracts have already been approved by one or more VP.)

To ensure expenses are charged to this current fiscal year budget:

  • Goods and/or services must be physically and systematically received in Phoenix no later than Aug. 31, 2020.
  • Invoices from the vendor must be dated on or before Aug. 31, 2020.
  • Any invoices or requisitions received after Aug. 31, 2020 will be paid with fiscal year 2021 funds.

Procurement Cards (PCard)

We encourage you to evaluate how many PCards are in active use within your department. Should you not anticipate the need to use your PCard until normal TWU operations resume, please let procurement know so the PCard can be temporarily inactivated.

  • PCard purchases should be managed to ensure property is tracked and tagged as necessary.  If you have questions regarding which items are required to be tracked, see the Property Management page or email Assets@twu.edu.
  • Office supplies for remote operations should be managed prudently to ensure only mission critical functions are being addressed.
  • Procurement and Contract Services will review PCard activity for appropriateness.

PCard limits will be reduced to the following:

  • Single purchase limit to $500 individual cardholders - $1,000 department cardholders
  • Monthly total limit to $3,000 individual cardholders - $6,000 department cardholders
  • Reduced limits will not impact any anticipated refunds.

To ensure credit card purchases are charged to the current fiscal year budget, the following must be completed in August 2020:

  • All transactions must be reconciled in GCMS.
  • All transactions must be approved in GCMS.
  • All supporting documentation (expense report, receipts, ATAs, food justification forms, etc.) must be received in the Office of Procurement and Contract Services.

If any of those items are not completed, the transactions will be paid with fiscal year 2021 funds.

Subscriptions, Registrations and Memberships

  • Each VP will review the current list of subscriptions, registrations and memberships for their areas. Those which are not mission critical should be suspended.

Supplemental Tasks Payments (STP)

  • VPFA will review all STPs in consultation with the provost and vice presidents.
  • VPFA will review the STP policy for any necessary revisions in consultation with the chancellor’s Cabinet.

Budget Transfers

  • Budget transfers except those related to payroll expenditures are suspended unless authorization for the transfer is approved by the appropriate VP.
  • For budget transfers required for personnel matters, the Budget Office will confirm VP approval and funding availability before processing. 

Every effort should be made to ensure all purchases, regardless of method, are for essential items critical to the mission of Texas Woman’s University. Email procure@twu.edu if you have questions.