Planning for purchases is an essential first step in ensuring that University needs are met efficiently, compliantly, and with the best overall value. Procurement provides guidance to help departments anticipate requirements, understand purchasing pathways, and engage early when strategic sourcing, contract development, or competitive bidding may be needed. By outlining key considerations, timelines, and resources, this section supports thoughtful planning that streamlines the purchasing process and promotes successful outcomes for campus partners.
Search ➲
Available Contracts
Departments should begin by reviewing available contracts to determine if a need can quickly be met through our existing contractual agreements with suppliers.
Source ➲
Purchasing Bid Process
If no existing contract or arrangement exists to purchase or obtain the good or service, the department must determine its next steps by considering the cost of the purchase/transaction.
Contract ➲
Criteria for Contracts
After the sourcing of a good or service has occurred, a determination is made by Procurement as to whether a contract must be executed between the University and the supplier.
Order ➲
Determine Ordering Method
Select the appropriate method following Procurement and University guidelines.
Ship ➲
Shipping & Receiving
Departmental shipping addresses are managed and stored within HuskyBuy. Receiving is required for all quantity orders at or above $5,000.00.
Pay ✓
Invoice
Once a supplier receives a purchase order, they submit an invoice to the University. After invoice matching and required approvals, payment is issued according to the supplier’s approved payment method and net terms.
Search ➲
Available Contracts
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Departments should begin by reviewing available contracts to determine if a need can quickly be met through our existing contractual agreements with suppliers. A wide variety of lab, technology, MRO, office, and furniture products are available on contract through the University’s catalog on the HuskyBuy shopping homepage.
If the desired goods and services are not available through the Catalog, the University may still have a University-wide contract to access those goods and services. These contracts cover needs ranging from everyday supplies to facilities repairs, renovations, and design or engineering services using prequalified vendors.
Some commodities may also be managed centrally such as certain types of enterprise software by ITS. For more information on enterprise software offerings, visit https://software.uconn.edu.
University-Wide Contracts
University-wide contracts are competitively sourced agreements for commonly used goods and services across the University. They simplify purchasing, ensure compliance, reduce administrative effort, and deliver cost savings by allowing departments to leverage pre-negotiated pricing and terms established by Procurement. These contracts provide discounted pricing, catalog pricing, and/or fixed hourly or unit rates for broad, repeat use.
University-wide contracts support a wide range of purchasing needs, including:
- Office
Furniture and non-commercial appliances. - Facility goods and services
Building supplies, MRO, and service maintenance. - Event and transportation services
Charter buses and event rentals. - Research and operational support
Lab and scientific equipment, chemicals and supplies, medical or surgical supplies, and research support services. - Construction and construction-related professional services
General contractors, trade contractors, and construction-related professional services. - Other broadly used services
Venue, catering, and lodging; uniform rental (where applicable); and specialized professional or systems-integration services.
Accessing University-Wide Contracts
Contract Guides
University faculty and staff can search existing contracts held by the University within HuskyBuy. Please review Identifying University-Wide Contracts for additional information on locating these contracts.
In addition to University-wide contracts, Procurement maintains many other contracts that may be available for departmental use. To search and view the full contract portfolio, including more refined results, please review Contracts Search and Navigation.
After identifying an agreement, users should follow the applicable purchasing method associated with that contract, whether through catalog or non-catalog requisitions.
Catalog Contracts
All catalog suppliers require a contract prior to Procurement activating the punchout or hosted catalog on the HuskyBuy shopping home page. When users create a catalog requisition, the contract is automatically applied.
Non-Catalog Contracts
Non-Catalog suppliers may be added to contracts where users may leverage by submitting a non-catalog requisition form or form request within HuskyBuy.
Source ➲
Bid Process
If no existing contract or arrangement exists to purchase or obtain the good or service, the department must determine its next steps by considering the cost of the purchase/transaction.
| Category | State of Connecticut Thresholds (General Purchases) | Uniform Guidance Thresholds (Federal/Sponsored Research Funds) | Description |
| Micro Purchase | $0 – $24,999.99 | $0 – $24,999.99 | Threshold applies to the total value of the procurement transaction; multiple quotes encouraged; 1 quote sufficient. No formal bidding required. |
| Informal Bid | $25,000 – $99,999.99 | $25,000 – $349,999.99 | |
| Public Bid | $100,000+ | $350,000+ | Requires a publicly advertised solicitation process; Procurement support/management required. |
In the case of a public bid, the management of the process must occur through Procurement to ensure compliance with state, federal, and local laws and regulations. If there are questions, we strongly encourage contacting Procurement as early as possible in the review process.
In addition to informal and public bidding, other sourcing options may be available depending on the circumstances of the purchase. For information on other sourcing methods, including Prospective Small and Minority Business Enterprise (SMBE) suppliers. please contract Procurement.
For UConn capital projects, contractors are required to be prequalified when the project cost exceeds $1 million. Contractors may be prequalified for a one‑year period, with the option to renew the prequalification for up to two additional years, consistent with current statutory authority.
UConn is a land grant University and an intrumentality of the state. Purchases by the University are governed by Connecticut state law. Terms and conditions required for University purchases and information about Doing Business with UConn can be found by navigating to the Doing Business with UConn webpage.
Contract ➲
Criteria for Contracts
A contract serves as the formal agreement between the University of Connecticut and a supplier, defining the scope of goods or services to be provided, the responsibilities of each party, and the terms under which the work will be performed. Its purpose is to ensure transparency, fairness, and compliance with state and University requirements while safeguarding UConn’s financial and operational interests.
In evaluating whether a contract is appropriate, the University considers factors such as the total value of the purchase, the complexity or risk associated with the goods or services, the need for clearly defined performance expectations, and the requirement to uphold UConn’s standard terms and conditions. Contracts help ensure that all procurements support the University’s mission, promote responsible stewardship of public funds, and provide measurable value to the campus community.
Order ➲
Below is a quick guide to the primary ways departments can request goods and services.
HuskyBuy
Catalog Orders
Use contracted suppliers through Punchout or Hosted catalogs for most routine goods. Contract pricing and content is preloaded. Orders under $50K often issue automatically without Procurement review. Following any necessary approvals, a purchase order is issued to the supplier.
Non‑Catalog Orders
Use Non-Catalog forms when items or services are not available in a catalog. Users manually enter item details and may need to attach quotes depending on sourcing thresholds. Following any necessary approvals, a purchase order is issued to the supplier.
Checks/Disbursement Vouchers
Used only when HuskyBuy and PCard are not possible, typically for after‑the‑fact payments (e.g., other universities, speakers, honorariums, real estate, journals). Limited to $2,500 per supplier per fiscal year. Payments are processed by Accounts Payable.
Internal HuskyBuy Forms
Other forms, such as the Hotel and Events Services form, collect information needed to help the request route through proper approvals, but do not lead to Purchase Orders.
Procurement Card (PCard)
Standard PCard Purchases
For low‑dollar purchases when HuskyBuy cannot be used. Single‑transaction limit is $4,999.99, with notable category restrictions (e.g., computers, furniture, services, memberships).
PCard Software Pre-Review Form
This process is required as a pre-review for all PCard software purchases. It applies only to limited exception cases where a supplier can neither register in HuskyBuy nor accept a UConn purchase order.
Ship & Receive ➲
Shipping
Departmental shipping addresses are managed and stored within HuskyBuy. Departments can request changes or additional campus addresses using the Shipping Address form located on the Shopping Home page in HuskyBuy.
For more information on setting a default shipping address in your HuskyBuy Profile which will be used on requisitions: https://kb.uconn.edu/space/FPB/26800717890/Setting+Your+Profile+Preferences#Setting-Your-Default-Shipping-Address
For more information on setting up a shipping address on an individual requisition: https://kb.uconn.edu/space/FPB/26820771884/Draft+Requisitions#Correcting-the-Shipping-Address
Receiving
After accepting a Purchase Order for goods, the supplier will ship the item to the University. The University requires users to create a quantity receipt for record keeping purposes. For more information on this process please review this Knowledge Base article:
https://kb.uconn.edu/space/FPB/26923237393/Creating+a+Quantity+Receipt
Please contact Accounts Payable with any additional questions: apinquiries@uconn.edu, https://accountspayable.uconn.edu/
Pay ✓
Once a supplier has received a Purchase Order, they will invoice the University. The invoice will be applied to the PO, and paid out to the supplier. The invoice will need to be approved by the ordering department before the supplier can be paid. When necessary, 2 or 3 way matching (Amount, Quantity and Receiving) will need to be done prior to approving the invoice.
Payment will be sent to the supplier via their preferred payment method and on their approved net payment terms.
For more information on invoice approval, please review the Knowledge Base article:
- Invoice Approval: https://kb.uconn.edu/space/FPB/26922549347/Invoice+Approval
- You may also contact Accounts Payable with any questions regarding the invoice process https://accountspayable.uconn.edu/
Please contact Accounts Payable Disbursements for any questions regarding payment options for suppliers (i.e. Check, ACH, etc). https://bursar.uconn.edu/departments/cash-operations/accounts-payable-disbursements/
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