2024 Procurement Contract Vendor Fair

• February 28th, 2024
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

Please join us on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, as Procurement Services hosts a Contract Vendor Fair in The University of Alabama Student Center Ballroom from 10:00 AM until 1:30 PM.  Many of our current Contract Vendors will be on hand to showcase the products and services they provide for the University. We will have food and door prizes. We invite all UA Faculty and Staff to come meet our representatives face-to-face and learn more about their products and services.  There will be staff members from Procurement Services present throughout the day to assist and answer questions as well.  If you have any questions, please email Meagan Stockton at mlstockton@ua.edu.

Don’t forget to add the Contract Vendor Fair to your calendar! 

Tax Tip: 60-Day Rule for Expense Reports

• February 28th, 2024
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

To avoid tax consequences on expense reimbursements, University employees should remember the 60-Day Rule: Expense reports for out-of-pocket expenses must be submitted within 60 days from the date the expense was incurred (in the case of travel, within 60 days from end of the trip).

Per federal tax regulations, expenses submitted after 60 days will be reported as taxable income to the employee, and applicable Federal, State, FICA, and Medicare taxes will be deducted from a subsequent salary check. Timely reporting and submission of expense reports is the responsibility of the employee being reimbursed regardless of whether the employee self-submits or has designated a delegate for expense reporting. When combining smaller instances into one expense report, employees are encouraged to submit at least once a month. (For example, mileage logs or multiple small out-of-pocket expenses)

The 60-Day Rule is stated in the University’s spending and travel policies and is necessary to comply with the IRS safe-harbor guidelines for expense reimbursements. For more information, refer to the following website links:

• http://accountspayable.ua.edu/spending-policy/#Requests
• http://accountspayable.ua.edu/travel-policy/#Documentation
• http://taxoffice.ua.edu/fringe-benefit-taxation/#ExpenseReimb

Receipt Enhancements

• January 26th, 2024
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

Due to a recent Concur enhancement, uploaded or emailed receipts are now routed into the Available Expenses queue instead of the Receipts Library.  If you would like to turn off this feature, please visit https://concur.ua.edu/expense/ and click on Receipts Enhancement.

Amazon Business Integration in Concur

• January 4th, 2024
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

Amazon Business Integration is now available in Concur, which allows users to quickly access Amazon receipts in Concur without saving and uploading the receipts. After items in your Amazon order ship, the receipt will show up in your available expenses as a Pending Card Transaction within 24-30 hours. To take advantage of this feature, you must verify your UA email address in your Concur profile. For instructions on verifying your email address in Concur, see page one of the “User Profile Setup Guide” in our Concur training resources. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at pcard@ua.edu.

New Milage Rate for 2024

• January 4th, 2024
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

The IRS has announced an increase in the standard mileage rate for 2024.  Effective January 1, 2024, the mileage rate paid to persons traveling in privately owned vehicles on official business for the state will be 67 cents per mile (up 1.5 cents from 2023). The updated mileage rate is available in Concur and on the Accounts Payable Mileage Rates webpage.  When you enter mileage in your Concur Expense Report, please make sure you include the correct transaction date in the mileage form. For example, if travel occurred in December 2023, please ensure you have entered the correct transaction date in December 2023 in order to properly calculate the mileage.

Policy Types for Concur Reports – P-Card Transactions

• December 8th, 2023
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

Concur reports can have one of the two following policy types: P-Card Non-Travel and Travel, Entertainment, & Reimbursements. Reports with incorrect policy types may need to be sent back for updates to make sure they are reviewed by the correct department in Procurement Services.

The P-Card Non-Travel policy includes most items used for daily operations, such as,

• Office Supplies
• Books
• Technology purchases
• Scientific supplies
• Furniture

The Travel, Entertainment, & Reimbursements policy includes:

• Flights
• Rental cars
• Lodging
• Conference registrations
• Other travel-related expenses
• Business entertainment such as food, catering, and meals.
• Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses to UA employees.

P-Card Due Dates

The next due date for p-card transactions is January 10, 2024, for transactions with a posting date of 10/26 – 11/25 and prior.  This due date has been extended due to the holiday break.

In-State Travel

• October 2nd, 2023
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

When completing an Expense Report in Concur for overnight travel within the State of Alabama, you should select the Report Type based on the reimbursement method you are using (See UA Travel Policy Section 10.0 – In-State Travel for UA Employees).  If utilizing the GSA reimbursement method, select “Domestic Overnight” as the Report Type within the Report Header.  If utilizing the State of Alabama in-state per diem reimbursement method, select “In-State Overnight (1 night)” or “In-State Overnight (2 or more nights)” as the Report Type within the Report Header.

Concur Visual Theme Update

• October 2nd, 2023
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

Beginning on October 2, 2023, SAP Concur will implement the SAP Fiori with Horizon visual theme for all solutions on the mobile app and the web.  With this update, UA will benefit from the following:

• A refreshed, modern look and feel
• Inclusive and accessible design for everyone
• Improved consistency and aligned user experience across all solutions

This update will not affect any features or functionality – it will only change the look and feel of fonts, font sizes, icons, colors, and rounded corners.  All screenshots included in the Concur training courses and reference materials found on the Concur website will be updated to reflect this change.

Sam’s Club Purchases

• September 11th, 2023
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

Just a reminder as the new Fall semester begins, the University has established a new process to enable departments to purchase items from Sam’s Club.  Departments will NO LONGER be required to pick up a Sam’s Club UA Membership Card from the Procurement Services Building.

Departments may now purchase their own Sam’s Club Membership for departmental use only.  Memberships should be set up as tax exempt, include your @ua.edu e-mail address and be established through the Sam’s Club Membership Service Desk.  All Sam’s Club purchases should be paid for with the UA Purchasing Card.  UA Tax Exempt information can be found on the Tax Office website. Personal purchases are not allowable on the membership card.

The P-Card Policy, Purchasing Policy, & Spending Policies should be reviewed prior to obligating University funds for purchases to ensure appropriate policies and procedures are followed.

Hobby Lobby Purchases

• September 11th, 2023
• by Heather Hubbard
• in Uncategorized

When making purchases at Hobby Lobby, a copy of the Hobby Lobby Tax Exemption Card and Certificate will need to be taken into the store for each purchase.  The Hobby Lobby Tax-Exempt ID, which is located at the bottom of the card, can also be provided at checkout.  For additional information, please see the UA Tax Office website or contact the UA Tax Office directly at tax@ua.edu.