[{"id":2140,"date":"2026-08-11T13:43:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2140"},"modified":"2026-08-11T13:51:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:51:05","slug":"who-signs-what-vendor-contracts-at-vcu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/who-signs-what-vendor-contracts-at-vcu\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Signs What? Vendor Contracts at VCU"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a vendor requires VCU to sign any document before you can make a purchase\u2014including online Terms and Conditions (T&amp;Cs), click-through agreements, or even documents associated with a zero-dollar purchase\u2014you must route the document to Procurement Services for review and signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The purchase amount normally determines how the document should be submitted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>$10,000 or less: Submit the document through a Contract Request in RealSource.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than $10,000: Submit a Requisition in RealSource and attach the document.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most vendor-supplied agreements contain terms and conditions that VCU cannot accept as written and, therefore, require review and negotiation. Some provisions are prohibited by Virginia law, while others require legal, business, or risk management review before VCU can proceed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples of terms and conditions that VCU generally cannot accept include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Indemnification, hold harmless, or save harmless provisions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Binding arbitration<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payment of attorneys&#8217; fees or collection costs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confidentiality provisions that may conflict with Virginia public records requirements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Governing law or venue outside the Commonwealth of Virginia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Insurance requirements that VCU cannot provide<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automatic renewal provisions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Liquidated damages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limitations of liability that may not adequately protect VCU<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the purchase, Procurement Services may also review and negotiate items such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Freight terms and delivery responsibilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Discounts or opportunities for improved pricing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payment methods (e.g., commercial card, virtual card, premium ACH, or standard ACH)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Early payment discounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Financial incentives, including rebates, signing bonuses, growth incentives, or similar arrangements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What to Send<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please provide Procurement Services with the complete vendor package, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The agreement or contract<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quotes and order forms<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All exhibits, schedules, and attachments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Online Terms and Conditions and click-through agreements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Renewal and cancellation provisions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any vendor correspondence that modifies or clarifies the proposed terms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep in mind that negotiations with a vendor can take some time, so plan accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bottom line: <\/strong>If a vendor is asking VCU to sign something, get Procurement Services involved from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc Need help? Send the complete agreement to <a href=\"mailto:contracts@vcu.edu\">contracts@vcu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If a vendor requires VCU to sign any document before you can make a purchase\u2014including online Terms and Conditions (T&amp;Cs), click-through agreements, or even documents associated with a zero-dollar purchase\u2014you must route the document to Procurement Services for review and signature. The purchase amount normally determines how the document should be submitted: Most vendor-supplied agreements [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2141,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[333,44,4,5],"class_list":["post-2140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-agreements","tag-contracts","tag-purchasing","tag-realsource"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2142,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2140\/revisions\/2142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2132,"date":"2026-08-11T13:16:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2132"},"modified":"2026-08-11T13:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:16:18","slug":"clearer-rules-smarter-compliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/clearer-rules-smarter-compliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Clearer Rules, Smarter Compliance\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Procurement Services has rolled out a comprehensive update to the Reimbursable Business Expenses policy, effective August 4, 2026. This update replaces the previous 2024 version to provide clearer definitions, align with IRS guidelines, and streamline how university staff, faculty, students, and non-employees handle out-of-pocket expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reimbursement remains an exception-based procurement path rather than a standard method for purchasing non-travel items. Understanding these updates ensures your expenses are processed smoothly and avoid unnecessary compliance delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is a breakdown of the key changes and why they matter for your department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Clearer Distinction Between Travel and Non-Travel Rules<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The updated policy explicitly separates regulations for travel status and non-travel business purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Non-Travel Purchases:<\/strong> Out-of-pocket expenses for goods remain an exception and are intended strictly for unusual, unexpected, or emergency situations where a P-Card or Purchase Order could not be used.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Travel Purchases:<\/strong> The policy introduces a mandate requiring the use of the Agency Travel Card (ATC) when purchasing air or rail fares for university business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Clearer Understanding of the $2,000 Limit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the 2024 policy, the $2,000 limit was applied generally &#8220;per reimbursement&#8221;. The updated policy clarifies that personal fund expenditures are capped at <strong>$2,000 per transaction<\/strong>, rather than per expense report. This applies to both standard non-travel expenses and non-travel purchases made while in travel status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mandatory Pre-Approvals for Specific Expenses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To improve fiscal oversight, the university now requires formal expense pre-approvals in the system before certain costs are incurred. You must submit a pre-approval for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Any travel or non-travel expense that is expected to exceed $500.00.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Airfare and rail purchases at any dollar amount.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Travel booked through our mandated travel management company.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fully remote employees traveling to a VCU campus, regardless of the dollar amount.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Strict Timelines Under the IRS Accountable Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To comply with IRS Code \u00a7 62(c) and prevent reimbursements from being classified as taxable income, VCU operates under an official Accountable Plan. The new policy clarifies and re-enforces strict, time-bound submission milestones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>30 Days:<\/strong> Expense reports should be submitted within 30 days after the expense was incurred or the last date of travel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>60 Days:<\/strong> Reimbursements submitted after 60 days require additional justification, further approval, and <strong>could be treated as taxable income<\/strong> to the expense owner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>180 Days:<\/strong> Any expense submitted more than 180 days after it occurred is completely <strong>ineligible for reimbursement<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Expanded Definitions and Roles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The policy now clearly defines critical roles in the financial workflow, helping departments understand who holds purchasing and approval responsibilities. Key additions include formal definitions for the <strong>Expense Owner<\/strong> (the person who incurred the expense), <strong>Delegates<\/strong> (those authorized to create reports on behalf of others), and <strong>Fiscal Approvers<\/strong> (the administrators managing the specific index funding). It also reiterates that payments for services\u2014such as honoraria, independent contractors, or skilled labor\u2014remain strictly prohibited from personal reimbursement and must be routed through standard procurement channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why These Changes Matter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These adjustments protect the university&#8217;s tax-exempt status, ensure standard state procurement laws are followed, and shield employees from unexpected tax liabilities on their personal returns. By structuring the rules clearly around transaction limits and pre-approval thresholds, departments can better plan their outlays and avoid administrative denials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please review the updated Reimbursable Business Expenses policy on the University Policies library. Please direct any specific policy or system routing questions to travel@vcu.edu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/08\/White-Yellow-Modern-Minimalist-with-3d-Illustration-How-To-Success-in-Digital-Marketing-Carousel-Post-5-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2138 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/08\/White-Yellow-Modern-Minimalist-with-3d-Illustration-How-To-Success-in-Digital-Marketing-Carousel-Post-5-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/08\/White-Yellow-Modern-Minimalist-with-3d-Illustration-How-To-Success-in-Digital-Marketing-Carousel-Post-5-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/08\/White-Yellow-Modern-Minimalist-with-3d-Illustration-How-To-Success-in-Digital-Marketing-Carousel-Post-5-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/08\/White-Yellow-Modern-Minimalist-with-3d-Illustration-How-To-Success-in-Digital-Marketing-Carousel-Post-5-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/08\/White-Yellow-Modern-Minimalist-with-3d-Illustration-How-To-Success-in-Digital-Marketing-Carousel-Post-5.png 1080w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/1024;\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Procurement Services has rolled out a comprehensive update to the Reimbursable Business Expenses policy, effective August 4, 2026. This update replaces the previous 2024 version to provide clearer definitions, align with IRS guidelines, and streamline how university staff, faculty, students, and non-employees handle out-of-pocket expenses. Reimbursement remains an exception-based procurement path rather than a standard [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[332,103,10,11,3],"class_list":["post-2132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-business-expense-policy","tag-irs","tag-pre-approval","tag-reimbursement","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2132"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2139,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2132\/revisions\/2139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2128,"date":"2026-08-04T15:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T19:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2128"},"modified":"2026-08-04T15:13:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T19:13:10","slug":"irs-increases-standard-mileage-rate-to-0-76-mile-effective-july-1-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/irs-increases-standard-mileage-rate-to-0-76-mile-effective-july-1-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"IRS Increases Standard Mileage Rate to $0.76\/Mile, Effective July 1, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IRS has announced a mid-year increase to the standard mileage rate, raising it from $0.725 to $0.76 per mile for business use, effective July 1, 2026,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a rare off-cycle adjustment. The IRS typically sets this rate once a year, but rising fuel prices prompted the mid-year revision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What this means for VCU travelers: <\/strong>Effective July 1, 2026, mileage reimbursement for personal vehicle use on university business will be calculated at the new $0.76\/mile rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The revised rate applies to expenses incurred on or after July 1, 2026, therefore trips taken before that date would still be reimbursed at the previous $0.725 rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The updated rate is already reflected in Emburse Enterprise &#8211; no action is needed on your part.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A reminder on cost-effective travel: <\/strong>While the higher mileage rate helps offset rising fuel costs, VCU continues to recommend that travelers consider an alternative method of transportation &#8211; such as rental car, train, or air &#8211; when a trip exceeds 200 round-trip miles. For longer distances, these options are often more cost-effective and time-efficient than personal vehicle mileage reimbursement, even at the new rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have any questions about how this change affects an upcoming trip or your Emburse mileage entries, please contact the Travel &amp; Expense Management team at Travel@vcu.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The IRS has announced a mid-year increase to the standard mileage rate, raising it from $0.725 to $0.76 per mile for business use, effective July 1, 2026, This is a rare off-cycle adjustment. The IRS typically sets this rate once a year, but rising fuel prices prompted the mid-year revision. What this means for VCU [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[102,3],"class_list":["post-2128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-mileage","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2128"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2130,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128\/revisions\/2130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2125,"date":"2026-08-04T14:44:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2125"},"modified":"2026-08-04T14:44:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:44:34","slug":"how-to-make-common-po-changes-in-realsource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/how-to-make-common-po-changes-in-realsource\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Common PO Changes in RealSource\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The correct process for changing a purchase order depends on the type of PO, whether invoices have been processed, and what needs to be updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Common changes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use a Change Request to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Increase or decrease a price or quantity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add or remove a line<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduce (liquidate) an unused PO balance\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Update other PO information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For an index, account code, or accounting change, do not simply overwrite accounting on a line with prior activity. Reduce the original line to the amount already invoiced and add a new line for the remaining balance using the correct accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Choose the right process<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No invoices processed or expected to be processed:<\/strong> Submit a PO Cancel Request.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Partially invoiced PO:<\/strong> Use to reduce the remaining amount and quantity to the amount invoiced when no other invoices are expected and the PO needs to be closed.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Change Request cannot be processed:<\/strong> Submit a PO Close Request and follow the related Banner process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>eCatalog PO:<\/strong> Change Requests are not available. If the order is complete but a balance remains, submit a PO Close Request and then process any required Banner adjustment. See<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/keeping-pos-clean-best-practices-in-realsource\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> Keeping POs Clean: Best Practices in RealSource<\/a> for details.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Declining balance PO:<\/strong> Amount changes may be handled through a Change Request, but accounting changes may require a new PO. See<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/declining-balance-orders-best-practices-for-smooth-procurement\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> Declining Balance Orders: Best Practices for Smooth Procurement<\/a> for details.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multiple partial invoices expected:<\/strong> A declining balance PO may work better than a fixed-quantity line.\u00a0 See <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/declining-balance-orders-best-practices-for-smooth-procurement\/\">Declining Balance Orders: Best Practices for Smooth Procurement<\/a> for details.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whenever possible, make the adjustment in RealSource rather than only liquidating funds in Banner. A Banner-only adjustment can leave RealSource, Banner, encumbrance, and eVA fee records out of sync.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Use the yellow star<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When creating a Change Request, select the <strong>yellow star<\/strong> in RealSource. The JAGGAER Adopt guide walks through the steps and identifies changes the system will not allow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related guidance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/need-help-in-realsource-look-for-the-yellow-stars\/\">Need Help in RealSource? Look for the Yellow Stars!<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/quick-tips-change-orders\/\">Quick Tips: Change Orders<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/keeping-pos-clean-best-practices-in-realsource\/\">Keeping POs Clean: Best Practices in RealSource<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/declining-balance-orders-best-practices-for-smooth-procurement\/\">Declining Balance Orders: Best Practices for Smooth Procurement<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/procurement-refresh-flipping-the-script-on-flippers\/\">Procurement Refresh: Flipping the Script on \u201cFlippers\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/search-smarter-not-harder-in-realsource\/\">Search Smarter, Not Harder in RealSource<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The correct process for changing a purchase order depends on the type of PO, whether invoices have been processed, and what needs to be updated. Common changes Use a Change Request to: For an index, account code, or accounting change, do not simply overwrite accounting on a line with prior activity. Reduce the original line [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[329,45,223,56,4,5],"class_list":["post-2125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-best-practices","tag-change-order","tag-declining-balance","tag-purchase-orders","tag-purchasing","tag-realsource"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2127,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125\/revisions\/2127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2122,"date":"2026-08-04T14:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2122"},"modified":"2026-08-04T14:35:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:35:19","slug":"new-airgas-ecatalog-and-training-available-in-realsource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/new-airgas-ecatalog-and-training-available-in-realsource\/","title":{"rendered":"New Airgas eCatalog and Training Available in RealSource"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beginning <strong>August 14, 2026<\/strong>, VCU departments will be able to purchase industrial, medical and specialty gases, laboratory and safety products, welding supplies, and related items through the new <strong>Airgas eCatalog<\/strong> in RealSource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The catalog will appear under <strong>Scientific &amp; Medical<\/strong> in the RealSource Showcase and will provide direct access to VCU pricing while streamlining requisition and purchase-order processing. Users should select the Airgas account associated with their department and delivery location before shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airgas will offer two virtual training sessions covering catalog navigation, account selection, quotes and order placement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Date and time:<\/strong> Wednesday, August 12th, 2026 at 3:00 PM<br><strong>Registration:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/vcu.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/cZqhWAKgQnKurqzbzjvvqg\">https:\/\/vcu.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/cZqhWAKgQnKurqzbzjvvqg<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Date and time:<\/strong> Thursday, August 13th, 2026 at 10:00 AM<br><strong>Registration:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/vcu.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/hB7DwwdoQ5ay-8XLULCQWA\">https:\/\/vcu.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/hB7DwwdoQ5ay-8XLULCQWA<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new eCatalog does not change the cylinder rental and pricing structure established under VCU\u2019s current Airgas agreement. Departments may review the existing <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/important-update-airgas-contract-renewal-changes-to-cylinder-rental-billing\/\"><strong>Airgas Contract Renewal and Changes to Cylinder Rental Billing<\/strong><\/a> post for additional information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the addition of Airgas, RealSource now offers <strong>58 eCatalogs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For questions about Airgas products, pricing or accounts, contact Abigail Zaremba at <strong>apzaremba@vcu.edu<\/strong>. For RealSource assistance, email <strong>RealSource@vcu.edu<\/strong> or call <strong>804-828-1077 and select option 6<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beginning August 14, 2026, VCU departments will be able to purchase industrial, medical and specialty gases, laboratory and safety products, welding supplies, and related items through the new Airgas eCatalog in RealSource. The catalog will appear under Scientific &amp; Medical in the RealSource Showcase and will provide direct access to VCU pricing while streamlining requisition [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[204,328,5,14,24],"class_list":["post-2122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-airgas","tag-e-catalog","tag-realsource","tag-training","tag-zoom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2124,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2122\/revisions\/2124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2113,"date":"2026-07-28T14:56:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2113"},"modified":"2026-07-28T14:56:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:56:48","slug":"now-available-auto-populated-dates-in-emburse-expense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/now-available-auto-populated-dates-in-emburse-expense\/","title":{"rendered":"Now Available: Auto-Populated Dates in Emburse Expense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Auto-Populated Dates enhancement is now available in Emburse Expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When creating a new expense report, enter your overall travel dates in the Expense Report Header. Emburse will automatically carry those dates over to the applicable expense tiles, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Airfare<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rail<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Car Rental<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conference Registration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The auto-populated dates remain editable, allowing you to adjust an individual expense when it does not match your overall travel period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This enhancement reduces repetitive data entry, improves date consistency and helps prevent reports from being returned because of date mismatches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn more about how the feature works in our original article,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/fewer-clicks-fewer-typos-emburse-expense-just-got-smarter\/\">Fewer Clicks, Fewer Typos: Emburse Expense Just Got Smarter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please email&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:travel@vcu.edu\">travel@vcu.edu<\/a>&nbsp;with any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Auto-Populated Dates enhancement is now available in Emburse Expense. When creating a new expense report, enter your overall travel dates in the Expense Report Header. Emburse will automatically carry those dates over to the applicable expense tiles, including: The auto-populated dates remain editable, allowing you to adjust an individual expense when it does not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[327,184,326,3],"class_list":["post-2113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-auto-populated","tag-emburse","tag-new-feature","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2115,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113\/revisions\/2115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2109,"date":"2026-07-28T14:42:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2109"},"modified":"2026-07-28T14:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:42:50","slug":"do-i-need-a-change-request","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/do-i-need-a-change-request\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I Need a Change Request?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Change Request is generally needed when a purchase order no longer reflects the expected price, quantity, funding, scope, or remaining balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When the change is known in advance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Submit a Change Request before the vendor provides additional goods or services when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The price or quantity will change<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additional invoices are expected<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The scope or funding needs to be updated<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An unused balance should be canceled or liquidated, depending on whether invoices have been processed <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The total purchase value may cross a procurement threshold<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cancel or liquidate?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cancel the PO<\/strong> when no invoices have been processed and the order will no longer be used.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Liquidate the remaining balance<\/strong> when invoices have been processed but unused funds remain. This is generally completed through a deductive Change Request or, when that is unavailable, the PO Close process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more detail, review<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/keeping-pos-clean-best-practices-in-realsource\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"> Keeping POs Clean: Best Practices in RealSource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consider the total purchase value, including the original PO and the proposed increase\u2014not only the amount of the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Up to $10,000:<\/strong> Generally within delegated departmental authority<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Over $10,000 through $200,000:<\/strong> Purchasing review is required, and additional competitive action may be needed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Over $200,000:<\/strong> A formal procurement process may be required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contact Purchasing when a change crosses a threshold, materially expands the original scope, or was not contemplated by the original procurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When the invoice has already arrived<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accounts Payable may be able to process a small, unexpected invoice variance within established tolerances. A Change Request may still be appropriate when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Additional invoices are expected<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The remaining PO balance will be inaccurate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The price, quantity, funding, or scope materially changed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Purchasing review is required based on the total value<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An after-the-fact Change Request may be possible if the PO has not been fully invoiced. AP tolerance should not be used to plan a purchase above the authorized PO amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related guidance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/quick-tips-change-orders\/\">Quick Tips: Change Orders<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/choosing-the-right-procurement-path\/\">Choosing the Right Procurement Path<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/before-signing-a-vendor-document\/\">Before Signing a Vendor Document<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/keeping-pos-clean-best-practices-in-realsource\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Keeping POs Clean: Best Practices in RealSource<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Change Request is generally needed when a purchase order no longer reflects the expected price, quantity, funding, scope, or remaining balance. When the change is known in advance Submit a Change Request before the vendor provides additional goods or services when: Cancel or liquidate? For more detail, review Keeping POs Clean: Best Practices in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[226,325,4,5],"class_list":["post-2109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-change-request","tag-orders","tag-purchasing","tag-realsource"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2111,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109\/revisions\/2111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2105,"date":"2026-07-28T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2105"},"modified":"2026-07-28T14:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:00:37","slug":"using-a-cooperative-contract-what-to-check-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/using-a-cooperative-contract-what-to-check-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Using a Cooperative Contract: What to Check First"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cooperative contract can be an efficient way to purchase goods or services, but it is not automatically available for every VCU need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Send the contract details to Procurement Services before relying on a cooperative contract.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why cooperative contracts can help<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooperative contracts may provide access to competitively established pricing and negotiated terms while reducing the administrative effort needed to conduct a new solicitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They may result from joint solicitations, piggybacking arrangements, or third-party cooperative purchasing organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Check these before using one<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The contract was awarded through a competitive process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The scope covers the goods or services VCU needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VCU is eligible to use the contract under its cooperative language.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The contractor authorizes VCU\u2019s use of the agreement, when required.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A bridge agreement or VCU-specific document is in place, if needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The purchase complies with applicable laws, regulations, and institutional requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What cooperative language means<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooperative language identifies the entities that may use a resulting contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some contracts are limited to specific public bodies or government entities. Others may more broadly be available to higher education institutions, affiliated entities, or cooperative purchasing organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A contract appearing in a cooperative portfolio does not, by itself, confirm that VCU may use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where to start your search<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the product or service, potential cooperative-contract resources may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Higher education resources:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/vascupp.org\/contracts\">VASCUPP<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/vhepc.cobblestone.software\/public\/\">VHEPC<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commonwealth resources:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/eva.virginia.gov\/\">Virginia Statewide Contracts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/vita.cobblestonesystems.com\/public\/\">VITA<\/a> contracts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National and regional cooperatives: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eandi.org\/contract-navigator\/\">E&amp;I<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniapartners.com\/solutions\/contract-offerings?contracts%5Bsearch%5D%5Bindustry%5D=5\">OMNIA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sourcewell-mn.gov\/contract-search\">Sourcewel<\/a>l, <a href=\"https:\/\/equalisgroup.org\/purchasing-contracts\/\">Equalis Group<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naspovaluepoint.org\/suppliers\/\">NASPO<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/nppgov.com\/contract_type\/nonprofit\/\">NPPGov<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tips-usa.com\/contracts\">TIPS<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/aepacoop.org\/vendors\/\">AEPA<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.choicepartners.org\/available-contracts\">Choice Partners<\/a>, and others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc <strong>Need help?<\/strong> Send the cooperative contract name, contractor name, and proposed scope to <a href=\"mailto:purchasing@vcu.edu\">purchasing@vcu.edu<\/a> for review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A cooperative contract can be an efficient way to purchase goods or services, but it is not automatically available for every VCU need. Send the contract details to Procurement Services before relying on a cooperative contract. Why cooperative contracts can help Cooperative contracts may provide access to competitively established pricing and negotiated terms while reducing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[323,44,324,4],"class_list":["post-2105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-blog-series","tag-contracts","tag-cooperative-contract","tag-purchasing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2105"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2107,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105\/revisions\/2107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2089,"date":"2026-07-21T15:21:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2089"},"modified":"2026-07-28T10:33:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T14:33:52","slug":"fewer-clicks-fewer-typos-emburse-expense-just-got-smarter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/fewer-clicks-fewer-typos-emburse-expense-just-got-smarter\/","title":{"rendered":"Fewer Clicks, Fewer Typos: Emburse Expense Just Got Smarter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Update: The Auto-Populated Dates enhancement is coming soon to Emburse Expense. This article has been updated to clarify the implementation timeline. Additional information will be shared when the feature is available.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s be honest: nobody lists \u201cfiling expense reports\u201d as their favorite activity. Manually tracking down receipts and repeatedly entering identical travel dates makes expense reporting unnecessarily tedious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We understand your frustrations\u2014and we\u2019re doing something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help speed up your workflow and save you some valuable keystrokes,\u00a0we\u2019re preparing to introduce\u00a0a smart new update to Emburse Expense: Auto-Populated Dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How It Works: One Entry, Multiple Tiles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Once the enhancement is available,\u00a0<\/strong>you will only need to enter your travel dates once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you start a new report and complete the Expense Report Header, where you input your overall dates of travel, Emburse\u00a0will\u00a0automatically carry those dates over to your individual expense tiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No more redundant typing. The system will automatically pre-fill the dates for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Airfare<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rail<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Car Rental<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conference Registration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Need to Make a Tweak? No Problem.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We know travel plans can be fluid. Maybe your rental car was returned a day early, or you\u2019re traveling on an overnight flight, so your hotel check-in is a day later than your other travel start dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flexibility is built in. Even though these dates will auto-populate, they will remain completely editable. If a specific expense does not perfectly match your overall travel window, simply click into the date field on that tile and adjust it manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why You\u2019ll Love This Update<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By letting the system do the repetitive heavy lifting, you get two major benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Time Saved:<\/strong>\u00a0Fewer keystrokes mean you can submit your expenses faster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fewer Rejections:<\/strong>\u00a0Date mismatches are one of the most common reasons expense reports get sent back. Auto-population keeps your data consistent, supporting faster approvals and quicker reimbursements.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This update is coming soon. Watch the Procurement Services blog for confirmation when the enhancement is available in Emburse Expense.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please email <a href=\"http:\/\/travel2vcu.edu\">travel@vcu.edu<\/a> with any questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Update: The Auto-Populated Dates enhancement is coming soon to Emburse Expense. This article has been updated to clarify the implementation timeline. Additional information will be shared when the feature is available. Let\u2019s be honest: nobody lists \u201cfiling expense reports\u201d as their favorite activity. Manually tracking down receipts and repeatedly entering identical travel dates makes expense [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[316,318,319,184,317],"class_list":["post-2089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-airfare","tag-car-rental","tag-conference-registration","tag-emburse","tag-rail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2089"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2095,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2089\/revisions\/2095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2084,"date":"2026-07-21T15:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/?p=2084"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:27:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:27:17","slug":"link-the-contract-before-submitting-your-realsource-requisition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/link-the-contract-before-submitting-your-realsource-requisition\/","title":{"rendered":"Link the Contract &amp; Protect the Deal in RealSource"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you&#8217;re buying from an existing contract, link the contract to your RealSource requisition before you submit it. This matters most for purchases <strong>under $10,000<\/strong>, where the requisition typically becomes a purchase order without review by a Procurement Services buyer. If you don&#8217;t link the contract, no one else will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why linking matters<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Linking connects the purchase order to the agreement that supports the purchase. That connection is what lets VCU:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enforce negotiated pricing, discounts, and terms to the PO<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track how much a contract is actually being used across the university<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep a clean record for invoice review, three-way matching, and audit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Track total spend against the contract.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also affects what happens to the contract later. Usage data is how Procurement Services identifies which agreements should be renewed, expanded, or renegotiated. A contract that looks unused is a contract that looks unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Under $10,000<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your department may be the only group with an opportunity to link the contract before the PO is issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the contract isn&#8217;t linked, the purchase can look like an independent, off-contract transaction \u2014 even when you used the right contract and the right pricing. The purchase was correct; the record just doesn&#8217;t show it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Over $10,000<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These purchases generally get additional review, and a buyer may identify and link the applicable contract.&nbsp; Still link it yourself when you can.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What to do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When creating the requisition in RealSource:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Select the appropriate supplier or purchasing form.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open the contract information section.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Search for and select the applicable contract number. If a master agreement applies, select it so the PO inherits its terms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm the supplier and contract details are correct<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Submit through the normal approval process.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc <strong>Select the contract in the designated contract field.<\/strong> Attaching a copy of the contract or typing the number into a comment doesn&#8217;t create the link \u2014 the system won&#8217;t pick it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Need help?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not sure whether a contract exists for your supplier, or can&#8217;t find the contract number? Contact VCU PURCHASING <a href=\"mailto:purchasing@vcu.edu\">purchasing@vcu.edu<\/a> before you submit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2085 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"486\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-1024x486.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2087 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-1024x486.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-300x142.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-768x364.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image-1536x729.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1257\/2026\/07\/image.jpeg 1920w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/486;\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you&#8217;re buying from an existing contract, link the contract to your RealSource requisition before you submit it. This matters most for purchases under $10,000, where the requisition typically becomes a purchase order without review by a Procurement Services buyer. If you don&#8217;t link the contract, no one else will. Why linking matters Linking connects [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2024,"featured_media":2086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[44,47,4,5],"class_list":["post-2084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-services","tag-contracts","tag-purchase-order","tag-purchasing","tag-realsource"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2024"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2084"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2093,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084\/revisions\/2093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/procurement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]