Workplace Resources
Workplace Resources - Procurement
LBNL's Procurement Department is responsible for the acquisition of goods and services that are necessary for the Laboratory to fulfill its scientific mission. The Procurement Department Staff (Procurement Specialist/Buyer) are delegated to have purchase-order authority, and only they may commit the Laboratory to expenditures for goods or services (including R&D Subcontracts and Consultants) with the vendor. Commitments made by non-Procurement staff could be considered an unauthorized commitment; however, LBNL staff and guests ("requestor or end user") should request purchases through one of these methods outlined as follows.
LATEST NEWS
2011 - February 15 - ARRA Project IDs should not be used when making McMaster-Carr purchases on the B2B subcontract. Instead, you should attempt to acquire needed ARRA items from our GSS/MSC eBuy contract or other sources. If this is not possible, you may submit an ePro requisition for the PCard purchase of ARRA items from McMaster Carr. The McMaster-Carr B2B subcontract may continue to be used for projects not funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Methods to acquire goods and services:
Once it is determined that a requester/end user is in need of goods or services, please obtain pre-approval from the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Project ID that will be used for the procurement. A notification (e-mail is best) should also be sent to the appropriate Program Head, the Business Manager and/or the Division Director to explain the background and need to purchase goods or services for:
- Procurements > $25K but < $50K-Notify Program Head.
- Procurements > $50K-Notify Program Head, Business Manager and/or the Division Director.
Once pre-approval has been received, a purchase requisition must be submitted using one of the following methods.
-
eBuy - a simple on-line ordering service for regular commodities from pre-defined vendors. Requester/end user with an LDAP account can place the orders themselves.
-
B2B - directly through the supplier via web or fax ordering from pre-defined vendors. Requester/end user can place the orders themselves.
- ePro - buy items not available through either of the above methods. Requester/end users can contact vendors to discuss goods and service needs and obtain a quote. Then must contact a Division inputter for assistance. Requisitions are submitted to the Procurement Specialist to finalize contract agreements, terms, conditions and commit funds.
Division Inputters
Division Inputters must have training to access the ePRO system. Aside from these Division Inputters listed below, an ESD research group may have designated an individual inputter for a specific research project. Contact your PI to see if an Inputter is available for your research group. The requester/end user completes a word document form and send it to the inputter to
- Goods and Services
- B74/84/85B (<$25k) - Sara Hefty, x6455
- B70/70A (<$25k) Theresa Pollard, x6740
- Total Dollar Value above $25K Peter Lau, x5570
- Inter University Transfers, R&D Subcontracts, and Consultants, Karen Yamamoto, x4161
- ESD Computer Purchase Coordinator Peter Lau, x5570
Unauthorized procurements / commitments
Please remember that only Procurement Department staff (or others who have been delegated low-value, purchase-order authority, including Procurement Card authority, by the Procurement and Property Manager) may commit the Laboratory to expenditures for goods or services.
Currently, no one in ESD has this authority. Therefore, all procurements of goods and services will have to be processed in one of the methods listed above. An individual who is not an authorized designee and who purchases goods or services may be responsible for payment of charges incurred.
It is important to also remember that it is considered an authorized procurement / commitment to contact a vendor to change an existing order that was placed using the above methods, place an order to a vendor not prescribed in the above procurement methods, or authorizing work to a vendor if it is outside the confines of an approved subcontract. Any and all changes need to be processed with proper documentation by the Procurement Staff member. Please contact the Procurement Department or the Division Inputters for assistance.
ePro
When an item is not available from either the eBuy or B2B system, we will process a requisition via the Lab's ePro system.
- Please complete the ESD ePRO Requisition Worksheet (Word document)
- Send the worksheet and other documentation to the appropriate PI and one of the appropriate Inputters (via email).
- Ensure that the Approver will be able to approve the requisition in ePRO, especially if this is a RUSH order.
Procurements that are processed through the ePro system that are over $1000 will be submitted to the approver listed in the ePro worksheet for approval. If this is a rush order, please verify that the approver is available to approve otherwise, please contact the Division Inputters for assistance.
Approvers and Approval Threshholds
- ESD PI's are designated a signature authority of up to $25K.
- All purchase requests made by guests require approval by the PI.
- Purchase requisitions below the $1000 threshhold will be auto approved if the requester and approver are not the same person. Purchase requisitions above $1000 will require approval by the PI (or by the Program Head/Business Manager).
- Approvers should expect to receive an email from the requestor or inputter with the subject titled "Approval is Requested for Requisition..." The message will include a web link that will allow the approver to approve the requisition electronically. Please note that you will need to be on-site or use the Lab's VPN to access this web site.
Returns
If you need to return the goods for any reason, please contact the procurement specialist that process the order. If you do not know who this is, please contact your local Division inputters and they can assist you.