Choosing a Purchase Method

The purchase of some goods and services is governed by laws, University policies, or additional workflow approvals. These goods and services can only be purchased using specific methods so the right department(s) at UVA can approve the purchase.

*Note: Goods and services purchased with a gift card, airline miles, credit card points, or similar are not reimbursable.

For researching buying categories utilize the :

Goods & Services Guide Spend Categories

Purchase Order

A Purchase Order (PO) is the most commonly-used purchasing method at UVA. It begins as a requisition issued in the UVA Marketplace. Users may either select items and services from electronic catalogs, or manually enter information into a “non-catalog form.” They then “check out” to enter account information. Depending on the shopper’s system responsibilities, the requisition’s total value, and certain restricted commodity areas, the requisition is either routed to a Procurement & Supplier Diversity Services buyer for further review or is turned directly into a Purchase Order and sent to the vendor for fulfillment.

Suppliers to the University must be registered in the UVA Marketplace Registration Portal in order to receive a PO.

Travel & Expense Card

The Travel and Expense card is the University's “one card” solution (formerly known as the Pcard) that allows the cardholder to make small-dollar purchases of goods, services, and travel expenses. The T&E Card combines the previous purchasing and travel card programs into one card. The card is a corporate liability, which means the University pays the bill on behalf of the cardholder.

The University Travel and Expense Card is the preferred method of payment for all employee-initiated travel, meals, and entertainment expenses for the following reasons:

Does not incur international fees, cash withdrawal fees, or sales tax on goods and services that are exempted from sales tax. VISA provides cardholder additional assistance, insurance, and services for purchases paid with a Travel and Expense Card.

For questions or assistance, please visit Travel & Expense Card or contact the University's Card Administrators at card@virginia.edu.

Non-PO Invoice