Department Heads are expected to maintain a balanced departmental budget and, therefore, must limit their purchases for goods or service to items that can be paid for out of each year’s allocated funds. Department Heads alone are responsible for authorizing charges that are provided for in their annual operating expense budgets.
All requests for the procurement of goods and/or services for the College must adhere to the College’s purchasing policies. Unauthorized purchases or financial commitments made without prior approval of the College’s Purchasing Department will become the personal responsibility of the individual placing the order. Prepayment for goods and services must also go through the Purchasing Office.
Department Heads should frequently review their on-line accounts, including budget, actual receipts, and disbursements information. To obtain on-line access, Department Heads should contact the Controller’s Office.
All budgeted expenditures must be completed by the end of the fiscal year. Unspent allocations revert to the general fund at the close of the fiscal year. The Office of the Controller issues a detailed statement of policy each year (on or around April 1) on year-end expenses and the procedure to request carryforward of funds.
Department Heads have the authority to transfer amounts of less than $1,000 between budgets that are under their control. Amounts over $1,000 require approval of the Provost. Individual revisions in excess of $5,000 require the additional concurrence of the President. A request for budget amendment should be obtained from the Provost. Budget transfers are not required to reallocate budgeted amounts within the same departmental budget. Department Heads should recognize that some budget line items may be overspent but that others will be underspent so that the entire budget remains in balance.
On occasion, it may be necessary to reassign actual charges from one departmental budget to another. A transfer of charges may be requested using an Authorization for Transfer of Actual Charges form, which may be obtained from the Office of the Controller. The form should be submitted electronically.
Items of capital expense (Account Code 710331, items that cost over $5,000) must either be identified in the approved departmental budget for the year or be explicitly approved as substitute items by the Provost in advance of submission to the Purchasing Office. Computers need to be ordered in accordance with the College’s Purchasing Policy and are subject to approval by ITS.
When equipment is purchased, the Department Head must return to the manufacturer or supplier any warranty or registration cards and must notify the Purchasing Office of (1) the name of the item, (2) the model number, (3) the serial number, (4) the cost, (5) the vendor, and (6) the principal place of use or storage. This information is needed for the inventory list of College property in order to be covered by insurance and for accounting purposes.
In select circumstances, the Provost may authorize an employee to be assigned a credit card for certain purchases and allow those purchases to happen without a Purchase Order.
Reimbursement for authorized travel expenditures may be secured by completing an expense reimbursement report. Please note that each reimbursement must be approved by the Department Head or the appropriate office before it will be processed. An individual cannot approve his/her own request for reimbursement.
For additional information regarding financial policies and to obtain the relevant forms, visit the Finance & Administration Division’s website