Buying and paying for goods and services involves identifying appropriate suppliers and purchasing methods that meet the operating needs of Columbia schools, programs, and projects, as well as processing University payments for purchases, expenses, and awards.
Shop and Contract in the CU Marketplace
Columbia users conduct the majority of their shopping in the CU Marketplace, a procure-to-pay system where users can express order and auto-invoice for goods from more than 30 Catalog Suppliers.
Goods and services from UwPA Suppliers, Events & Catering Suppliers, and Non-Catalog Suppliers are also available via the Non-Catalog Goods and Services Request Form and the Contract Request Tool as applicable.
Click the CU Marketplace logo at right to launch the system. Navigate to the Shop, Pay, and Contracts dashboards to find available actions based on your Marketplace role permissions.
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Find Vendors and Suppliers
For assistance finding a vendor that matches your purchasing needs, visit the Columbia Blue Pages Shopping Directory to view a searchable "phone book" of recommended vendors that have agreements in place with Columbia University.
Shopping and Contracting Policies
Change Order Policy
Changes in a previously dispatched Purchase Order (PO) in ARC are to be completed through the use of a Change Order.
The University classifies and pays individuals who provide services as Employees, unless the nature of the services and other circumstances satisfy the criteria for Independent Contractor status. Section 3121(d) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) provides that the term "employee" means any individual who, under the common law rules applicable in determining the employer- employee relationship, has the status of employee.
Competitive Procurement
The Columbia University policy on competitive procurement provides guidance to ensure that all procurement activity meets applicable regulatory requirements and that the University maintains a competitive sourcing environment. Competitive procurement requirements are dependent on the size of the purchase as well as the source of funds used to make the purchase. The appropriate requirements must be adhered to in all instances.
Construction Procurement
The Purchasing Office is responsible for reviewing construction procurements for compliance with purchasing procedures and for issuing the Purchase Order or Change Order for the procurement.
This policy provides guidance on roles and responsibilities for the development, completion, and management of contracts at the University related to the procurement of goods and services.
Photocopier and Multi-functional Devices
This policy provides guidance for departments on acquisition of photocopiers and multi-function devices through University preferred contracts administered through Columbia University Print Services.
Pursuant to Columbia University’s Records Retention policy, this policy establishes electronic images of documents provided as supporting documentation for Accounts Payable, Purchasing, and Vendor Management transactions as documents of record for Procurement Services and the University.
Procurement Mechanism Policy
The following provides policy guidance to faculty, staff, students and others with respect to the use of Purchase Orders and other mechanisms to purchase goods and services on the University’s behalf for business purposes.
Procurement Receiving Policy
The following policy provides guidance and instructions to faculty, staff and others with respect to goods and services that require receiving, either prior to or in conjunction with a Purchase Order based payment, in accordance with University policy.
Purchase Requisitions and Purchase Orders
The following provides policy guidance to faculty, staff, students and others with respect to the use of a Purchase Requisition to establish the request for goods and services for use by a school or department of the University. The Purchase Requisition will then be converted to a Purchase Order after receiving the required approvals.
Purchasing Terms and Conditions
This offer is subject to immediate acceptance and unless so accepted, Columbia reserves the right to cancel.
Haven't Found What You Need?
Hover over the Buying, Paying, Vendor Management, and Forms & Documents menu headers at the top of the page to find all Procurement pages in one location.
