The Warner College of Natural Resources Business Office

Provides coordination, oversight and direct support for all budget, accounting, payroll, personnel and research administration functions in the college.  The Business Office supports management decisions at all levels of the college with accurate and timely data, meaningful financial reporting, policy interpretation and personal assistance to individual faculty and staff.  We attempt to ensure compliance with all applicable local, state and federal regulations in the conduct of college business.  Requests must be submitted to the Business Office through WCNR Intranet in order to be processed (please note that all requests require up to 3 business days for processing after approved and email and phone calls will be returned in up to 2 business days). During peak field season times and fiscal year end, processing may increase to a 7 business days due to volume of requests. When receipts are required for travel or personal reimbursements, and not received within 60 days of the purchase, reimbursement may be considered forfeited.

Kuali Financial System

This is the University’s electronic procurement solution.  Kuali will help you to quickly and easily buy a variety of goods and services from preferred, pre-approved, contracted suppliers that you currently use on purchase orders and PCARD.

Your function in Kuali has been created by your college business officer (or designee) who has determined your appropriate role, either a Requestor or an Approver.  Requestor’s documents are required to be sent to a departmental approver.  Should you need clarification of the approval process for your department, please check with your supervisor.

Authorized Signatures

All financial documents require an “authorized signature” approving the funds to be spent on the requested item(s).

The following documents must have an authorized signature:

  • IO (Internal Order – University organizations)
  • DV (Disbursement Voucher)
  • WOA (Work Order Authorization)
  • GLT (General Ledger Transfer – Journal Entries)
  • Purchase Requisitions
  • Purchase Orders
  • Travel documents
  • Official functions
  • Long Distance Telephone authorization requests
  • All personnel documents
  • All payroll documents
  • All external financial contracts

The Warner College of Natural Resources does not allow employees and/or document creators to approve their own documents. The internal policy is that each document is reviewed by a minimum of two people – creator and approver.

Purchasing

Purchases made on behalf of the University, regardless of the funding sources, shall be for the benefit of the University and shall be completed using the most economical means, which will satisfactorily accomplish the University’s business.

Purchasing Procedures

There are multiple processes used to purchase supplies and services:

– The WCNR Business Office can order for you: submit a WCNR items-to-order request and the WCNR Business Office will take care of the rest. 

– PCARD: some individuals have a University issued procurement-card that can be used for purchases. See the PCARD section for more information

– Personal Purchases: items can be personally purchased, and you can request reimbursement from CSU within 60 days of the purchase date. Personal Reimbursements are limited to $1,000 per person, per month.

Types of Purchasing Requests

Items to Order: This request type should be used when you have items or services that you would like the Business Office to purchase on your behalf. This includes all vendors and price points. Please attach vendor quotes for orders through outside vendors or for any order over $5k. Please include shipping address on the request form. If you are a PCARD holder and are unable to make a purchase, please use this request type.  

PCARD: This request type is used when you are planning on or have made a purchase with your PCARD. Do not use this request type when you need a Business Office staff member to make a purchase on your behalf (use Items to Order). Attach your receipt and any relevant backup to the request.  

Motorpool: This request type should be used when you are in need of a renting motorpool vehicle. The Business Office will make the reservation for you and email you with a confirmation. The Business Office will submit the Transportation Services Vehicle reservation request on your behalf.  

Reimburse Vendor: This request type should be used when you have made a purchase from a vendor without a purchase order and they require payment. Please attach an invoice to the request when applicable. The Business Office will determine the best form of payment.  

Personal Reimbursement: This request type should be used when you have made a personal purchase that benefits the University. Requests should be made within 60 days of the purchase date. Personal Reimbursements are limited to $1,000 per person, per month. 

Invoice Vendor: This request type should be used when you have provided goods or services on behalf of the university and need to invoice the recipient of said goods and services. The Business Office will generate an invoice and send it to the recipient. Please provide all relevant contact info for the recipient as well as a description of the goods and services provided.  This type of request is specific to 22 accounts.

Direct Billing: This request type should be used when you have made an internal purchase at CSU (RamTech, CSU Bookstore, Surplus, Communication and Creative Services, etc.) and have provided the vendor an account number to bill. If you did not provide an account number and need to send funds to an internal vendor, please use the reimburse vendor request type. 

Regardless of how items are procured, CSU purchasing guidelines must be followed. 

Before you Buy

Any purchase over $10,000, regardless of source, must have a Purchase Order in place prior to obtaining items or services begin. Failure to comply will result in an unauthorized purchase and may result in the employee becoming personally responsible for the expenses. 

CSU has several price agreements that should be leveraged prior to using outside vendors.Please browse these vendors before using outside vendors: 

A full list of approved vendors can be found here

If you would like to place an order with one of these vendors, please submit a WCNR items-to-order request through the WCNR intranet system. The WCNR Business Office will place the order through the appropriate mechanisms for employees. 

All orders must be shipped to a business address. If you are unsure if your official work address is available for shipping, please reach out to us.

If the WCNR Business Office receives an order request from an outside vendor, the approved vendors will be searched prior to using that outside vendor. For quickest turnaround, please include a quote, part numbers, and a shipping address on all requests. 

New vendors to the CSU payment system are required to fill out a W9 and vendor certification form in order to be set up.

In addition to the approved vendors, CSU has several guidelines regarding certain purchases:

Computers:  

Colorado State University entered a strategic partnership with HP, Inc. for the purchase of PC-based desktops, workstations, laptops and tablets, including several discounted standard configurations. HP’s exclusive dealer under the strategic partnership is CDW-G. CDW-G has developed a catalog in Shop Catalogs for ordering standard configurations as well as requests for custom configurations for campus departments. 

Colorado State University also allows the purchase of Apple based products. All Apple products should be purchased through RamTech. 

HP Computer Program Exception Request- As defined in the Agreement between CSU and Hewlett ‐ Packard, PC means any laptop or desktop computer, excluding laptop and desktop computers manufactured by Apple, Inc., all campus departments are required to purchase their PC ‐ based computer needs through the HP agreement or provide a request for an exception. The purpose of this exception process is to identify and evaluate needs that cannot be met through the University’s Strategic Partnership with HP. The HP Waiver must be approved and signed by the Division/College IAC Representative. After IAC Representative approval the signed request must be sent to Procurement Services for final approval. The approved waiver and quote must be attached to your Kuali requisition.

HP Computer Program Exception Waiver -Opens a MS Word file for filling out and submitting. Please send all waivers to the WCNR IT team for approval.

Headphones: The purchase of headphones is generally considered personal since its not typically a job requirement and can only be tied to a single person. Purchasing headphones may be approved if the cost is less than $50 OR it is a specific job requirement for an individual.

Copiers: 

Communication and Creative Services (CCS) provides an internal pay per copy program designed to simplify and streamline the process of procuring copy, print, fax, and scanning systems for your office or department. The University has selected 4 vendors, Xerox, Konica Minolta, Sharp, and Ricoh, to provide pay per copy offerings under the RAMCopy program. Questions concerning the RAMCopy program can be directed to Kathy Phifer at 970-491-3354.

Printing: 

CSU’s Division of External Relations, including Fast Print, must be given priority for all printing projects. If you require printing services through a different vendor, please obtain a printing waiver before services are rendered. The printing waiver can be found here

Furniture: 

The University has a strategic partnership for furniture with Herman Miller and Workplace Resource. All new furniture should be purchased from Herman Miller and Workplace Resource. Furniture can be purchased from CCI if it is to match existing, custom made or KI brand. 

Primary Contact: 
Tina Pilger, Tina.Pilger@wrcolo.com
Phone (303) 313-3332 
9600 E 40th Ave 
Denver, CO 80230 

Secondary Contact: 
Sara Parker, Sara.Parker@wrcolo.com
Phone (303) 313-3315 
9600 E 40th Ave 
Denver, CO 80230

CSU is dedicated to providing an ergonomic workplace. It is highly recommended that end-users work with the Ergonomics Program in Risk Management and Insurance prior to purchasing an office chair and/or making design decisions about a workstation. Contact the Ergonomics Program at x1-2724 or frank.gonzales@colostate.edu to schedule an ergonomics evaluation. For more information regarding the ergonomics program, please visit http://rmi.prep.colostate.edu/ergonomics/

Remodels:

Any remodeling done in the Warner College of Natural Resources must be approved by the Dean.  If approved, all remodeling will be coordinated through the Facilities Department at the University. Work done in same location/room is considered one job, i.e., painting, moving furniture, mounting cupboards, etc.

Office Phones:

The ACNS/Telecom Basic Services Team provides support and some sales/leasing of phones along with information on headsets and related accessories including voicemail and long-distance codes. For more information please visit: https://telecom.colostate.edu/about-us/. To request an office phone and CSU phone number, please submit a WCNR items to order request or work with your department directly. 

Promotional Items:

Any purchase of promotional items with the printing of WCNR or CSU logos must be approved by the WCNR Communications team. To produce items bearing the University name, trademarks, or logos, vendors must be officially licensed. Unlicensed vendors that produce Colorado State items are in violation of state and federal trademark law. T-shirts, novelties and other specialty items produced by or on behalf of University entities for events, identification, marketing, or fund-raising purposes must display the official “Colorado State University” logo, in addition to any other logos or designs. Items intended for internal use (e.g. uniform shirts, giveaways or organization/club T-shirts) are exempt from royalties. Items intended to be sold externally (e.g. T-shirts for fund raising) are subject to royalties. All items bearing the University’s logo, marks or graphics must be produced by an existing licensee. Procurement Services or the Licensing Program Office can provide a list of current licensees

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is defined as any clothing or uniform that is provided by or reimbursed by CSU.  PPE is considered a taxable benefit unless:

  • The employee must wear the clothes as a condition of employment, and the clothes are not suitable for everyday wear
  • The clothing is provided infrequently and in small value (less than $50)
  • Required protective clothing as outlined by OSHA guidelines

The full Policy can be found here

Examples of acceptable PPE:

OSHA Required: Any item that OSHA requires (such as fire protective gear), has high visability, reflective coloring, or is considered a saftey item (glasses, gloves, hard hats, etc.) are allowable.

Boots: Heavy duty work boots are allowable

Winter Gear: Workwear that is spcifically designed to protect against hypothermia, such has anti-exposure work suites, insulated work gloves, winter liners for hard hats, etc. are allowable. Standard winter clothing such as hats, jeans, jackets, etc. are not allowable

Uniforms: Any item with company logos is allowable

The WCNR Business office will process taxation for any item purchased over $50 and could be worn as every day wear (ex: boots).  Please include employee names on all WCNR requests that include taxable PPE. 

Establishing a Purchase Order 

Every purchase for goods or services with a single vendor exceeding $10,000.00 within a fiscal year must be made with an approved purchase order or University contract.  

A purchase order is a commitment voucher containing required University terms and conditions, prepared and approved by an authorized employee of the University for the purpose of encumbering funds and securing goods or services from a vendor. Once accepted by the vendor, a purchase order becomes a binding contract between the University and the vendor. All PO terms are net 30 for payment unless otherwise negotiated between the vendor and CSU.  

To establish a Purchase Order, please obtain a vendor quote and submit an items–to–order request.  

New vendors to the CSU payment system are required to fill out a W9 and vendor certification form in order to be set up. 

Please note, CSU has additional requirements based on the dollar thresholds for establishing  purchase orders. These thresholds can cause delays in the establishment of a PO. 

Once a PO is established, vendors can invoice on an as needed basis. No additional WCNR request is needed at the point. All invoices should be emailed to the WCNR Business Office for quickest turnaround. Invoices are monitored and processed by a WCNR staff member who will coordinate with CSU’s accounts payable department on payment. 

Other Types of Reimbursements

Official Functions

Official function events may be attended by University employees and/or guests for the primary purpose of conducting institutional business involving instruction of students, research, public service, outreach, or administration.  Employee attendance is strictly limited to those who are essential to the purpose.  These events and all related expenses must be approved by an Authorized Official Function Representative.

Service of alcoholic beverages can easily create the appearance of misuse of public resources.  Therefore, only approved funding sources (Foundation – 64 funds) may be utilized to purchase alcoholic beverages for official functions.  In addition, all alcoholic beverage purchases for promotion and development activities may only be allowed when deemed appropriate for the nature of the activity.  Costs and consumption levels must be closely scrutinized to assure they are normal and reasonable, and that funding is provided from an appropriate source not compromising institutional integrity.  (NOTE: alcoholic beverages can never be served in conjunction with training.  Such an inclusion automatically designates the entire activity as either an unallowable expense, or an official function.)

Honoraria

A voluntary payment to a professional person outside the University community as an expression of appreciation of work performed where payment isn’t required. An example may include a voluntary payment for preparation time, travel and/or accommodations to a lecturer or guest speaker.

Awards

Awards may be made to either employees or non-employees in recognition of acts or achievements clearly benefiting the University. Awards are permissible only when made pursuant to an established award program approved by the President or President’s designee, with clear, written criteria for making such awards. (Ad hoc awards are not permitted). Each award must also be approved by such Senior Administrator, or by a responsible Business Officer who has been expressly delegated by the Senior Administrator with authority to approve such awards. Such expenditures shall not be approved if the expenditure will have a material impact on the department’s budget.

Department Vehicles

The Warner College of Natural Resources policy on department owned vehicles will be handled as follows:

  • Mileage log must be completed for each use and include the following information and returned to the Business Office monthly:
    • Date out and return
    • Responsible party
    • Destination and purpose
    • Account number and project benefit
    • Starting and ending mileage

Process for Redistribution of Monthly Phone and Vehicle Costs

WCNR staff enter initial data into the Log Systems, for phones it is done by the 10th and for vehicles it is by the 15th. Principal Investigators are then expected to confirm the correct vehicle on the appropriate account by the 15th of the month, and phone confirmations by the 20th of the month routinely.  The billing process redistributing the monthly expenses is then processed by WCNR staff prior to the 25th of the month.  Any phones or vehicles not confirmed by the given deadlines will be charged to the Principal Investigator’s respective departmental account.

 

Gas Card (WEX) Charge Review Process

During the first week of the month, PI’s will receive a report listing all the transactions posted to a WEX card during the previous billing period. The report will come sorted by city and state and will list both vehicle and transaction information.

Before the 15th (or next business day if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday), the PI’s responsibility is to review every charge to any WEX card used by one of their employees. The following should be reviewed:

  1. Date of purchase – was this date reasonable for work hours?
  2. Location of purchase – was this location reasonable for work duties?
  3. Purchase amount – was this purchase amount reasonable? (i.e, is this purchase the equivalent of one tank of fuel, if not, why was this amount so much higher)
  4. Type of purchase – is this a fuel or vehicle purchase? If not, please identify what was purchased on the WEX card. *Merchandise and some other non-fuel purchases will need to be paid back and are not appropriate for a WEX card.*

Finally, communicate directly with WCNR budget (wcnr_budget@mail.colostate.edu) to show your findings/review. Please indicate in the title of your email the month you are reviewing and that you are reviewing WEX transactions. In this email, confirm that you have reviewed your WEX charges for the month and thus, agree with the appropriateness of the transactions. If there were any non-fuel/merchandise purchases, please indicate what was purchased so that it may be reviewed by the budget office.

Travel

Travel charged to the University, regardless of the funding sources, shall be for the benefit of the University and shall be completed using the most economical means available, which will satisfactorily accomplish the University’s business.

Any costs associated with a traveler beginning or ending their trip at a location other than their home base is the travelers responsibility. Additionally, personal time tacked on to the beginning or end of the trip is allowable however, CSU will only cover the costs of expenses for the business portion of the trip. Employees will be responsible to cover any additional costs associated with flights, rental car, lodging, etc for personal time embedded into a work trip.

Travel Procedures

Pre-travel Requests

A pre-travel request is required for all travel that originates outside of the state of Colorado unless the individual is covered under the department blanket authorization.A pre-travel request must be submitted in the WCNR intranet prior to trip departure with estimates of trip expenses. Requests should be submitted as soon as you know you are traveling even if it is no-cost to the university. A pre-travel gives you the required travel insurance to conduct university business.

International travel always requires a pre-travel request. You will receive an email after our office has processed the request with the appropriate international travel insurance information and approval. The WCNR Business Office will attach the approval to the correspond travel authorization document. More information about international travel and insurance can be found here and here

Students traveling internationally are required to obtain international approval through the Office of International Programs. Please attach this approval to the WCNR pre-travel request or email it to the business office. 

Travel advances can be requested on the pre-travel request from to help cover the actual costs of the trip. The travel advance will be paid out to the traveler prior to the trip start date (no exception).The WCNR business office requires advance requests to be submitted 10 business days or prior to the trip start date to allow adequate time for processing and routing. The traveler is required to track all spending against the travel advance and submit a post-travel request documenting all spending. 

Post-travel Requests

Post-travel requests should be submitted immediately after trip completion with scanned copies of receipts attached. Original receipts are not needed.Allpost-travel requests must be completed and turned into the Business office within 60 days of the travel end date. 

Travel Reimbursements not electronically signed by the traveler inKualiFinancial System within 60 days of the trip ending, will be subject to income tax withholding.

If no expenses occurred from a trip or the trip was canceled, please email the WCNR Business Office indicating so.

Event Card

The Business office can reserve and pay for rental vehicles or lodging under the following circumstances:

Non-employee travel

Undergraduate student travel

Travel longer than 14 consecutive days

Groups of 5 or more people

An items-to-order purchasing request is required when requesting use of the office event card. 

General Guidelines

Flights 

Use of a CSU approved travel agencies for flight booking is mandatory all business travel without personal days.

Agent contacts:

New Horizon’s travel: info@travelnewhorizons.com 

Frosch: fortcollins@froschtravel.com 

Flights will be paid for via University ghost card and charged directly to the approved CSU account. 

The traveler will reach out to one of the agencies to arrange an itinerary. Once the itinerary is settled, please have the travel agent send it toWCNR_budget@mail.colostate.edufor booking. 

Under no circumstances is a traveler allowed to send booking information to an agent. Doing so will result in the traveler becoming personally liable for the expense. 

Flights will not be booked unless an approved pre-travel request is on file. Flights are typically booked within 24 hours of our office receiving them from and agent and there is an approved pretravel request.

Use of federal grant funds requires travelers to comply with the “Fly America Act” using only “US Flag” commercial carriers. It is acceptable if the tickets are purchased from a US flag carrier, but the flight is contracted to a non-domestic carrier for the actual plane and flight crew.

Trips with personal days involved at any stage of the trip are no longer allowed to be booked through a CSU travel agent. Trips with personal time must be personally booked. In order to receive reimbursement from the University for your personally booked flight, you must have a quote from a CSU travel agent showing the cost of how much it would cost you to travel without personal days. Flights can be reimbursed in one of three ways: Before you leave (post travel request submitted before you leave), through a travel advance (requested on the pre-travel request form, need 10 business days notice), or upon trip completion (post travel request after the trip). All other flights are still required to booked through CSU approved agencies.

Rental car  

CSU has state contracting pricing with the following rental car agencies:  Hertz, Enterprise, and National. The agencies are required to be used when traveling on university business. Instructions on how to rent from each agency can be found here.

CSU approved travel agencies may be used to make rental car reservations however, the expense will be paid for by the traveler.

When renting from an approved agency with the discount codes, CDW/LDW and liability coverage is included.

You may only rent from a non-approved agency if none of the agencies are available or they are out of vehicles. When paying at a non-approved agencies with a state travel card, CDWLDW coverage is included. Liability insurance will have to be purchased. If you do not have a state travel card, CDW/LDW and liability insurance must be purchased.

A guide on determining when rental car insurance should and should not be purchased can be found here.

Lodging  

Lodging is to be booked and paid for by the traveler. The expense is reimbursable at the actual cost of reasonable accommodations.

Self-owned lodging (cabins, trailers, campers, owned personally by the traveler) can be reimbursed up to $25 per day.

Per-diem 

Meal reimbursements are allowed for the actual cost of meals up to the maximum allowable per diem rate without receipts.  Employees are allowed 75% of the applicable per diem rate on the first and last day of travel no matter what time the travel begins or ends.  The University will use the per diem rates established by the state controller. 

Day trips (single day travel) which start and end on the same day are not eligible for meal reimbursements.

Personal Vehicle Use  

The use of Personal vehicles for official university travel is allowable. Mileage can be reimbursed for actual mileage driven with the appropriate support of a vehicle log or mileage map. Mileage rates are determined by the state controller. 

All mileage is reimbursed at the 2WD drive unless 4WD functions were actually used on the trip. 4WD mileage can only be reimbursed for specified portions of the full trip mileage (ie. Dirt roads, snowy conditions, etc.)

Registration  

The WCNR Business Office can assist travelers with conference registration expenses if needed. A separate items-to-order purchasing request is required. 

Blanket Authorization  

Departments can establish a blanket authorization for individuals to travel within the state they are stationed in. The blanket authorization provides the appropriate travel insurance for those individuals traveling without the need of submitting a pre-travel request.

All employees stationed in the state of Colorado are automatically added to the state of Colorado blanket authorization.

To request an individual be added to the blanket authorization, please email the WCNR Business Office. 

CSU Travel Card  

The JP Morgan Chase Travel Card is the preferred method of payment for University employees traveling on business. This card may be used for vehicle rentals, lodging, and all other travel expenses, wherever it is accepted. It is highly recommended that all frequent travelers obtain atraveelcard. Charges incurred are the personal liability of the traveler but expenses can be reimbursed via post-travel.More information and the application can be found here.

Cash Receipt System within Kuali

This system is administered through the Kuali Financial System.  The following steps are taken to ensure the proper procedure is administered in accordance with University policy.

As checks are received, they are stamped on the back “For Deposit Only” These deposits are held under lock and key.  Once a week or as determined by each individual department a deposit is made through the University Cash Receipt System (used for all cash, check and credit card receipts).  After the process has been completed online, the checks along with a copy of the Cash Receipt screen known as the “Cash Receipt Cover Sheet” and two adding machine tapes are taken to the Cashiers office the same day the deposit is made. For more information on Cash Receipts please see http://kuali.colostate.edu/default.aspx.

The Cash Receipt System is also used to deposit remaining travel advance funds due back to CSU.  This procedure is done the same way as stated above for deposits accept that a separate deposit is made for each travel expense sheet and the deposit is made to the Travel Advance Clearing Account.  Also, input is the travelers name, (Last, First) in the description field and the TEM number or Advance number in the reference field.

Unused travel checks should NOT be voided.  They can either be endorsed on the back by the traveler named on the front of the check, or “NOT USED FOR INTENDED PURPOSES” should be typed or printed on the back of the check, followed by the “For Deposit Only” stamp.

Procurement Card Program

The Procurement Card (PCARD) is a purchasing method whereby users in the department are issued a commercial MasterCard.  Each MasterCard is printed with the CSU name/logo, the name of the individual cardholder (faculty/staff) and the State of Colorado tax exemption number.  A PCARD may be used to purchase supplies, registrations, services and maintenance up to $3,000 from local and non-local vendors.  All faculty and staff will be responsible and held accountable for their own card.

PCARD can be used for the purchase of services up to $3,000, from local and non-local vendors, when the contractors DO NOT require a contract to be signed by the University.  Departments are responsible for determining the level of risk to the University when using the PCARD for the purchase of services.  If applicable, departments should contact the Purchasing Department and make arrangements to obtain a Certificate of Insurance from the service provider prior to performance.

Please note single purchase limit is $3,000 for all academic and research unit cardholders.

All Procurement Card Program participants including cardholders, reallocators, and approving officials are required to know and follow the Procurement Card Program Policies, including those defining violations and their consequences.  It is the responsibility of the cardholder, approving official and the reallocator to review documentation for each transaction in order to identify violations in card use. The review must be conducted for ALL transactions in each billing cycle.

Due to stringent University requirements, use of PCARD for non-employee hotel lodging and shuttle expenses (for visitors, recruits, etc.) is highly discouraged. However, the following criteria must be FULLY met:

  1. Cardholder must have full hospitality privileges on the card.
  2. Cardholder must have pre-approval from supervisor.
  3. The use of the card is for hotel charges and transportation to and from airport for on campus events (Examples include guest speakers, campus visitors, recruits, etc.)
  4. Car rentals are not allowed. No moving expenses or U-Haul type rentals are allowed.
  5. A proper, fully itemized receipt (“folio”) is obtained for the charges.
  6. All charges comply with University policy (i.e. no movie, gift shop, spa charges, valet, phone, alcoholic beverages, personal phone calls, etc.).
  7. The State of Colorado tax exemption is applied.
  8. Proper documentation (“who, what, why, when, where, how”) and approval (physical signature from an official function approver) is provided.
  9. This permission pertains to on campus events. PCARD should not be used for any extended stay lodging, house rentals, or student travel expenses.

Transactions categorized as Violations (except fraudulent purchases which will result in an immediate cancellation of the card) will result in revocation of the card for one full year (12 months) upon the 3rd documented violation.  Issuance of a new card may occur after department head/director provides justification for new card, new card application, and successful completion of PCARD training by applicant.

Please refer to the PCARD Manual for all application forms and instructions, as well as all information you may have regarding this card at http://procurement.colostate.edu/.

All faculty and staff that have a card must inform the reallocator of all purchases and provide them with paperwork pertinent to the purchase.  After the purchase has been made, the reallocator will receive an email message from the Kuali Financial System that lists a Transaction ID Number, Transaction Date, and cardholder’s name. These emails will lead directly into Kuali where the vendor information and purchase amount can be found.

The Kuali document is attached to the paperwork that explains the purchase, i.e., receipts, packing slips, online order forms and reallocated to the proper account and sub-code.  Once this is completed, it is kept in a file to be reconciled with the bank statement at the end of each month.  The reallocator will then email a monthly verification form that must be signed physically or electronically through Docusign or Adobe Sign by the cardholder and the approver .  All this must be kept on file. The Warner College of Natural Resources mandates that a cardholder cannot be their own reallocator.

When the faculty or staff leaves the College or University, they must turn in their card to the approver and complete the termination paperwork.  The approver will then fill out the proper paperwork to delete the cardholder.  If the cardholder was a reallocator or approver, the purchasing department must be notified so this process can be transferred to someone else.

Approving officials are responsible for monitoring email notifications, reviewing monthly cardholder statements, handling suspected violations, and notifying PCARD Help Desk of cardholder transfers or terminations.  Within each academic unit, the Department Head may allow either an Acting or Assistant Department Head to review and sign the monthly statements.  Formal written notification will be required and kept on file in the WCNR Budget Office.

WCNR recently went through an internal audit related to vehicles and PCARD purchases. As part of the audit recommendations, we have been asked to remind approvers and those reviewing PCARD transactions how important it is to scrutinize the receipts. In addition to noting what was purchased, we also need to be mindful of items missing descriptions, the mention of gift cards included with a purchase and especially to watch for items being purchased on non-work days or in non-work locations. While these situations do occur, it is important to review these carefully to ensure employees are not making personal purchases on the PCARD.

Special Course Fees

Special course fees are those mandatory fees that a student is assessed when enrolling in specific courses which have cost-intensive components which cannot be provided through tuition. For example, these fees may be assessed for required equipment rental, animal maintenance, travel for field trips, required “special” expendable materials, etc. Special course fee revenues must be used for costs directly related to the classes for which they are charged. CSU’s full course fee manual can be found here.

In order to request a special course fee for a course you teach, please find the attached form here.

Fees are assessed at the beginning of each semester and revised several times throughout the semester depending on add/drop dates. The WCNR business office will provide instructors with their budgets and allowed expenses after the census date for each semester. All spending for course fees must be completed within 2 weeks of the course end date or the Last week of November for Fall Courses, last week of April for Spring Courses, and last week of July for Summer courses. Scheduled travel is the only exception to this rule. We no longer accept purchases after these semesterly deadlines.

Course fees are to be reviewed and updated annually by the department and instructor for changes however, all courses must be updated at least once every 5 years.

The WCNR business office will perform Annual review upon course completion or in August of each year to assess how the course is performing based on its budgets. Based on this annual review, departments may be encouraged to update the course fee budget.

Business and Financial services will also complete an annual review on select course fees. They may also suggest changes or corrections during their review process.

Course fee budgets are very specific. If you have questions on how to write the special course fee request form or what’s allowed or unallowed in your budget, please reach out the WCNR_budget@mail.colostate.edu

WCNR highly encourages departments to communicate any instructor changes to courses that have special course fees for accurate communication and tracking. We do reach out to instructors regularly.

Important dates:

  • November 30th: Changes to course fees or New Course fee requests are due to the WCNR Business office no later than November 30th for an on time submission to Busfin/Provost of January 1st for effective the following fiscal year.
  • Last week of November: All Fall spending must be submitted in WCNR
  • Last week of April: All Spring spending must be submitted in WCNR
  • Last week of July: All Summer spending must be submitted in WCNR
  • Two weeks after a course is complete: Refunds or Fee assessment (for variable fees) will be processed within 2 weeks of course completion

Policy for Expenditure of WCNR Endowment Funds

Financial gifts to the College provide a legacy of impact for our donors.  To respect the intent of the donors and to facilitate those impacts on the donor’s behalf, it is critical that the College be an outstanding steward of those resources.  Part of being good financial stewards entails making wise and appropriate expenditures with funds provided by donors in a manner that is consistent with the donor’s vision and goals made at the time of the contribution.

Being a good financial steward also means putting those resources to use in a timely and strategic manner.  While putting funds into action is critical for any gift, special attention and care is warranted for endowments and any major expendable gift.  The interest on endowments and major expendable funds should not be allowed to accumulate excessively unless there is a strategic reason for doing so with a firm plan in place that is consistent with the intent of the donor and the gift.  The need to expend funds in a timely manner is codified in CSU policy (specifically, the Gift Processing Manual, Section GPS-9), which states:  “At the time a gift fund is established, the account holder and all those with signature authority agree to spend funds in a timely fashion and according to donor intent.  Gifts made to expendable (“non-endowed”) funds are intended to be spent for ‘current’ uses.”

To ensure consistency with donor intent and CSU policy, WCNR is instituting a new policy to help ensure appropriate use of our development funds.   On July 1 of each year, individuals responsible for expenditure of development funds with fund accounts having the one of the following characteristics will be contacted:

  • Any development expendable fund account with a balance exceeding $50,000,
  • Any expendable account related to an endowment with a balance greater than $25,000 and a balance exceeding 150% of the annual accumulated interest, or
  • Any expendable account related to an endowment with a balance less than $25,000 and a balance exceeding 300% of the annual accumulated interest.

For these accounts, the individuals responsible for expenditure of development funds must provide a brief report to the Dean indicating the reason for the accumulation of funds and plans for putting the funds to use.  If the plan is determined to be the best and most appropriate use of the funds based on the original gift agreement and the strategic needs of the program, the plan presented will be approved.  If not, the Dean will direct alternative uses of the funds to ensure that the intent of the gift is met.

Start-up Commitment Policies and Procedures

Start up packages are provided upon employment with CSU and are outlined in the employees offer letter. Packages typically last 2-3 years and have a set spending limit. Please refer to an employee offer letter for limits and special conditions.

Budget

Each faculty will provide the WCNR Business office an overall budget for start-up or retention dollars within 30 days of their official hire date.

Budget Template

Allocation and Spending

In August of each year, the business office staff will provide each faculty with their overall budget total remaining and how many years are left in the commitment

Faculty can spend as needed throughout the year

After April reconciliation is complete, WCNR staff will transfer budget based on the current account balance and projections through June 30th.

Remainder budget/commitment will be moved to the following year after transfers are made

Limitations

Start up spending is not to exceed the time or monetary limits identified in the offer letter

 

Please see the WCNR Business Office for any additional clarification or questions regarding startup commitment

 

Policy on Fixed Price Sponsored Awards

Ideally funds received for fixed price sponsored awards will be fully used for expenses related to the project for which they were awarded during the time frame of the project. However, because of over-estimation of budget needs, frugal use of funds, or other factors at times there are funds remaining at the close of the project.  The funds remaining in those accounts are retained by the University and periodically swept by the Office of Sponsored Programs to close individual 53 accounts.  Following the sweep OSP transfers those funds to a college-level account.

Effective November 1, 2018, funds transferred to the Warner College following the OSP sweep will be allocated as follows:

For accounts with residual balances <$5,000

  • All funds will be returned to the project PI.

For accounts with residual balances of > $5,000

  • $5,000 will be returned to the project PI.
  • For funds remaining after allocation of $5,000 to the PI:
    • The project PI may provide a written proposal to the Dean of WCNR requesting use of some or all of the funds available; the rationale must include an explanation of why the funds were not used on the original project and how proposed use of the funds would meet the intent of the original agreement, needs of the sponsor, and PI programmatic needs.
    • Any funds not reallocated to the PI will be retained by the Dean, with the option for the PI’s Unit Leader to request use of up to 25% of the balance. Requests must include a rationale for need and explanation of why the funds were not used on the original project.
    • The Warner College Dean will review requests with the Associate Dean for Research then inform the department and/or PI what funds will be available for use.