Procurement

Procurement Office

The Procurement Office is comprised of the Purchasing Department and Mail & Shipping Services (MSS). We manage vendor relations, purchasing processes and workflow, mail, surplus auctions, shipping and receiving for the University.

A purchase order is required by most suppliers for order placement. Our process requires a completed requisition form via DocuSign including appropriate signature approvals, prior to the assignment of a Purchase Order by our department. Once a vendor receives a PO, they are authorized to fulfill the order. Orders placed without a valid PO may delay payment to the vendor. Accounts Payable must have an invoice to pay a vendor – not a statement, quote, or estimate. Click here for more detail.

Frequently Requested Resources

Business Cards

DocuSign
Contact I.T. Support for new account creation, password resets or template management.

eBucks Cards (formerly meal vouchers)
Departmental eBucks Cards can be used at all campus eateries as well as the LIFE U Shop. Funding for the cards is pulled from the department’s budget and reset each fiscal year. BPOs that are assigned to the card(s) are allocated when the BPO is created, but not deducted until the card is used. BPO funds can be added to NEW or EXISTING eBucks cards by submitting an approved DocuSign request.

Click the link “BPO Creation/Increase Request for Departmental eBucks Card” or complete from your DocuSign account. For more details or for questions on usage, contact the Procurement Officer.

Expense Reimbursements are submitted directly to Finance using this link to complete the form and submit your receipt(s).

Mail & Shipping Services
I. Official – All intra-office, official mail, packages, and freight shipments for the University are handled by the Mail & Shipping Services staff, located within the Procurement Office at 1250 LIFE’s Way, Bldg. 1000.

Our designated domestic shippers are USPS, FedEx and UPS with DHL for international shipments.

UPS, FedEx & DHL logins for department admins can be requested by department heads or above. Send login requests to MailServices@LIFE.edu.

Save when Shipping!
- When shipping within Georgia or neighboring states, choosing UPS GROUND service, will usually deliver next day, providing proof of delivery and avoiding the increased express/overnight cost!
- Drop off your prepared package to Mail & Shipping/Dock to avoid “Request Pickup” fees from the carrier. Packages received will be picked up by UPS during their daily route.
- Exception – outgoing DHL and FedEx shipments will require you to place a pickup request as they are not on our daily delivery route.

II. Personal – All incoming mail and packages are processed by the Mail & Shipping team at the main dock. Once scanned and sorted, packages are transferred to automated parcel lockers located outside the Harris Center and inside the Commons. Click the link to view Mail & Shipping FAQs.

Outgoing – Free shipping supplies (envelopes, boxes, packing material) are in the hallway outside the Procurement Office and can be used for mailing USPS letters and packages as well as UPS and DHL. Payment for postage and shipping charges is handled by credit/debit card with a minimum $1.00 charge. A .50 surcharge is applied to all package shipments regardless of size/weight and 1^st class letters are billed at the current retail rate.

Print Concierge Service (PCS)

MSS (Mail & Shipping Services) under the direction of the Procurement Office can now provide employees with limited print shop services. From color printing class materials to folding documents, our PCS was created to increase your productivity and save manhours and funds spent for external printers. Click here to submit your request.

All submitted jobs require a minimum of 24 business hours for completion – no exceptions. If you have questions, contact the Procurement Officer. Print and fold services are solely for course/class materials, not personal printing.

Staples/Amazon/Sam’s Club

LIFE University’s designated office supply vendor is Staples. Department heads can request their employees’ access by sending a new user request to Purchasing@life.edu. The request must include name, email, department code and approver. Staples will email your credentials, then you can login here. Staples is your first stop for office supplies.

Amazon is our secondary office supply vendor as well as for a myriad of other products. Department heads can request their employees’ access by sending a new user request to Purchasing@life.edu. The request must include name, email, department code and approver. Once processed, Amazon will email an invite to join the LIFE Business account. Office supply orders placed thru Amazon may be rejected if pricing is not competitive with Staples.

The University Sam’s Club account can be used for miscellaneous items including fresh food orders and snacks by signing out a card from the Purchasing Office. To request use of the Sam’s Card, complete this form (which will go to your supervisor for approval) and await an email from Purchasing with instructions to pick up the card. Once you have completed your purchase, you must return it and your receipt immediately after use. The Sam’s Card should not be kept longer than 1 business day to allow other departments access.

Students & Clubs

Submit deposit documentation for cash/checks received for student organization.
Submit a purchase order (PO) in advance</a to a vendor for goods or services not received yet.
Submit receipts for goods or services already purchased without a PO.

Surplus Auctions
When equipment/items are no longer of use to the University, we sell through public auctions. Visit our auction site for current or upcoming events.

Vendor Payments
New and existing vendors are required to have a current W8 or W9-BEN on file before Finance can issue a payment. You can initiate this by submitting a Vendor Payment Worksheet and completing the first two fields. The vendor/reimbursee will complete the remaining fields attach their W8/W9 to finish. Once we receive and input the completed data, we will notify A/P. This form is also used if simply signing up for ACH direct payments. If you have any questions, please contact the Procurement Officer.

Procurement Office Contact Info
Purchasing@LIFE.edu / 770.426.2960
MailServices@LIFE.edu / 678.439.MAIL (6245)