Our Services
The Office of Procurement Services is dedicated to delivering professional, agile, and high-impact support to both university stakeholders and our vendor partners. Recognizing the diverse operational needs of the institution, we offer a comprehensive service suite designed to streamline everything from strategic sourcing to daily transactional support.
VCU faculty and staff can access this full range of specialized assistance—including IT procurement and general customer service—via the IT Support Portal, with our dedicated service tickets conveniently located under the School/Unit IT Support group.
Accounts Payable
Accounts Payable division manages vendor payments, gift card administration, and direct pays to ensure accurate financial disbursements. The team facilitates specialized payments including subawards, honorariums, stipends, and independent contractor compensation.
Communications
Beyond simply sharing updates, Procurement Services bridges the gap between various finance departments by using the VCU Procurement Services Blog and regular Open Forums to synchronize policy changes. This cross-departmental communication ensures that accounting, budgeting, and faculty operations remain aligned, minimizing compliance risks and streamlining the purchasing lifecycle across the entire institution.
Contracts
The VCU Office of Procurement Services supports university departments by negotiating, executing, and administering contracts for goods and services to ensure compliance with Commonwealth standards. The office manages the full contract lifecycle, including vendor payment processing, subaward administration, and a central repository for active agreements.
Corporate Card Program
The VCU Corporate Card Program oversees the university-liability Purchasing Card (P-Card) for streamlining small purchases, alongside the personal-liability Travel Card for frequent business travel expenses. Cardholders must manage transactions according to specific guidelines, including personal responsibility for monthly Travel Card payments.
Expense Management/Reimbursements
The Expense Management and Reimbursement team oversees the financial integrity of university business expenditures. The team manages the end-to-end reimbursement process for employees, select individuals and students, alongside auditing specialized invoices received for non-travel and travel related goods and services.
Supplier Relations
The Office of Procurement Services at VCU fosters vendor partnerships by providing resources for registration, SWaM certification, and policy guidance. These initiatives aim to ensure a competitive marketplace and support suppliers in navigating the university's procurement processes
Travel Services
Procurement Services manages VCU’s business travel through a comprehensive program that centralizes policy management, specialized training, and the oversight of travel-related contracts. By maintaining the university’s travel management program, the team ensures all official travel aligns with institutional standards and government regulations.
University Purchasing
University Purchasing manages the procurement process for VCU by handling competitive bidding, strategic sourcing, and vendor engagement for goods and services, with a focus on purchases exceeding $10,000. While University Purchasing facilitates the acquisition, the negotiation, and execution of agreements. It works with the Contracts Division to facilitate legal review,
Vendor Support
Vendor Support manages essential administrative workflows, including vendor onboarding, ImageNow, help desk assistance, bid openings, and receiving support, ensuring smooth operations for university and vendor partners. The team collaborates across Procurement Services to maintain technical and data-driven infrastructure.